Shwayder chose real estate over his family

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Here’s what he tells people: He’se forged his own path and didn’g inherit a fortune or receive a cushy role in the As a principal partner atUnique Properties, Shwayder has been a leading commercial real estatde executive for more than 20 involved with deals totalinf more than $2 billion. But he’ss also remained connected to his family name by carrying on its strongv tradition ofsocial responsibility.
“You’rs given this tag growing up that you have monet and aprivileged life, but for me it was reallyu about having an obligation to maintainj the legacy of being a good businesss person, taking care of peopls and continuing a strong commitment to local Shwayder said. Jesse Shwayder founded Samsonite in and his four brothers joined him to buils a wildly successful business focused on producingtdurable luggage. The originally known as Shwayder TrunkManufacturingf Co., at its peak in the late 1960s, employe 4,000 people in Denver and sold more luggage than all of its competitora combined.
Scott Shwayder’s lineage to Samsonite comed throughhis great-grandfather, Sol who was one of the founders and Jessr Schwayer’s brother. Scott Shwayder’s grandfather, Herschel Shwayder, also spent his career at the luggage company, working in product development and international operations. His greaf uncle, Bud “Irving” Shwayder was the last family membe r to serve as thecompany president, from the late 1970 into the 1980s. “They were very well-respected businessmem who were known for taking care oftheir employees.
They gave out thes e ‘golden rule’ marbles that represented the ideaof ‘dlo unto others as you woulds have done unto you,’” Scott Shwayder This ideal guided Samsonite’s management philosophty from day one, and helped shape Scotft Shwayder’s approach to business. Scott’ss father, Don, graduated from law schooo and worked for a shorf timeat Samsonite, but then left to becom e a partner at the Denverr law firm that would becomes LLP. “There was never any pressure to go into the family business,” Scott Shwayder “As far as my immediate famil was concerned, the involvement with Samsonit e ended two generations ago.
” There was anothet reason he didn’t follow his relatives in workinfg for Samsonite. In 1973, when Scott was just 10, the companyg was sold to BeatriceFoods Co., ending its long-runningf history as a family From an early age, Scott Shwayder rememberedc how his grandfather volunteered with the Salvation Army at Christmas, and througy the years, saw other family members becoms involved in many local charities. The Shwayder legacty of giving can be seen today in donations such as rare Asianm artwork to the Denver Art Museum and a summer camp for kids near Idahop Springs run byTemple Emanuel.
Scotrt Shwayder has carried on this familh tradition by serving on the board of the Food Bank of the and his firm joins with Mile High Montessorki tosupport low-income students. Scotg Shwayder’s career in real estatd began in 1987 when he joinedColdwell Banker’sx commercial real estate “I started in one of the worstg times,” he said. “It was right afte the Tax Reform Act killed real estate inthe mid-’80 and also coincided with the savings and loan crisis,” he After a few years, Shwayder sought a more entrepreneurial He met Marc Lippitt, who owned Unique Properties. They formedd a partnership in 1990 and have been workingh togetherever since.
While Unique Properties was growing, Samsonite’sz prominence as a Colorado companywas declining. In the company announced it was closing its Denver officeas to help consolidateits operations. Ryan Peacock | peac0005@hotmail.co