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Bradford City Council slated to bestow key to city to local businessman
By MARCIE SCHELLHAMMER
Era Reporter
Bradford City Council will tonight bestow a key to the city to one of its prominent local businessmen and real estate developers — John Kohler.
“Nobody else is doing the work he’s doing. Nobody else has put the money into the community that John has,” said Mayor Tom Riel, who announced the honor Monday.
He said the recognition, which has been in the works for about a year, is a “result of all of (Kohler’s) investments he has made in the community over many years and especially over these past few years.”
Riel continued, “Projects like the Angells Family Entertainment Center building that most everyone wanted torn down, but John had the foresight and vision to rescue the building and bring two new successful businesses to Bradford.
“The FW Davis Building at the corner of Main and Pine (streets),” Riel said, adding the renovated building now houses a real estate office and hair salon. “He completely redid the outside of the building, including the windows, even though there were no occupants on the second and third floor.
“That’s an extremely visible building as you come around (Veterans Square) ... it’s amazing what he’s done with that building,” Riel said. He added that Kohler recently purchased the Ash Shoe Store building, and now has two more storefronts on Main Street occupied.
“He just recently purchased the Masonic block all the way down through the Butcher Block,” the mayor continued, explaining Kohler has bought properties from 79 to 95 Main St.
And the developments are not just targeted at Main Street, the mayor said.
“He took a formerly blighted property at 9 Chautauqua Place, and John gutted it down to the studs and renovated it and put in eight brand new apartments,” Riel said, “when most people wouldn’t put that money into that neighborhood.”
“Although not in the city, the Foster Brook Mini Mall, it is in the Bradford community,” Riel said, adding another development for Kohler. “He brought four new businesses into that building, including my wife’s business.”
Riel’s wife, Janel Riel, owns a restaurant in the Mini Mall.
Riel also mentioned a building Kohler renovated on Bedford Street. Two businesses operate from there. Kohler was the founder of NBS Trucking and still owns complex, where he recently brought in a Caterpillar business, Riel said. And Kohler donates space to the Big 30 and is planning to donate space to the Bradford Flames gymnastics team.
“He’s put a lot of money into the community to create new businesses and new jobs,” Riel said, “and for that he should be honored.”
Kohler, while surprised and honored by the acknowledgment, told The Era Monday, “I wasn’t in it for the recognition.
“We need to be alive downtown. We’re working on it one building at a time. We’ve got a few more to go.”
And he encourages others to be involved in the area — by shopping locally, for one.
“Shop local, think of the gas money you’ll save,” Kohler said.
He also expressed a sense of pride in being lauded for something he loves to do, saying that being recognized by the city is “kind of like the icing on the cake.”
“I’ve been involved in real estate in the Bradford area since 1974. I really enjoy real estate. I have a lot of vision looking at things.”
While some might take a honor such as this as the pinnacle of their career, Kohler is looking at it as another step along the way.
“I’m not done,” he said, laughing. “I’m not ready to quit. Any new projects I do, my daughter’s going to benefit from.
“I have a lot of ideas, a lot of visions, especially with the Elm Street project,” he said. And he’s open to suggestions for businesses people would like to see come to the community.
While Kohler is grateful for the recognition, he said he didn’t get all the projects accomplished on his own. He lauded Sara Andrews and her staff at the Office of Economic and Community Development, as well as CNB Bank, Joe Troutman and Troutman & Troutman Contractors for helping his visions become reality.
The key to the city will be awarded at the 7 p.m. meeting of Bradford City Council.
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