Jeremy Antes and Paul Himmelstein are partners in Prism Real Estate Services and active members and supporters of the Kansas City Jewish community.
Antes, principal at Prism, and Himmelstein, partner in Prism and member at the law firm Lewis Rice, have been working together for 10 years and are connected through their business, their families, and their philanthropic endeavors in the Jewish community.
Growing up, Antes ran a lawn care company that he kept throughout his time at the University of Missouri-Kansas City (UMKC). He earned a Bachelor of Business Administration in 2006 from UMKC and sold his lawn care company before working for a real estate company for a few years.
Prism’s origins go back to when Antes put together a partnership to buy a 150-unit apartment community. Strong initial connections and referrals led to the acquisition of a second apartment community a few months later. Antes said that those properties acted as “stepping stones” to start Prism.
Antes’ brother introduced him to Himmelstein, a graduate of Washington University in St. Louis and Georgetown University Law Center who had worked at law firms Bryan Cave, Van Osdol, and now as a member of Lewis Rice. Their professional relationship began soon after.
“We kept meeting and talking, and we talked about our visions and values professionally,” Himmelstein said. “We were just aligned philosophically in so many ways that [the relationship] grew together.”
In a later meeting, Antes began discussing becoming partners with Himmelstein in Prism. Its name came about from a discussion between them early on.
“We were looking for something that sort of embodied what it is we do,” Antes said. “In some respects, we thought, a prism refracts light into its component parts. We take complex transactions and complex processes and break them down step by step.”
Antes and Himmelstein, along with their spouses, met for lunch and cemented the company.
The formation of Prism at a lunch with their spouses “speaks to who we are. This was a big thing that should involve our families,” Antes said. “It’s not like there’s this separation. It’s part of who we are. It’s part of what we do and takes a big part of our day, so we share everything with our families.”
Antes said that they are fortunate to have started in 2012, when “buying apartments wasn’t nearly as competitive.” Prism grew rapidly — in 2013, it bought five properties in the span of three months, and, in 2015, it acquired a third-party management company with a multi-state footprint, allowing Prism to expand to other states. Prism has operated or currently operates in Kansas, Missouri, Nebraska, Oklahoma, Arkansas, Illinois, Texas, Ohio, Indiana and New York.
“Every single project is a big deal,” Himmelstein said. “We’ve been able to get equity from a group of people that started out with a smaller circle of friends and family, and it’s grown. When you’re dealing with and working with those people, and you’re investing their money, it’s important to us to be active and a part of the community. You’re going to be seeing all these people.”
Antes’ and Himmelstein’s families, both involved in Prism, are of utmost importance to them. Antes’ immediate family includes his wife, Danielle, and four children. Himmelstein and his wife, Susan, have three children.
Antes and Himmelstein both instill the importance of Judaism and the Jewish community in their children. Antes, raised in Kansas City, is a 2002 graduate of the Hyman Brand Hebrew Academy and a member of Congregation Beth Shalom. He is the current treasurer of Federation’s board and a member of its allocations committee. He also tutored about 20 students at Beth Shalom for their b’nai mitzvahs until his first son was born.
Himmelstein, also raised in Kansas City, is a past treasurer of Federation, founded its Business and Professionals Committee, and is a past vice president of Jewish Family Services of Greater Kansas City, among other roles. He is a member of The Temple, Congregation B’nai Jehudah.
“I want my girls to see that it’s important — being Jewish, identifying as Jewish, being active in the Jewish community,” Himmelstein said. “I want them to see that I’m trying to model it not just for myself, but also for them.”
Involvement and philanthropy in the Jewish community is a major way that Antes and Himmelstein give back. Their philanthropy and many roles, past and present, with Federation and the broader Kansas City Jewish community, are influenced by their families.
Antes’ philanthropy within the Jewish community began years ago when he received a call on Super Sunday to contribute to Federation’s annual campaign. In addition, he was getting books for his children through PJ Library, a program of Federation, which reinforced his decision to contribute regularly.
“[The Jewish community] is central to who I am,” Antes said. “It’s just natural; there’s no other place I want to focus.”
Himmelstein’s parents, his “first and best role models,” were philanthropically involved with the Kansas City Jewish Community.
“[The Jewish community] is central to my self-identification,” he said. “I’ve done various secular charitable work and professional charitable work, but it’s always been a focus to do [that for] the Jewish community — it’s central to who I am.”
In addition to Antes’ and Himmelstein’s individual contributions to the community, Prism as a company has contributed to organizations through its “Prism Cares” program. Beneficiaries include Jewish Family Services of Greater Kansas City, Ronald McDonald House Charities, American Red Cross, Wounded Warrior Project, Habitat for Humanity, and March of Dimes, among others.
