Each year the WSU Center for Real Estate and the Kansas Chapter of Certified Commercial Investment Members (CCIM) present their annual Lifetime Achievement Award. The award honors local professionals who have made outstanding contributions to the commercial real estate profession and is a great honor and a tribute to individuals who represent the finest examples of Wichita’s rich history of entrepreneurship in the real estate industry.
2019 Honoree – Paul Jackson
After graduating from Kansas State University in 1991, Paul Jackson went to work as a consulting engineer in Davenport, IA. After just one year, at age 24, Paul decided to pursue his passion for real estate development by attempting to take advantage of buying opportunities that had resulted from the savings and loan crisis. To that end, he quit his engineering job, moved to Wichita, and started Vantage Point Properties in 1992.
Within two months of starting the company, Vantage Point was the successful bidder at a sheriff’s sale for an office property located at Central and Rock Road, which it bought for $25.00 per square foot. Shortly afterward, Vantage Point was able to purchase a sister property on the same site, and Paul spent the next year learning about property management, and as the only employee, he performed every role of the company from maintenance to leasing to construction management.
This beginning instilled strong core beliefs around the importance of selecting the best locations, delivering quality, and building strong customer relationships. These have become cornerstones of Vantage Point’s development success. They have also served as the basis for the company’s decision to vertically integrate by developing, operating, and managing its properties in-house with the expectation of retaining long-term ownership.
In addition to office projects, Vantage Point’s development activities have expanded to include retail and multi-family projects in key Wichita locations primarily in east Wichita. To date, it has developed approximately 1.4 million square feet of office and retail space, and 436 apartment units in the Wichita area. The core beliefs it started with are still Vantage Point’s guiding principles today. Some notable projects include:
- Wilson Estates Office Park
Complex of five office buildings consisting of 216,000 square feet - Lakeside at the Waterfront
Complex of three office buildings consisting of 100,000 square feet - SunSTONE Apartment Homes
Two complexes totaling 436 units - McCormick Armstrong Property
Mixed-use re-development project in the East Douglas Design District consisting of 80,000 square feet - Reflections at City Center
Mixed-use project in Lenexa, KS incorporating 315,000 square feet of office space in three buildings and three casual-dining restaurant sites
Paul currently serves on the Advisory Board of Commerce Bank and has previously served on the Kansas Humane Society Board and the YMCA Metro Board. He has lived in Wichita for 27 years and has two children–Riley (daughter) and Nick (son). In his free time, he enjoys traveling, fly fishing, spectator sports, and golf.
