Welcome to the third episode of On Air with Team Jensen: The Art of Industrial Real Estate.
[Intro – Host: Team Jensen]
Host: teaching you the art of industrial real estate this is On Air with Team Jensen [Music]
Host: all right quiet down please quiet down everyone welcome to episode 3 of On Air with Team Jensen — the art of industrial real estate. Today we have Bart on board with us from Price Brothers. Bart, welcome aboard and thanks for coming on with us.
Bart: yeah thanks—I’ve been called worse, by the way!
Host: but Bart is also in the development world just like us here at Team Jensen, and he’s got a lot of cool projects he’s done that a lot of you Kansas City folks will be very familiar with. Excited to get him in here today and learn a little bit about his backstory and also just kind of the projects he’s got going on. So, Bart, we’ll jump right in and sure—where are you from?
Bart: uh we’re going that far back—all the way back to the origin story. I was born and raised in Wichita, Kansas, not too far from here. I went to school at K‑State and met my wonderful bride of 25 years this year.
Host: what high school?
Bart: Southeast. Southeast—we moved around. I was on the east side of Wichita near Andover.
Host: cool.
[Bart on Education & Early Career]
Host: so, were you in like construction management at school?
Bart: no, I’m actually a licensed architect. My dad’s an architect—I remember sitting at his drafting table at six years old. That’s when I decided I’d be an architect. I wish he’d talked me out of it, honestly, because where I’m at now is more fun.
I went to K‑State, got my degree, and started practicing with Henry Clover Architects here locally. We did a lot of the early RED developments. When RED grew, I followed a partner—Jeff—to RED and led design there. I hired many of the consultants I’d worked with before, including Henry.
[Transition from Architecture to Development]
Bart: I learned about development; it intrigued me. I spent years there, learned from great people. Now, I enjoy everything—banking, leasing, design—it’s all part of a bigger puzzle.
Host: how did that transition actually happen?
Bart: RED was growing fast—Kansas City, Phoenix. I was flying often to Phoenix and missed family time. One night my daughter said she thought I was leaving again. It hit me—I was missing everything. I told Dan (Dan Lowe) I might leave—but he said, “Don’t leave—come to the development side and stay in KC.” He took a chance on me and helped me become a sponge in development.
[Family & Personal Life]
Host: you’ve got kids?
Bart: yeah, three kids—girl, boy, girl. My son and oldest daughter are headed to K‑State; youngest will go to Olathe Northwest next.
Host: empty nesters ourselves—it hits fast!
Bart: I love my kids fully immersed in their lives. But yes—Team Jensen!
[First Development Project]
Host: what was your first development project?
Bart: 119, what is now Town Center Crossing (Crate & Barrel). I was already designing it, so transitioning into development felt natural.
Host: did you work on Legends?
Bart: Legends happened around the same time. We did full construction docs on an early design that didn’t initially get built. Leasing steered things, Rod Yates came on board—leasing legend-style changes—and I managed the design side. I learned so much from Rod on cap rates, deal structures, tenant interaction—I listened to his calls, provided specs, saw deal flow firsthand.
[Current Role at Price Brothers]
Host: so what are you guys doing at Price Brothers now?
Bart: a lot. We’re a 100-year-old company, now run by third generation—Kent and Lena Price in charge. Our portfolio is primarily residential (85%), but we have office, retail (like Blue Hawk), and industrial.
We’re redeveloping Sky on Main (10th & Main), bought it from an owner based in New York who got burnt out. We also did acquisitions in industrial last year and are exploring more.
[COVID & Real Estate]
Host: what about COVID’s impact on retail?
Bart: residential held up (people still need housing); office struggled but less so; retail was the toughest—sales fell. We had to restructure retail, but relationships helped during the downturn.
Host: how about industrial?
Bart: opposite—COVID lit industrial on fire. E-commerce surged, supply chains strained—and industrial boomed. KC benefited due to central location.
[Blue Hawk & Kansas City Expansion]
Bart: Kansas City is on a roll—new airport, more hotels, downtown growth. People are moving from coasts because schools are good and it’s family-friendly.
Host: does Price have assets outside KC?
Bart: yes—residential in Dallas (about 2,000 units) plus Denver and Nashville. We’re scaling those markets.
Host: are you owning and operating?
Bart: yes—we develop and hold. A couple of dispositions, but mostly portfolio growth via development and acquisition.
[Entry Into Industrial]
Host: what made you enter industrial?
Bart: diversification. We bought an industrial building by the airport (~400,000 sq ft) and are expanding it by 200,000 sq ft.
I come from retail, which is the hardest in development due to multi-tenancy and public-private partnerships. Industrial is different—but doable.
[Price Family History]
Bart: the Price family started in 1879. Isaac Price immigrated around age 15, worked as a tailor, built a house, sold it, and founded a company—now 100+ years old.
Host: so where are you and your family now?
Bart: we live near Powder Creek Gun Club in NW KC, so my son got into shooting sports. We moved from typical suburbs to country living with character—big yard, small house in Whispering Hills.
[Family Life & Recreation]
Host: do you travel much with the family?
Bart: dance competitions, shooting sports take us everywhere—even off-the-map spots.
Host: so no golf?
Bart: I don’t play—yes.
Host: Price Brothers own Hillcrest?
Bart: yes, Doug does—no freebies here!
Host: you want to teach us shooting?
Bart: I might give Sam a shotgun lesson—but no freebies.
[Next Generation & Industry]
Host: any chance your son joins real estate?
Bart: he shadowed the office but said it’s not for him—he wants sports broadcasting. That’s fine—everyone finds their own path.
Host: now, Blue Hawk—how did you come aboard?
Bart: I consulted in 2017, joined Price in 2018 to work on Blue Hawk. It’s been tough—STAR bonds, retail, pandemic—but now the sports facility is under construction and due to open winter 2026.
Host: that’s massive!
Bart: it’s a ecosystem—sports, retail, hotels, office, residential—420k sq ft of sports, 650k retail, plus hotels. Nothing like it in KC.
[Experiential Retail & Tenants]
Bart: Blue Hawk is oversubscribed—200k built; only 4k sq ft vacant. 50k sq ft retail under construction with only 4k vacant; next round leasing already.
Retail isn’t dead—it must be experiential.
Host: any anchor tenants?
Bart: Sierra (an outdoor-apparel concept from TJX) is joining, alongside existing TJ Maxx. Also a chef‑driven restaurant opening soon.
Host: where can people find info?
Bart: blu‑hawk.com and our social channels. Leasing handled by CBL.
[Future of Price & KC]
Host: what’s next for Price over the next 5–10 years?
Bart: more of the same—continued and strategic growth across residential, office, retail, industrial. We’re a family-run, 100-year-old firm where everyone—from CEO on down—feels part of something.
Strong company culture and trust make us successful.
Host: do you think KC will continue stretching south like Blue Hawk?
Bart: absolutely. With new airport and economic momentum, corridors like K‑10, K‑7, and 69 will grow. Toll lanes on 69 will help. Panasonic’s big build (with 10 cranes) is a sign—growth keeps moving toward Lawrence.
[Wrap-Up]
Host: Anything else for our listeners?
Bart: just to congratulate you guys—these podcasts bring energy, big‑picture conversations, and are good for KC’s business climate.
Host: thanks for coming on and sharing your insights.
Bart: happy to be here!
