KEN MCGURN

OWNER, MCGURN MANAGEMENT, GAINESVILLE

If you’ve walked through downtown Gainesville, you’ve walked through the McGurns’ legacy. Since the early 1980s, they’ve been spearheading development projects that have revitalized the downtown and other parts of the city. They’ve focused on reusing existing buildings and infrastructure and bringing people back to live downtown. They renovated Gainesville’s historic 1898 opera house as a local restaurant and offices and created a high-tech incubator at the Downtown Technology Center. Their Southeast Quadrant Redevelopment Project — including Sun Center, Arlington Square apartments, Star Garage Legal Center, a downtown parking garage and 14 blocks of city streetscape — won national awards. More recently, they completed the 140,000-sq.-ft. mixed-use Union Street Station downtown. They also serve on volunteer boards and provide philanthropic support for numerous nonprofits.