Joseph Soffer
Joseph Soffer | |
|---|---|
| Born | 1913 |
| Died | June 13, 2006 (age 94) |
| Nationality | American |
| Occupation(s) | Businessman, investor, philanthropist |
| Known for | Founder of the Soffer Organization |
| Spouse | Violet Gusky |
| Children | R. Damian Soffer James Lee Soffer |
| Parent(s) | Lena Haber Soffer Jacob Soffer |
| Family | Donald Soffer (nephew) |
Joseph Soffer (1913 – June 13, 2006) was an American businessman, investor, and philanthropist.[1][2]
Early life and education[edit]
Soffer was one of four children born to a Jewish family in 1913 in Duquesne, Pennsylvania,[1][2] the son of Lena (née Haber) and Jacob Soffer.[2] His parents were immigrants from Eastern Europe.[2] His father owned a grocery store where he worked as a teenager.[1] He had three siblings: Sylvia Chotiner, Harry Soffer, and Ruth Pressman.[2][3] Soffer began his business career upon graduating from Duquesne High School after which he started to invest in real estate by purchasing single-family homes and small apartment buildings.[1] During World War II, he served in the United States Army Air Corps Transportation Command[2] where he was stationed at Love Field in Texas.[1]
Business career[edit]
After the war, he formed Soffer Realty in McKeesport, Pennsylvania with his brother Harry (the father of Donald Soffer).[1] They built the Norwin Shopping Center in Irwin, Pennsylvania[1] and operated the Baldoc Hills Golf Club also in Irwin.[2] In 1960, he partnered with Benjamin Thorpe and built the 7-building Penn Center East in Wilkins Township, Pennsylvania - one of the first suburban office parks around Pittsburgh - which was unique at that time as it contained not only office space (700,000 square feet) but also retail (300,000 square feet) and residential (448 units).[1] The project was completed in 1964,[1] the same year he established the Soffer Organization.[2] In 1985, he completed a similar project named Penn Center West in Robinson Township, Pennsylvania.[1] He remained as chairman of the Soffer Organization until his death, which at the time owned 2 million square feet of office, retail and residential property in the Pittsburgh area.[1][2]
Philanthropy and awards[edit]
While stationed in Texas, he joined the Masonic Order (rising to the 32nd Degree) and the Shriners.[2] In 2004, Soffer received a lifetime achievement award from the National Association of Industrial and Office Properties.[1] He also supported a number Jewish charities as well as the Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh and the Pittsburgh Symphony.[2] He and his wife established the Violet and Joseph Soffer Foundation and Family Special Olympics at the Jewish Community Center of Greater Pittsburgh.[4]
Personal life[edit]
Soffer was married to Violet Gusky, a native of Braddock, Pennsylvania[1] whom he met while on leave from the Army.[2] The couple lived in Squirrel Hill until his death on June 13, 2006[1] at UPMC Presbyterian in Oakland.[2] Services were held at the Tree of Life Congregation and he was buried at the Temple B'nai Israel Cemetery in Versailles, Pennsylvania.[1] They had two sons R. Damian Soffer and James Lee Soffer.[1] His son R. Damiam is the current CEO and president of the Soffer Organization.[2]
Soffer belonged to the older generation of Pittsburgh real estate developers - such as Edward J. Lewis, Jack Buncher, Stanley Gumberg, and Leonard Rudolph - who conducted business with a handshake.[5] Soffer believed that the key to his success was taking advantage of opportunities: “Just remember one thing: You can't catch the same streetcar twice."[1]
References[edit]
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q Green, Elwin (June 13, 2006). "Joseph Soffer / Real estate developer who built major shopping centers in region". Pittsburgh Post Gazette.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n Vondas, Jerry (June 12, 2006). "Developer began family philanthropy tradition". Pittsburgh Tribune-Review.
- ^ The Pittsburgh Press: "Mall Magnate Harry Soffer Dies at 63" September 14, 1972
- ^ Jewish Community Center of Greater Pittsburgh: "Violet and Joseph Soffer Foundation and Family Special Olympics" Archived 2016-08-06 at the Wayback Machine retrieved May 25, 2016
- ^ Pittsburgh Post Gazette: "Who will be next to build region? - Eddie Lewis' death creates a big void" By Dan Fitzpatrick December 2, 2006
- 1913 births
- 2006 deaths
- 20th-century American businesspeople
- 20th-century American Jews
- 20th-century American philanthropists
- 21st-century American Jews
- American investors
- American people of Russian-Jewish descent
- American real estate businesspeople
- Businesspeople from Pennsylvania
- People from Duquesne, Pennsylvania
- Soffer family