Breakfast at Ann's - AVB's Humble Beginning

Breakfast at Ann's - AVB's Humble Beginning

Picture this: it’s 1980 in Portage, Michigan. The morning sun filters through the windows of a cozy local diner called Ann’s. Two men sit across from each other, coffee mugs in hand, their conversation buzzing with big ideas and bold dreams. That breakfast table is where AVB was born. 

Those two men were Joe Gesmundo and Daryl Rynd, the visionary founders of AVB. Over countless breakfasts at Ann’s—now just a memory—they laid the foundation for a company that would go on to shape communities through thoughtful development and construction. 

“We had breakfast meetings down at Ann's breakfast place, which no longer exists. And we launched—I think it was 1980.”— Joe Gesmundo, AVB Founder 

It’s incredible what can come from a simple cup of coffee and a shared vision. From those early conversations at Ann’s to the impactful projects AVB leads today, it all started with a dream—and breakfast.