65 YEARS | THE BREEDEN CO.

Even though Ramon Breeden Jr. has become synonymous with real estate, his first foray into the industry was anything but calculated. When he was about 20 years old in the 1950s, Breeden bought a bungalow in Richmond, fixed it up himself and flipped it. That transaction, coupled with watching a close friend’s successful real estate career, set the wheels in motion.

“I just kind of drifted in that direction,” Breeden recalls. “I don’t know what else I could have done, quite honestly.”

Over more than six decades, Breeden hasn’t drifted away from real estate — or work. Now 92, he starts each weekday by reading four newspapers then heads into the office of The Breeden Co., the Virginia Beach-based real estate development company he founded 65 years ago.

He stepped back as president and CEO in 2022, but remains chairman of the board and a daily fixture in the office. “I really haven’t considered retirement,” he says.

Since 1961, The Breeden Co. has been a major force in Virginia real estate, developing marquee apartment complexes and shopping centers in Hampton Roads and beyond. Today, the company’s portfolio includes more than 15,000 apartments and 2 million square feet of retail and office space. It employs about 450 people across its Virginia Beach and Richmond offices.

But that sort of empire doesn’t materialize overnight. Breeden credits his father for instilling in him a strong work ethic that helped him get the business off the ground. “I was willing to put in the hours and work on weekends when other people were not.”

Breeden says his best hires over the years have been those people who share his entrepreneurial initiative, whereas his worst lacked a strong work ethic or were dishonest. “When you run a business the honest way,” though, he says, “everybody wants to come and work for you.”

Over the decades, the company has weathered booms and busts, including periods when banks weren’t so keen to lend money. Those are lesser concerns now, but Breeden has gained much experience navigating challenges and opportunities.

Years ago, when he became a licensed pilot, Breeden realized there were some parallels between flying and real estate: “You have to learn if you get into trouble, how to get out of it.”

While you’re far more likely to find him in the office than the cockpit these days, Breeden says that much of his life’s journey has been guided by prayer and a desire to keep life interesting. “My theory was just to have a good time, love life, and laugh a lot.”

Click here to return to the Milestones page