Built by an owner.
Most property management firms are run by professional managers who have never owned a building. Stewardship is run by an active commercial real estate investor — which is why the advice we give owners is the same advice we follow on our own portfolio.
In 2018, John Mathewson acquired his first commercial building — a mixed-use property in downtown Crown Point. He hired one of the larger regional management firms to handle day-to-day operations.
Three things happened in the first 90 days. The CAM reconciliation was wrong by $14,000. A tenant emergency took 11 hours to get a vendor on-site. And the monthly statement was so opaque that John's CPA had to call to ask what three line items meant.
He fired them, took management in-house, and got better results in a quarter than they had delivered in a year. Other owners noticed and started asking him to manage their buildings. He said no for four years — until enough other owners had asked that the answer became build the firm I wish existed.
That is what Stewardship Asset Group is. It is not a property management firm trying to act like an owner. It is an owner who built a property management firm — and we run every property as if it were ours.
How we got here.
First acquisition
John acquires a mixed-use building in Crown Point — and learns first-hand what is wrong with the existing options for commercial property management in Northwest Indiana.
Stewardship Commercial founded
The brokerage arm launches under eXp Commercial, focused on representing buyers, sellers, and tenants across NW Indiana.
Stewardship Asset Group launched
After repeatedly being asked to manage other owners' properties — and saying no — John builds the management firm he wished existed.
Custom owner portal goes live
Rather than license a vendor portal, the team builds its own — pulling DoorLoop's API into a real-time, branded dashboard. Owners stop waiting for monthly PDFs.
Where we are now
Three full-time team members. ~85,000 square feet under management. 99% on-time rent collection. And a deliberate decision to stay small enough to actually answer the phone.
Two firms. One philosophy.
The property management arm — what you are reading about now. Boutique commercial property management for office, retail, medical, and mixed-use owners.
See services →The brokerage arm under eXp Commercial. Buyer / seller / tenant / landlord representation across Northwest Indiana and Chicagoland.
Visit stewardshipcre.com ↗Ready for a better partner?
Tell us about your property. We respond within one business day with a no-obligation proposal — fee structure, scope of services, and a transition plan from your current manager.