Great Lakes Companies

The Great Lakes Companies is a full-service real estate firm that has evolved over time from a small mortgage banking firm, Great Lakes Financial Group, into a vertically integrated organization in all aspects of housing including development, finance, construction, and management. The Great Lakes Companies consists of GL Development, Great Lakes Financial Group, GL Construction, and J&S Management today!


In 1989, Joseph Bobeck Sr. and Susan Bobeck founded Great Lakes Financial Group. During the early years of operating the mortgage banking firm, the Bobecks realized they had a true passion not only to finance housing, but also to develop and operate multi-family communities. In the early to mid-90s, the firm extended into the market of building, managing, and preserving housing communities across the Midwest. The real estate holdings growth of the firm came in 2000. By 2008, the firm was continuing to grow, despite the collapse of the world housing economy.


In 2008, Joseph Bobeck Sr. and his son Joseph Bobeck Jr. focused on continued growth and superior service standards for the housing industry. After three years of working with trusted advisors, the branding of The Great Lakes Companies and affiliates was born in 2011. The integration of The Great Lakes Companies allowed the firm to better oversee the quality of work being done in every aspect of a project, therefore guaranteeing the best quality possible. Since then, The Great Lakes Companies and all of the company’s affiliates providing lending, development, management and construction services have experienced growth in their respective industries. This growth has led to The Great Lakes Companies’ involvement in over 200 communities, 20,000+ units and more than $3 billion of business in the real estate industry.