In the Lead: Best Minority-Owned Businesses 2026 – Emem Group

Nearly 20 years after designing and building his first house, Michael Emem leads Emem Group, a Milwaukee-based commercial real estate and consulting firm founded in 2018.

Emem Group has managed more than $150 million in costs across a portfolio spanning single-family design-build, office, multifamily and institutional projects — both as developer and owner’s representative.

Emem has overseen the construction of more than 100 new and remodeled homes and more than 400 new multifamily apartment units. His project work includes Gallery 507 in Milwaukee’s Bronzeville neighborhood. He also serves as owner’s representative for the Nature & Culture Museum of Wisconsin, which will replace the Milwaukee Public Museum at West McKinley Avenue and North Sixth Street.

Before founding Emem Group, he held project management and construction leadership roles at Wangard Partners Inc., Milwaukee Habitat for Humanity and T.L. Reese Corporation.

Emem holds a Bachelor of Business Administration in finance and real estate from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee and an associate degree in architectural technology from Milwaukee Area Technical College. He was named valedictorian of Marquette University’s 2015 ACRE graduating class.

Emem Group says it is dedicated to investing into projects that uplift neighborhoods often overlooked and believes real estate is the foundation to economic prosperity.