02/20/2023

Thrive Companies named BIA Builder of The Year

Press Release

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: February 20, 2023

BIA of Central Ohio

Contact: Jon Melchi, Executive Director

Phone: 614-891-0575

Email: Jon@biahomebuilders.com

Thrive Companies named BIA Builder of the Year

The Building Industry Association of Central Ohio (BIA) announces that Thrive Companies will be recognized as the BIA’s Irving E. Schottenstein Builder of the Year Award recipient.

The award, named in honor of the late Irving E. Schottenstein, is given to a BIA builder for serving as a valuable representative of the residential construction industry in central Ohio, maintaining professional excellence, and supporting the standards and policies of the BIA.

“Thrive’s impact in innovation, collaboration, and commitment to their employees, partners, and the central Ohio community showed them to be a worthy recipient of this award and in the spirit of its namesake and previous winners,” said BIA Executive Director Jon Melchi.

Thrive Companies, formerly known as Wagenbrenner Development before a rebranding in 2018, drew acclaim in 2022 for its collaboration with Metro Parks on the Quarry Trails development. The project transformed a former quarry and landfill into a 607-acre, mixed-use development, providing more than 700 much-needed housing units, over 40,000 square feet of office space, and providing Metro Parks with 180 acres of premier parkland. 

“Thrive has a well-earned reputation for reinvigorating spaces and neighborhoods in a way that honors the past and meets the community’s needs of today,” said Melchi. 

At a time when the construction industry has identified talent retention and recruitment efforts as a critical industry priority, Thrive, which has 150 employees, was recognized as one of the top places to work in all of central Ohio.

Kevin Zeppernick, Principal, Board Member & Chief Executive Officer of Thrive, stated, “Thrive Companies is both honored and humbled to be the BIA Builder of the Year. In addition to working extremely hard over the last five years to build a talented, passionate Construction Team, we are very fortunate to have strong alignment with incredible Trade and Vendor Partners. Although we have great pride in what we have accomplished to date, we are still ardently committed to our continued improvement and supporting the significant housing growth needed by our central Ohio Region.”

Thrive will receive the Irving E. Schottenstein Builder of the Year Award at the 2023 Building Industry Gala, which will be held at the Columbus Convention Center on Friday, April 28.

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Key Facts about Thrive Companies

• Wagenbrenner Development began in 1998; Rebranded to Thrive Companies during the ‘vertical integration’ of the company in 2018.
• 150 Employees
• Columbus Business First’s 2022 #1 Best Places to Work (Large Company Category)
• Projected 2022/2023 For Sale Closings – 125+ Homes with a value of $100MM
• Projected 2022/2023/2024 For Rent Turnovers – 3,200 Apartment Units with a value of $800MM
• Projected 2022/2023/2024 Retail/Amenity Turnovers – 50,000 sq. ft. with a value of $27MM
• Projected 2022/2023/2024 Office Turnovers - 345,000 sq. ft. with a value of $172.5MM
• Projected 2022/2023/2024 Parking Decks Turnovers – 2,000+ Parking Slips with a value of $50

About the Building Industry Association of Central Ohio: The Building Industry Association of Central Ohio (BIA) has represented the residential construction industry in our region for 80 years. The BIA’s mission is to advocate for policies that will allow for our industry to meet the growing and diverse needs of our region, promote awareness of the housing creation industry and the thousands of jobs it supports, provide a path for professional and career development, and to serve as a vehicle for networking and industry collaboration.