Alan Shuman uses his U.S. Army enlistment bonus to purchase his first property, a 3-bedroom, 2-bath townhouse in State College, Pennsylvania. He is a 19-year-old college sophomore.

Alan and Marina Shuman, now married three years, purchase a historic mansion at 1327 Perkiomen Avenue in Reading, Pennsylvania that had been converted into four units in the 1940s. They live in one of the units and call their newly founded business Shuman Development Group (SDG).

Shuman Development Group purchases its first commercial property, the eight-story historic Baer Building on Court Street. SDG’s purchase saves this landmark building from a planned demolition to become a parking lot for Berks County Bank.

Alan and Marina Shuman found the Reading Construction Company to renovate single-family homes within the City of Reading. Over the next several years, this company grows to 22 construction employees averaging 50 homes being renovated per year.

Shuman Development Group purchases the General Battery Building, their first large scale commercial building. The building is Exide Battery’s world headquarters, and this NYSE-listed company leases back 80,000 square feet of this 140,000 square foot building.

Exide Battery Corporation files for bankruptcy and uses the filing to break its lease with Shuman Development Group on December 23, 2003. Instantly over half of SDG’s monthly revenue vanishes, forcing SDG to file for a debt restructuring bankruptcy. The plan is approved so long as Alan and Marina Shuman turn over their home to the bank to sell.

Shuman Development Group has released the General Battery Building and successfully executed the debt restructuring. The restructuring required the sale of several SDG properties and those funds are used to purchase the 640,000 square foot Reading Outlet Center complex consisting of ten buildings sized from 8,000 square feet to 320,000 square feet.

SDG develops a neighborhood revitalization plan to restore the commercial heart of Northeast Reading. With the Reading Outlet Center (ROC) development underway, SDG develops its first neighborhood shopping center at the abandoned and environmentally contaminated Burlington Coat Factory building at 1920 Kutztown Road.

The Shops at the ROC opens at 8th and Oley Streets, this is the commercial heart of Northeast Reading and the centerpiece of the Reading Outlet Center development.

Major setback strikes as a massive fire engulfs the nearly completed Big Mill building. This blaze ranks as the fifth largest fire in Reading's history, resulting in over $10 million in damages.

The restoration of the Big Mill building is finalized, seamlessly addressing all fire damage incurred during the blaze.

Shuman Development Group undertakes a transformative project, converting the historic Abraham Lincoln Hotel into 97 upscale apartments. Standing tall at eighteen stories, it claims the title of the tallest privately owned building in Berks County.

A.W. Golden Cadillac dealership's neglected building on Lancaster Avenue undergoes a significant environmental cleanup and renovation, emerging as the vibrant Lancaster Avenue Plaza.

Shuman Development Group takes ownership of the modern office building at 600 Penn Street following Wells Fargo's quiet exit. The space undergoes a transformation, becoming a premier multi-tenant office building.

Renovations reach completion on the neo-classic Berks Trust Building at 35 North 6th Street. This $18 million endeavor marks a significant milestone in a long-term project with SDG, which commenced initial planning as far back as 1999.

SDG enters into a partnership with Penn State Health to acquire and renovate the Community General Hospital located on North 6th Street. Following renovations, space within the newly refurbished facility is leased to PSH for community medical services.