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Justin Buccellato relied on the financial literacy he gained at Walsh to parlay early investments in quality housing into a broad portfolio of commercial enterprises
A decade before the idea was adopted en masse, Justin Buccellato had already mastered the art of the pivot. Having worked as a financial analyst at Pet Supplies Plus and then Comerica Bank, Buccellato says, “I didn’t care for corporate America. I wanted to build something on my own and see if I could get it off the ground. I always had that entrepreneurial spirit.” Leaning into that side of himself, he founded Buccellato Development LLC in 2011 and started dabbling in investment real estate around Royal Oak, Clawson, Ferndale, Birmingham, and Troy.
Single-family homes turned into duplexes and then into quads and, eventually, into multi-unit complexes and commercial properties. From those first residential properties onward, Buccellato has always taken care of the small details like stainless steel appliances and updated finishes that make for comfortable surroundings for his tenants — and greater returns on his investments. “I tried to make them look as best as they could. It’s not my home; it’s somebody else’s home and I want them to feel like it’s their home,” Buccellato says. Those fine points and his can-do attitude have paid off. “I have approximately 700,000 square feet of commercial property, and, on the multifamily side, I have over 100 units,” he says.
Starting with Subway in 2014, Buccellato is also a multiunit franchise owner of several restaurants, including Beerhead Bar & Eatery, Biggby Coffee, and Beyond Juicery & Eatery. Most recently, in January 2021, Buccellato added Detroit Wing Co., the beloved chicken spot founded in 2015, to his portfolio. It has a dozen locations across Michigan and several more in development.
Having enrolled in the school’s finance program, Buccellato received a Master of Business Administration from Walsh College in 2012. He says he was attracted to Walsh for its reputation and curriculum and because of the way friends and colleagues would rave about the academic programming. Above all, Buccellato credits Walsh for “a lot of my analytical and financial skills that I use for investor presentations.”
More specifically, from working with lenders to understanding cash flow statements, the lessons learned at Walsh, Buccellato says, “have helped me be able to scale the way that I have. I give them a lot of credit in helping me understand financial analysis and accounting, which has helped me make good, calculated decisions on my investments.” As any investor-entrepreneur will tell you, financial literacy is the first and most crucial step. “It’s like a big puzzle that you’re trying to understand, and if you can understand it, from your education, it helps put everything together so you know what you’re doing.” He’d love to pay it forward by tapping into Walsh’s extensive network of students and alumni to fill positions at his firm as they become available.
When he isn’t inking deals and developing property, Buccellato enjoys playing golf, boating, traveling, and spending time with his family. He’s married with four children: two boys and two girls, who are, at the time of this writing, ages 6, 4, 2, and 4 months. The family recently spent time on Kiawah Island in South Carolina, 25 miles southwest of Charleston. “They have some nice golf courses, and there’s a bunch of activities for the kids, with pools and everything. So, it was a nice trip,” he says. They have plans to revisit the island this summer. “When I have free time, I like being on the water.”
