From Humble Beginnings
To Lasting Legacies
Jona Goldrich fled his Poland homeland as a teenager to escape the Holocaust. Sol Kest, a native of Czechoslovakia, survived nine concentration camps but lost his entire family in the war. The two men ended up in Southern California and took up jobs as construction laborers determined to rebuild their lives. Both were quick to recognize the potential for business opportunities in the post-war California construction boom, and in 1957 they teamed up to form Goldrich & Kest Inc.
Not content to just house people, Jona and Sol wanted to reach the people who needed quality housing the most, so they created congregate care facilities for seniors, and later became one of the largest providers of government-assisted housing in Southern California. While building their successful real estate business, Jona and Sol were active philanthropists, and their family foundations continue to help educate and foster diversity to this day.
