to see a timeline history of the company.

2005-2015
Celebrating 10 Years of Building Community
Through Relationships, Innovation, and Cool Work
In
their first official year in business, brothers Kevin & Paul Brinkman opened up shop in Paul’s
home.
That year, Brinkman Partners was named Best Startup Company of the Year by the Fort Collins
Coloradoan.
2005
Brinkman Partners
voted Best Start-up
Company of the Year
Brothers bring in the best in real estate
By CHRISTIANA NELSON
[email protected]
With
There’s no longer the need to find a
separate broker, developer and construction
team to move a business.
That’s because a Fort Collins company has
combined the services under one roof.
Headed up by co-owners Kevin and Paul
Brinkman, Brinkman Partners has taken the
best of all worlds to develop a full-service
real estate company, specializing in
residential and commercial real estate,
construction and vacation properties.
After starting out in early 2005, the
brothers have already seen their share of
growth. They started out in a 1,000-squarefoot office and in December moved into a
space three times that size in the Oakridge
Business Park along Harmony Road.
Yet, despite their growth, the company is
dedicated to the basics.
“Our greatest value now is being small and
being able to be personally involved in
assuring creativity and quality in every
property and project,” said Kevin Brinkman.
“I don’t think we want to be huge because
we want to ensure quality and sophistication
over focusing on size.”
The Fort Collins natives saw a need for
integrated real estate in the market and
collected employees from all over the
country — many of whom began their
careers in Fort Collins — to start their
business.
“For me it’s not necessarily about the size
— the sales, the volume or the number of
employees,” said Paul Brinkman. “We want
to be known as a company that provides
exceptional service and value to its clients.”
While many of the company’s employees
made sacrifices to come to the company,
“with each position I don’t think you could
find a better person in the industry,” said
Kevin Brinkman.
“I think it’s the people, I think it’s us and
our skill sets that set us apart,” he said. “As
we grow we’ve been able to find people to
grow with us.”
The self-proclaimed “Colorado guys” also
pride themselves on having fun and being
flexible with employees, while maintaining a
high level of professionalism.
“We want to balance lifestyle and work,”
said Paul Brinkman. “Our people work hard
for us so if they need some time off or want
to go skiing in the middle of the week
because the snow is good, we let them build
their own schedules.”
Still, despite their laid-back scheduling,
Brinkman Partner clients have been
impressed by the company’s top-notch
service.
Kelly Goyen, president of Loveland-based
Empirical Labs, turned to Brinkman for the
purchase and interior renovations of a
building in Fort Collins, which his company
will move into in March. The company’s
knowledge of the real estate market and of
expansion possibilities of various properties
made the process easy.
Best Startup
Company of the Year
Brinkman Partners
Partners: Paul and Kevin Brinkman,
32 and 38
What they do: Full-service real estate
including brokerage, development and
construction and investment services.
Brinkman Partners also offers vacation
properties.
Location: 1315 Oakridge Drive in the
Oakridge Business Park
Contact: 267-0954 or log onto http://
brinkmanpartners.com
“Because they do it all they can answer
those questions we had,” Goyen said. “It
seemed quicker and more seamless.”
And Brinkman Partners made Goyen feel
like his 12-employee nutritional supplement
business was just as important as any other
client.
“I’m one of the smaller businesses they
work with, but they treated me absolutely
first class right from the first day,” he said.
Ray Caraway, executive director of the
Community Foundation of Northern
Colorado, also had a great experience with
the company. The Community Foundation
moved into a building adjacent to the
Brinkman Partners location in the Oakridge
BAND OF BROTHERS Kevin Brinkman, left, and his brother, Paul, are co-owners of Brinkman Partners. They take a
laid-back, flexible approach to running their real estate company.
Business Park
“They’ve been ahead of schedule and
under budget, which pretty much speaks for
itself,” he said. “They’ve been very
responsive and they’ve done what they said
they were going to do.”
Paul Brinkman uses his background as
vice president of The Neenan Co. to focus on
construction and development properties.
Kevin Brinkman focuses on real estate and
both brothers oversee the day-to-day
activities.
“We have the experience and sophistication
of a larger organization, but we apply it at a
smaller, hands-on level,” said Paul
Brinkman.
Many people may find it difficult to work
with family, but the brothers see it as an
advantage because they hold similar values
and both have a passion for the Fort Collins
community.
And while Brinkman Partners may not
have huge dreams of expansion, the
company continues to thrive. Within about a
year the Brinkman brothers plan to double
their workforce to 20 to 25 employees and
open a second office in Summit County.
“The biggest obstacle is to help people see
the value of the integrated services we can
provide,” said Paul Brinkman. “What we’ll
be up against is tradition.”
the completion of the Oakridge Professional Offices, 2006 brought the solidification of a
significant relationship between Brinkman and The Everitt Companies.
This also marked Brinkman being named the #1 fastest-growing company on the Northern Colorado
Business Report’s Mercury 100 list.
2006
In 2007, Brinkman completed the Urban Living Lofts, for-sale condominiums that enhanced the Old
Town Fort Collins living scape.
In addition to the Gateway office building, the company also finished numerous projects for
McWhinney in Centerra. This was the start of a strong relationship between the two companies.
2007
2008
saw another collaboration between Everitt and Brinkman with the vision of Harmony One.
Brinkman utilized their integrated model to support development, construction, and leasing of the
Class A office building. They purchased the third floor of Harmony One and moved their corporate
headquarters to the space.
2008
The team also completed construction on a state-of-the-art medical center at the crossroads of I-25
and Highway 34, Gonyon Cosmetic & Plastic Surgery.
Expanding into the Arizona market, Brinkman completed their largest project to date, Kierland
Corporate Center. The 81,600 SF Class A office and mixed-use building marked the second phase
within this Scottsdale office campus.
2009
Brinkman also worked with developers MAVDevelopment and the owners of Rodelle (formerly
Custom Blending) to deliver the first building to Fort Collins’ Harmony Technology Park. Since then,
MAVD has worked with the Brinkman brokerage and construction teams on the delivery of three
additional buildings to the park.
At the bottom of the down market, Brinkman partnered with a strong team to complete one of their
most innovative projects, Flats at the Oval. The mixed-use student housing project is located on
the former home of the Sigma Alpha Epsilon fraternity house. The creative deal structure included
ground-floor retail, apartments, and a lodge for SAE member use.
Each of Brinkman’s service groups played a role in the project that sparked further redevelopment
and increased student housing along the Colorado State University campus.
2010
In that same year, the construction team completed a LEED Silver, major tenant improvement project
for Crop Production Services at their Loveland headquarters.
2011
saw the completion of the headquarters for one of Fort Collins’ most defining companies,
OtterBox. Brinkman worked with the Otter team to bring to life their 45,000 SF, state-of-the-art
corporate headquarters. The LEED Certified building incorporates elements that reinforce Otter’s
distinct and innovative culture. This includes luxury offices and executive board rooms, an interior
slide, coffee bars on every floor, a 400-gallon saltwater fish tank, a massage room, and a bike storage
and maintenance room.
2011
This project marked the start of a strong and enduring partnership between Brinkman, OtterBox,
and Blue Ocean Enterprises.
To complete the year, Brinkman was named the Colorado State University Everitt Real Estate Center’s
Entrepreneur of the Year.
Following
an arson incident involving one of Brinkman’s integrated projects in the previous
year, the company gained new strength in the support they received from the community and their
business partners after the fire. Upon recommencing construction, Mason Street Flats opened in
September of 2012. Although a difficult and trying experience for the company, it turned out to be a
defining moment that strengthened the character of the Brinkman team.
2012
That same year, Brinkman purchased the historic Fort Collins Museum of Art Building. Upon taking
over ownership, they performed significant renovations to enhance the100-year-old structure. These
improvements led to the solidification of attractive new tenants including the popular Blue Agave
Grill.
In Denver’s up-and-coming RiNo district, Brinkman completed the first of two buildings in Zeppelin
Development’s Taxi Development. Drive I provided an innovative, LEED Certified urban office building
geared towards high-tech and creative businesses.
2013
marked a busy year with the delivery of some monumental projects. Brinkman worked with
valued client Woodbury Corporation on the completion of a large redevelopment across from the
University of Colorado campus in Boulder. This nearly 100,000 SF student housing community, Plaza
on Broadway, included two buildings and 39 units. The intricate redevelopment required an outsideof-the-box strategy to ensure a multi-beneficial outcome for the property’s owner, the Acacia
fraternity, CU students, and the developers.
2013
A LEED Gold Certified Hampton Inn & Suites was completed in June of that year, marking the first
new hotel to be built in Boulder in eight years. Brinkman worked with Boulder Hospitality to construct
this quality and sustainability-driven hospitality project.
They also completed a state-of-the-art private air hangar that revolutionized the form of hangars
across the nation.
Brinkman was honored to be named the Fort Collins Area Chamber of Commerce Small Business of
the Year. The company topped the list for businesses with 51-200 employees.
The Gallery Flats, an exciting new mixed-use community in downtown Loveland opened in June
of 2014. The project marked a collaborative effort that had been years in the making with the City of
Loveland, the Loveland Urban Renewal Authority, Woodbury Corporation, and Brinkman’s integrated
team. The 66,000 SF building served as a catalyst for further revitalization in downtown Loveland.
2014 also saw the completion of projects including the Canyon Place office building for Blue Ocean
Enterprises, the Boulder View Apartments in north Boulder, and the innovative Drive II office building
in Denver.
2014
Growth from five to over 100 employees also meant the construction of a new corporate headquarters
for the Brinkman team. The week before Christmas, Fuse on Harmony was completed within
Harmony Technology Park. Brinkman occupied the entire first floor of the 30,600 SF Class A office
building. The space is centered on innovation and collaboration through its open-office concept,
creative communal areas, and outdoor patio and grilling area. This project incorporated each of the
company’s service groups and more Brinkman team members than any other project to date.
In their 10th year in business, the company feels extremely fortunate to be in the spot they are in. A
great team, respected clients, hard work, and a strong community backing have allowed them to be
where they are today.
2015 will mark continued partnerships with some of the region’s top companies. Projects for Odell
Brewing Company, New Belgium Brewing, and Tivoli Brewing Company will further enhance the
state’s craft beer landscape. The completion of unique spaces such as Galvanize and Block One will
add to redevelopment in Old Town.
2015
Growth into the Metro Denver market includes healthcare projects such as TRU Senior Care in
Lafayette and Lakewood Memory Care in Lakewood and the luxury 17*Walnut apartments in Boulder.
Two integrated Brinkman projects have also come to life this year, Old Town Flats in Fort Collins and
SkiView Place in Steamboat Springs.
We can’t thank everyone enough for what the last 10 years have held and look forward to another
decade of building community through relationships, innovation, and cool work!