Bruce Heller and his wife Cindy started JaRyCo Development on July 1, 2001, in a one-room office on the second floor of a downtown Allen building that no longer exists.
Twenty-five years later, the company marked its anniversary with a portfolio that includes Twin Creeks Medical Center, Twin Creeks Rehab, and The Farm mixed-use development.
"To stay in business for 25 years is a great achievement for any business, but to do it in one of the most competitive real estate markets in the country tells us we must have done a few things right," Heller said in an email to Community Impact, published Tuesday, July 22.
The company's first project was an office building at 1333 McDermott Drive in Allen, according to Heller. By September 2020, JaRyCo had completed 14 projects in Allen alone, per Texas Contractor reporting at the time. The firm's work extends across the Dallas-Fort Worth area.
Heller says the company's Texas projects represent nearly $2 billion in investment and thousands of jobs across the communities where JaRyCo has developed.
From architecture to development
Before founding JaRyCo, Heller spent a decade as an architect, then moved into development in 1989 with Woodbine Development, where he worked on the BNSF Corporate Headquarters in Fort Worth and the DART Headquarters in Dallas.
He formed Fults Project Service with Jerry Fults in 1995 and served as a development partner for Means Knaus before launching JaRyCo, according to the company's website.
Cindy Heller serves as vice president and CFO.
Deep Allen roots
Heller's ties to Allen extend well beyond development. He has served on the City of Allen Planning and Zoning Commission, volunteered as a firefighter, led the Rotary Club of Allen Sunrise as president, sat on the Foundation for Allen Schools Board of Directors, and served as treasurer of the Allen Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors, according to the JaRyCo leadership page.
His awards include the Millennium Business Award from the Allen Economic Development Corporation and the President's Volunteer Service Award from 2011 through 2019.
The Farm
The company's largest planned project is The Farm, a 135-acre mixed-use development at Sam Rayburn Tollway and Alma Drive. JaRyCo announced the project in partnership with the Johnson family in 2020.
Plans filed at that time called for 1.6 million square feet of office space, more than 2,000 residential units, a 150-room hotel, and a 16-acre greenbelt along Watters Creek.
JaRyCo Development is located at 714 S. Greenville Ave., Suite 120, Allen. More information is available at jaryco.com.
