‘I’d rather retain employees than retrain new ones’

Rich Palzewic

Staff

February 17, 2025

EAU CLAIRE – Justin Held, president and founder of Property Minds and Rocket Construction in Eau Claire, said the growth both companies have experienced in the last seven years prompted a relocation to a new space.

Held, 26, said the two businesses – now located on the corner of Damon Street and London Road – are accompanied by Bauman Associates, which is also occupying part of the building.

“It’s a beautiful, 20,000-square-foot building,” he said.

Held said the impetus behind needing a new space was “obvious.”

“The office building I was in, we were just outgrowing it,” he said. “Before we moved, I had three people in one office and people had to share desks – (and) I couldn’t take up any more space in the building.”

Held said the timing for the relocation was perfect for the new build because Bauman Associates was also looking for a new space.

“During tax season, I walked into Bauman because I had a meeting with them – my head accountant is with Bauman,” he said. “He started the meeting by telling me their lease was up, and he wanted to pick my brain on what they should do – whether that be lease a different space, remodel it or build something – so the timing worked out really well for both of us.”

Held said building the new space was more of a gamble than anything.

“I just felt like it was the best thing to do because we are growing so much,” he said. “So far, it’s worked out very well – I’m kind of afraid we’re going to outgrow this space in a few years.”

Held said ground was broken on the project in fall 2023, and initially, plans were for the building to be ready by summer 2024.

“There was a big problem – and it’s still a problem in the construction industry right now – getting electrical gear,” he said. “We ordered the electrical gear, and it was expected to be about 48 to 52 weeks out. We ordered it three months before we even broke ground, and a year and three months went by, and we couldn’t get the gear, so the building was just sitting there.”

Held said the City of Eau Claire also said “no” to using a temporary generator.

“Everything kept getting pushed back, and eventually, we needed to look at different options,” he said. “We found a different option (in regard to obtaining the electrical gear) and were able to move in.”

Nice amenities

In addition to more space, Held said the new building has plenty of “nice” amenities.

“There is a full gym, a small locker room area for the employees and a separate shower area,” he said. “There is also a full kitchen and two conference rooms. In the big conference room, the black walnut table has orange ‘lava’ down the middle. It’s a work in progress, but there is a pool table room with hopes of adding a dart board and foosball table.”

Held said he’d rather retain employees than retrain new ones – which is one of the reasons why he made the new building “a nice place to work at.”

“I like to describe us as a real estate company that kind of acts like a tech company,” he said. “If you take care of your employees, make sure they’re happy and make it fun, you have a better chance to retain people. I’ve been very blessed that way, where I don’t really have a lot of turnover. I’ve tried to make the new building a fun environment.”

A young start

Being only 26 years old, Held said he got his start in the real estate business more than a decade ago – about four years before officially starting Property Minds in 2018, followed by Rocket Construction in 2021.

Today, Property Minds offers a variety of real estate development and property management services, including brokerage, residential home sales, rental properties and management.

Rocket Construction, on the other hand, provides commercial construction services, including remodels, design-build services, multi-family builds and commercial projects.

“I also do my own development, so I build a lot of apartments,” he said. “Property Minds manages all of those apartments. I don’t know exactly off the top of my head, but Property Minds manages between $120 million and $140 million in assets.”

Held said his dad also dabbled in apartments, which caught his interest from a young age.

“I bought my first unit – (a condo I planned to rent out) – when I was 15, there’s a good story behind that,” he said. “My dad helped me – it was a condo. Because I was only 15 at the time, he had to drive me to the condo for the showing. I showed the condo and had brought a lease along if (the prospective buyers) wanted it, which they did.”

Because Held “was just a kid,” he said he was quite nervous.

“My dad was waiting in the truck, so I did my thing, showed it and got the deposit,” he said. “After the people left, I realized I forgot to have them sign the last page. Looking back, it’s a great story to tell, but I had to call them and have them come back to sign the last page.”

Held said that was just the beginning – continuing to buy more properties before eventually starting his own business.

“Because I was 15 at the time, I couldn’t even drive myself to these showings,” he laughed. “I don’t even think I had my temps. My dad had to co-sign with me (on properties) until I turned 18.”

Those early days, Held said, served as a solid foundation for what Property Minds and Rocket Construction have become today.

For more information on Property Minds, visit propertyminds.com.

Visit rocketconstruction.com for more information on Rocket Construction.