A changing of the guard at Weigand and a new development for 159th and Kellogg

If you were a fly on the wall of the conference room at J.P. Weigand & Sons around lunch on Monday, you would have seen a surprising changing of the guard at the commercial division.

Seated many chairs apart were the division’s outgoing vice president and general manager Tony Utter and his replacement, Josh Turner.

The surprise is that Utter is leaving that position after one year.

Utter said it was not a matter of the job not working out.

“It was working out just fine.”

Utter, who is 68, said he would have kept that job under different circumstances.

“If I was 20 years younger and had that energy level.”

Utter said it was his idea to switch to brokering transactions full time.

“I wanted to stay, and they were glad I wanted to stay as a Weigand broker,” he said. “It’s a great place to be.”

Utter said helping Turner in the transition also is part of his job.

“I’m here to help him, too, to ease into the position.”

Turner most recently was the general manager of operations for Occidental Management.

“That company is going to go to the moon,” he said. “My specific role in that was going to be maybe somewhat limited. This gave me an opportunity to grow a little more quickly.”

At Weigand, “There’s so much talent there,” Turner said.

“I’m just looking forward to the opportunity to learn from the folks here and possibly bring some new skills and fresh ideas to the team.”

Utter said said he realized that he enjoys commercial transactions “more than managing a large group of people”

He still has Utter Commercial Property Management, which is mostly a management business, although the company also handles leasing at the properties it manages.

That, being a broker and running the commercial division “was a bit much.”

Utter enjoyed his new full-time job as a broker only on Friday when he helped some longtime clients close on their purchase of 21.1 acres on the northwest corner of 159th and Kellogg.

“They bought it for commercial development,” he said.

Utter’s Weigand colleague Randy Johnston represented the seller.

Utter said his clients, who prefer to remain anonymous, previously had a downtown property where he handled leasing. He also helped them with the purchase of an office warehouse a couple of years ago.

Look for more details on plans for the 159th and Kellogg property as they develop, though don’t hold your breath.

“I don’t think they’re in any hurry.”

This story was originally published April 6, 2020 at 4:41 PM.