This month, we thought it would be nice to reflect on the history of Chapman & Frazer Commercial Real Estate, and provide a brief outline on the history of key changes in the company. A change of Financial Year is as good a time as any for reflection and gratitude and what better way to do that than to reflect on our own company history and pay homage to those on whose shoulders we stand.
An early beginning for Chapman & Frazer Commercial Real Estate…
While Chapman & Frazer Commercial Real Estate started in 1956, it’s history goes deeper, as the original proprietors of Chapman & Frazer acquired the well-established firm of F. Wheeler & Co. who originally established in Gosford in 1888.
The proprietors of F. Wheeler & Co were F.M. Wheeler and H.S. Wheeler. Their business operations were varied, having a Real Estate Department and a Rural Department. In Real Estate services, they were Licensed Auctioneers, Real Estate and Stock and Station Agents, as well as Agents for Commercial Union Assurance Co. In their Rural Department, they were wholesale distributors of I.C.I Medical, Veterinary and Agricultural Products, including “Elliott’s Rural Products” who were Manufacturers of “Jeffs” Liquid Soaps, Special Dusts etc. Truly a varied operation. They were located at 123 Mann Street, Gosford, which is still known as “Wheeler House”.
While we, as the current proprietors, don’t have a lot of other details on the history and the timeline of F. Wheeler & Co, we have been blessed with some beautiful pieces of what was originally advertising, but we now utilise as artwork in our office. An example is the image below of an auction of 47 ‘Residential & Water frontage Lots’ in the “PEEK’S POINT ESTATE”, being Caroline and George Street at East Gosford.
The next chapter…
Jumping forward to 1956, Messrs. Chapman, de Carvalho & Frazer started what was originally called Chapman, de Carvalho and Frazer, located in P.N.A. House at the corner of Donnison Street and Mann Street, Gosford (now known as 104 Mann Street). Only a short journey into their time together, Mr de Carvalho left the company (circa 1958, but exact time not known) and the name changed to Chapman & Frazer Real Estate, reflecting the partnership of the remaining proprietors, Trevor Chapman & Milton Frazer.
From the beginning, Chapman & Frazer provided services across most common real estate sectors, including Rural, Acreage, Residential, Commercial, Retail, Industrial, and their services in these areas included sales, leasing, auctioneering, property management and valuation.
Chapman & Frazer soon had more changes, with one being the departure of Milton Frazer from the business, and the other being a relocation. The exact time frame for Chapman & Frazer’s office relocation is not known, but the move did not take them very far, heading just over Mann Street, and just beyond the same intersection with Donnison Street. The new home was at 117 Mann Street, Gosford with the entrance to the office being approximately where the current Westpac ATMs reside.
The times, they are a changin’…
In 1983, Chapman & Frazer Real Estate had a new director appointed to join Trevor Chapman. The new director was Trevor’s very able son-in-law, Robert Willcox, who had already been with the firm for a couple of years. Rob was quick to cement his place as an expert in the region, forging long-lasting relationships and trust with countless clients (and friends) off the back of his hard work, earnest approach, and scrupulous ethics.
[We’ll save you the suspense right here. The name of the company did not change again, so the now well-known name of Chapman & Frazer was retained. We have also retained that name to this day in honour of the great work and reputation built by those before us.]
Trevor Chapman would soon retire and in 1985 another director would be appointed, being Bruce Loxton. Around this time, Chapman & Frazer got another change of scenery, this time moving the office further south down Mann Street, relocating from 117 Mann St to 83 Mann St, Gosford where the company would stay until 2021.
The mid-80s also saw a refinement of focus on the services offered by Chapman & Frazer. As noted above, the services provided in the real estate industry up to this point were very broad, so a decision was made to become specialists and focus solely on Commercial, Retail and Industrial property, offering services in Sales (including Auctioneering), Leasing and Property Management.
Bruce and Rob proved to have a very successful partnership and Chapman & Frazer continued to thrive under their stewardship for the following decades.
In the year 2000, only a few weeks after the Olympic Torch famously got carried through Gosford, Chapman & Frazer welcomed Bill Loxton, the son of Bruce. Bill jumped in to learning the industry and doing so in a tumultuous year of learning and understanding the implications of the Goods & Services Tax (GST) no-less. Four years later, in 2004, Bill became a director of Chapman & Frazer.
In the years that followed, Bruce transitioned to retirement and Rob and Bill remained the active directors to carry forward the operations of the business and legacy of great service.
The current era…
In 2016, with Rob now looking to transition to retirement, change was on the horizon again for Chapman & Frazer. Chris Watson and Daniel Mason joined the company at this time, becoming Directors and active partners with Bill Loxton, setting some fresh focus and direction for the future of the organisation, allowing Rob to hang up his Auctioneers Gavel and transition to retirement.
Over the next year or so, the new chapter in the history of Chapman & Frazer saw a good number of changes with strong investment back into the business. This included implementing new systems and updating existing systems, launching new websites (we have just launched another brand new website to be far more user friendly), updating office furniture and presentation, and launching a subtle change in the company branding. We shifted from being “Chapman & Frazer Real Estate” to “Chapman & Frazer Commercial Real Estate”, making sure any new clients who find us know that we specialise in the commercial property industry (not residential).
In 2019, after many years of great service to the company and clients, more change arrived with Bill Loxton taking on new adventures and a change of scenery, departing Chapman & Frazer Commercial Real Estate, leaving Chris & Daniel as the remaining partners and directors of the company.
A big attraction to buying into Chapman & Frazer Commercial Real Estate for Chris and Daniel was the strong, clean reputation that it held in the Central Coast commercial property market. This was an ideal marriage of values, as it gave Rob peace of mind that the integrity with which he operated would be carried on, and it gave Chris and Daniel peace of mind that they would be inheriting a legacy that matched their ethics in how they work for clients.
The philosophy that we operate by is that we don’t ever want to do a bad deal for a client. That is a simple but powerful philosophy, as it makes it easy to act for cilents and avoid compromising your ethics and standards. One way we achieve this is through really understanding a clients needs (not just assuming we know what they want or need). Once you really know what a client needs, you can tailor the right approach to achieving that. Doing this keeps the focus on getting the right result for the client, not ourselves.
The above philosophy is a small summary of what has led us to our latest branding initiative called “The Right Way”. You will see that consistently from us. It’s a reminder to us and to our clients that we act in their best interest, not our own. In other words, we do things “The Right Way”.
While we’ve only just put these key words together to summarise and promote how we behave, they are the valuers we have lived by. Following these values, Chapman & Frazer Commercial Real Estate has been rewarded for the hard work from our team, and we’ve seen excellent growth in our market presence and client base, as well as excellent growth in the team over the past few years.
Tomorrow is another chapter, one that we’ll continue to write with our clients. One thing that won’t change, however, is how we operate for clients, as we will always act in their best interest and do things “The Right Way”.
