Generation to Generation: Building Homes, Strengthening Communities

In the summer of 1964, John Kelly and his young family left Marshalltown, Iowa, for St. Louis, taking a chance on a future they could not yet imagine. John had been working as a sales manager for a furniture store, and his wife, Mary, left behind the security of an established life to begin a new chapter with him. Six weeks after arriving in St. Louis, their son, Jeff Kelly, was born — the beginning of a family story that would span generations.

John began selling real estate before establishing a homebuilding company with his brother, Tom Kelly, three years later. From the beginning, the business represented more than building houses. John established a pension and profit-sharing trust for employees and made charitable giving part of the company’s operations, setting a precedent that would continue as the family and business grew.

For Jeff Kelly Homes and Maloney Homes, the purpose of homebuilding has always extended beyond the structure itself. A home provides shelter, but it also offers security, stability and a place where families can put down roots. It gives parents a place to raise their children, creates a foundation for future generations and can become part of a family’s story long after its first owners have moved on. “Why would you build houses if you don’t build them for people in future generations?” John said. Over the course of a century, a single home may shelter more than 10 different families, each finding its own beginning within the same walls.

That philosophy has shaped the family’s work throughout the St. Louis area, particularly in Wentzville. When the family expanded its homebuilding efforts there in 1996, the community was building approximately 50 homes a year. The company added another 50 that first year, contributing to a community that would continue to grow and welcome new families. Since then, they have built over 2,000 homes.

As the business developed, so did its commitment to the people and communities around it. Through generations of charitable giving and volunteer work, Jeff Kelly Homes and Maloney Homes have helped support essential resources for people facing difficult circumstances. Their contributions have helped provide food for families struggling to make ends meet, housing and care for women preparing for single parenthood, support for mothers and children in need, and assistance for individuals working to rebuild their lives. One local food pantry serves approximately 40,000 people across three counties, while other efforts have helped thousands of women and children receive care and support.

These contributions reflect a belief that a community’s prosperity should reach beyond those who are already doing well. Growth means more when it creates opportunities for others, and success carries a responsibility to help people who may not have the resources or support to find their footing on their own. Much of this work happens quietly, away from recognition, but its effects can be felt in the lives of the people who receive help and in the strength of the community as a whole.

Today, the family business continues to carry that legacy forward. Jeff and his wife, Michelle, have seven children, including sons Regan, Ryan and Peter, who hold important roles in the family businesses.

The family’s legacy also extends through Jeff’s sister, Lisa (Kelly) Maloney, and her husband, Tim Maloney, who founded Maloney Homes. Although Tim and Lisa retired from homebuilding in 2010 and went on to purchase St. Louis Embroidery Company, the next generation remains connected to the family’s homebuilding roots. Their son, Alex Maloney, serves as Sales Manager for Jeff Kelly Homes, while their daughter, Michelle (Maloney) Peterson, handles accounting for the company. Across both businesses, family members continue to contribute their experience and talents, keeping the family’s connection to homebuilding alive.

As the next generation learns the business, the goal is not simply to pass down a company. It is to carry forward the values behind it: craftsmanship, service, responsible growth and a commitment to others. For the Kelly and Maloney families, a legacy is measured in more than homes completed or years in business. It lives in the families who find stability beneath a roof of their own, the neighbors who receive help in difficult times and the community that grows stronger when people invest in one another. “The past is as important as the future. And the present is important because that’s what’s ongoing,” John said.

A home can shelter generations. A family’s commitment to its community can help generations thrive.

Generation to Generation: Building Homes, Strengthening Communities

Comments