Real World - Blair Companies

Founded in 1894, Lakemont Park in Altoona, Pennsylvania is the 8th oldest amusement park in the United States, and home to the oldest standing roller coaster in the world.  The park’s owner, Blair Companies, is now seeking to redevelop approximately 25 acres of this unique lakefront property situated next to an ice hockey rink, and PNG Field, home to the Altoona Curve baseball team (a Minor League affiliate of the Pittsburgh Pirates).  Over the course of the semester, students will be tasked with advising our Industry Partner, Blair Companies, on a strategy for redeveloping Lakemont Park to achieve highest and best use.  Working from essentially a “blank canvas”, students will be limited only to their own imaginations.

Blair Companies is a diverse group of more than a dozen businesses assembled over the past seven decades. Blair creates or acquires new businesses based on their synergy to existing businesses and their overall profit potential. The flexibility and breadth of our management expertise, backed by strong financial acumen, enables us to respond quickly to opportunities as they arise. Our commitment to the long-term health, stability and growth of our component businesses provides the environment for continued development.

Blair Companies Real Estate Portfolio encompasses various partnerships and entities that are partially or solely owned and managed by DD Realty and Blair Companies Real Estate. DD Realty designs, develops and manages a portfolio of over four million square feet of office complexes, retail plazas, warehouses, medical offices, manufacturing plants, apartment complexes, hospitality, and residential developments. Over 700 acres have been or are under development, along with 1000 acres of timber and waste-coal fields.

They have been involved in real estate for over forty years. Well over 100 properties have been developed, many in partnership with Central Pennsylvania’s largest developers, including: Lawruk, Poole, Albarano, Thaler, Campbell, Sheetz, Hite, Dreibelbis, Hawbaker, Eichelberger, Zamias and Glimcher.

Our properties are primarily located in Central and Western Pennsylvania and Ohio. Existing tenants include: McDonalds, Giant Foods/Martins Grocery, CVS, Subway, Warnaco, Altoona Regional Health Systems, Family Dollar, Dollar General, UPMC, Verizon, Papa Johns, H&R Block, Sheetz, PLCB, and Holiday Hair.