The YMCA received a grant from the Gerry Kramer Spartan Fund to help revitalize its building Photo courtesy Community Foundation of St. Clair
Gerry Kramer started an endowment fund to help local businesses revitalize. Photo courtesy of Gerry Kramer Facebook page
The Blue Water YMCA has seen many improvements Chamira Young
Visitors to downtown Port Huron can see a visible change in the landscape as the city makes a comeback. Improvements that focus on revitalization and prosperity at businesses like St. Clair County Community College, Blue Water YMCA and Port City Communications are possible because of Port Huron philanthropist and real estate agent Gerry Kramer.
Growing up, he was surrounded by plenty of models who influenced his choices in life.
The biggest was his mother, who taught him the importance of giving back to the community.
"I realized that if you have a bit of success, you are bound to give back to the community,” he says.
He took that advice to heart and in 2015, established the Gerry Kramer Spartan Fund--named for his alma mater--with a $200,000 endowment to the Community Foundation of Saint Clair County.
Kramer has been integral in the revival of Port Huron’s downtown district, including the Sperry Movie House, the CityFlats Hotel, and the Citadel Stage.
“If it’s an old building, I’m interested,” says Kramer. “Right now we are working on a building in the warehouse district that will be four more lofts by the river walk."
Kramer was also integral in working on the Blue Water Convention Center and the new Hilton Hotel on the former site of the old Thomas Edison Inn.
“If a project has anything to do with benefitting children,” he says, “I’m in. I grew up at the old YMCA, and it was very helpful learning about exercise and team sports.”
Kramer said the fund would not have been possible if it weren't for his successful real estate career.
“I was first inspired by the Kearns family,” he says. The Port Huron real estate giant that has been in business since the 1950s. “They are a wonderful family, and they impressed me early on.”
He says he admires the Kearns because they always had fun selling insurance and real estate. “They always had a spot at the dinner table, even with eight children,” he says. “The warmth from them made me look into real estate for myself.”
Kramer, owner of Kramer Commercial Real Estate in Port Huron, got his real estate license at the tender age of 19. He started out wanting to sell “large things” like freighters.
“I soon found out that it wasn’t going to work, because it wasn’t like a used car lot,” he laughs.
After being mentored by the Kearns, Kramer soon started learning from Win Cooper, owner of Cooper Commercial Real Estate in Genesee County.
“So with my degree in advertising from MSU mentorship from Win Cooper, and real estate courses from The University of Michigan-Flint, I learned the nuts and bolts and the value of real estate,” he says.
He soon began his own company in the form of Kramer Commercial Real Estate, which specializes in commercial and investor real estate, and quickly began making partnerships with people and other businesses’ all over Port Huron and St. Clair County.
Throughout his career, Kramer has focused on revitalizing Port Huron's historic buildings. He focused on fixing up Main Street and helping restore buildings across the city.
“I tried to understand Main Street, and the challenges involved in revitalizing,restoring, and taking care of these older buildings," he says. “It’s a wonderful feeling, I grew up in Port Huron, and there are a lot of needs out there.”
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