Jim Van Ostran
Agent, Shai · Hess Commercial Real Estate
Newark, OH 43055
Phone (740) 587-7441
Property Types
Office
Markets
Columbus
Bio
For the first 40 years of his career Jim was in the field of Civil Engineering and Surveying. He started in design with the Ohio Department of Transportation then went on to a private consulting firm here in Ohio and then on to Florida. He then moved on to owning his own firms in both Florida and Ohio. Jim’s emphasis was on Residential, Commercial and Industrial design projects where he was in charge of both the planning process and the design of those sites.
In 1997 Jim had the vision of buying Mound Elementary School built in 1912. It had been used as a storage warehouse for 20 years. His idea was to rehab it and make it into his engineering office. He designed the the building to keep its old school house feel yet modernized it with all of the amenities of today’s buildings. It still serves as an office for Hull and Associates today.
After retiring in 2009, Jim moved to The Villages, Florida. Retirement did not suite him well so he decided in 2011 to acquire his Florida Real Estate License and then sell residential real estate in The Villages. When he started he didn’t realize how much he would enjoy helping clients find their dream home. Helping clients realize their dreams had kind of always been part of his career, whether it was designing new developments or finding new homes.
In 2018 Jim and his wife Kathy made another attempt at retirement, sold their home, bought an RV and travelled the country for 2 years. All the while, Jim was observing how different land was being developed, how existing buildings and downtowns were being renovated and/or repurposed, how new life was being brought back to something that perhaps was thought to be no longer of use.
At the end of their travels they decided to return to Newark where there was family still living but once again sitting idol was not in the cards for Jim. He received his Ohio Real Estate license and has joined Shai-Hess Commercial Real Estate to continue to help clients fulfill their dreams. With his vast experience in development and repurposing existing buildings and building sites, Jim is ready to take on your project and bring your dreams to life.
