Bear History

Bear Realty was founded in 1924 by Isador John (I.J.) Bear. With the community’s confidence in him, I. J. Bear’s real estate business was an instant success. He developed a reputation for honest and fair business dealing; a reputation that is treasured and carefully guarded today by its present owners.

In 1946, after returning from service in World War II, Manford C. Bear joined the firm and partnership and thus “I.J. Bear & Son” was formed.

While building one of the city’s most complete and full service real estate firms, Bear also played a notable part in the growth and expansion of the Kenosha market by being a dominant player in the development arena.

In 1980, Manford Bear sold the real estate business to Stanley Hall and Stephen C. Mills, who formed Bear Realty, Inc. Both had served as vice presidents of I.J. Bear and Son. In 1984, Stephen C. Mills acquired Stanley Hall’s interest in the firm.

Stephen C. Mills and Guy D. Trecroci, of Guy D. Realty, decided to joint venture and merge their two companies to better serve the southeastern corridor of Wisconsin. In January of 1985, the new Bear Realty of Kenosha, Inc. was established and it’s corporate headquarters were moved to its present site located at 4011-80th Street in Kenosha.

In 1995, Guy D. Trecroci retired and Mr. Mills purchased Mr. Trecroci’s remaining interest in the firm. In 2000, Mr. Mills sold ownership interest in the firm to Tony and Lisa DeBartolo and in 2005 announced his son, Stephen R. Mills, Vice President of Bear Realty. 

A further testament to the firm’s stability is the fact that not one of the four partners have ever worked for any other real estate brokerage firm. Clearly pride and tradition are important, but that hasn’t stopped “Bear” from keeping up with the modern trends and services expected of today’s full service brokers.

The Bear team of experts is adept at handling residential, commercial and industrial real estate. Their investment brokerage services include office, retail and industrial development as well as Property Management. They also specialize in relocation services and REO Properties and are considered the “foreclosure experts”. Bear offers the very latest in Internet services including streaming video and virtual tours of properties on their website.

If you were to ask Bear Realty sales associates how they feel about the company, they would tell you, “it’s like a family.” A top sales associate at Bear says; “I know I can count on my colleagues and they know they can count on me.”

The sales associates and the rest of the Bear team pride themselves on guiding clients every step of the way through the complexities of buying, selling and developing real estate. Even in the dead of winter, you won't catch these Bears hibernating. When it comes to the Kenosha real estate market, they have been leaders in covering the territory for a long time.

If you were to ask a Bear Realty sales associate to tell you the most important thing they provide a client, the answer you are most likely to receive is “service”. Bear Realty invites you to experience the “Bear Difference”.