5Qs for Dwayne Furukawa on Easton Town Center’s in-house construction company
Chain Store Age’s No. 1 Retail Center Experience of 2026, Easton Town Center, is an ever-changing retail organism.
“We are always contemplating the best adjacencies for our tenants,” notes Spencer Jordan, the senior VP of leasing of Steiner + Associates, operator of the property, which includes 1.9 million-sq.-ft. of retail.
One great advantage that Steiner holds in this pursuit is that it maintains its own construction company, Steiner Builders, which does construction work across Central Ohio and Cincinnati.
Chain Store Age spoke with Steiner Builders’ president Dwayne Furukawa about the advantages gained by a retail real estate developer in possession of its own construction crews.
How did you end up at Easton?
I have a degree in architecture from the University of Cincinnati and was working for Walt Disney Imagineering. I was part of the team that oversaw the design and construction of the second Disney Cruise Line ship, The Disney Wonder. That was a lot of work. We finished construction while the ship was doing a transatlantic crossing. Then I worked for Gap, Inc., opening Old Navy stores in the Northeast. We’d build over 200 stores a year. That’s when a friend of mine who worked at Easton called me and told me that Yaromir Steiner would like to meet with me.
How did the conversation go?
Yaromir said he always had been interested in having a construction company and he wanted me to develop one for him, but I didn’t want to do it. I eventually decided to take him up on his offer during the beginning of the pandemic, when we started to notice that we were having trouble getting consistency on bids and permits.
What kinds of projects does Steiner Builders normally take on at Easton Town Center?
We do everything from estimating for the leasing team, to construction of landlord and operations work, to working with individual tenants for their build-out scope. When new tenants come in, or when current tenants are moving around to new spaces, we have an advantage over other builders because we are very familiar with all the ins and outs of the infrastructure at Easton. There’s no guesswork with us.
Easton is known for being a “first in Ohio” location for new retail concepts. Do you maintain an edge on getting some of those build-outs?
One of our great selling points is that I know when a new tenant is coming here. We get on the bidders list early. We’re located right here in the center, and that gives us an advantage. What all retailers are trying to figure out is how to maximize their capital dollars, operate in the most efficient space, while at the same time being more interactive in stores.
Are they succeeding?
The big question for them is, “What is the magical merchandising mix, how do you maximize GLA, and how can I make a memorable impression for my brand that stands out from the others?” What’s great about Steiner Builders is that I can walk down the hall to Yaromir’s or Spencer’s office at Easton and we can brainstorm solutions for tenants right on the property.
