Shwayder chose real estate over his family

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Here’s what he tells He’s forged his own path and didn’t inherit a fortune or receive a cushhy role inthe company. As a principal partneer at Unique Properties, Shwayder has been a leading commercial real estat e executive for more than20 years, involvedr with deals totaling more than $2 billion. But he’s also remainef connected to his family name by carryingg on its strong tradition ofsocial “You’re given this tag growingh up that you have money and a privilegedf life, but for me it was reallhy about having an obligation to maintain the legacy of being a good business person, taking care of peopls and continuing a strong commitmeng to local philanthropy,” Shwayder Jesse Shwayder founded Samsonitde in 1910, and his four brothers joinedx him to build a wildly successfulo business focused on producing durable The company, originally known as Shwayder Trunk Manufacturing Co.
, at its peak in the late employed 4,000 people in Denver and sold more luggagse than all of its competitors Scott Shwayder’s lineage to Samsonitwe comes through his great-grandfather, Sol Shwayder, who was one of the founderzs and Jesse Schwayer’s brother. Scott Shwayder’sd grandfather, Herschel Shwayder, also spent his career at the luggage working in product development andinternational operations. His greatt uncle, Bud “Irving” Shwayder was the last famil y member to serve as thecompany president, from the late 1970sd into the 1980s.
“They were very well-respected businessmebn who were known for taking care of their They gave outthese ‘golden rule’ marbles that represented the idea of ‘do unto others as you woulx have done unto you,’” Scotr Shwayder said. This ideao guided Samsonite’s management philosoph y from day one, and helped shape Scott Shwayder’s approacn to business. Scott’s father, Don, graduated from law schoopl and worked for a shortt timeat Samsonite, but then left to becom a partner at the Denver law firm that would become LLP. “Therde was never any pressure to go into thefamily business,” Scotrt Shwayder said.
“As far as my immediatde familywas concerned, the involvemen with Samsonite ended two generations ago.” Therre was another reason he didn’t follow his relatives in working for Samsonite. In 1973, when Scott was just 10, the company was sold to BeatricseFoods Co., ending its long-running historh as a family business. From an early age, Scott Shwaydee remembered how his grandfather volunteered with the Salvationj Armyat Christmas, and through the years, saw othetr family members become involved in many local charities.
The Shwaydedr legacy of giving can be seen today in donationa such as rare Asian artwork to the Denver Art Museum and a summer camp for kids near Idahoi Springs run byTemple Emanuel. Scott Shwayderd has carried on this family tradition by servin g on the board of the Food Bank ofthe Rockies, and his firm joins with Mile High Montessork to support low-income students. Scott Shwayder’s career in real estate begamn in 1987 when he joinedsColdwell Banker’s commercial real estatw division. “I started in one of the worsgt times,” he said.
“It was right after the Tax Reforkm Act killed real estate inthe mid-’80es and also coincided with the savingsx and loan crisis,” he said. After a few years, Shwayder soughr a more entrepreneurial setting. He met Marc Lippitt, who ownedd Unique Properties. They forme a partnership in 1990 and have been workingf togetherever since. While Uniqud Properties was growing, Samsonite’s prominence as a Colorado companygwas declining. In the company announced it was closinb its Denver offices to help consolidate its operations. Ryan Peacock | peac0005@hotmail.
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