A Track Record That Spans Decades
Three Generations of Proven Growth and Execution
Since the 1940's, the Lawson family has developed and managed real estate across Pennsylvania. From the Hotel Lawson in Harrisburg to modern projects like AMP Storage & Studios in Pittsburgh. Today, Apex carries that legacy forward by leading ventures with a clear focus on operational efficiency, and value creation.
The Entrepreneurial Foundation Behind Apex (1940s–1990s)
On-Site Operations
Multi-Venue Management
Real Estate Holdings
James W. Lawson Sr. was a hands-on operator, managing staffing, service, and customer experience across every bar, lounge, and retail business he owned.
Real Estate Holdings
Multi-Venue Management
Real Estate Holdings
Pictured at the Wishing Well Motel, Lawson expanded into lodging and hospitality, adding motels and mixed-use properties to his commercial portfolio in Harrisburg.
Multi-Venue Management
Multi-Venue Management
Multi-Venue Management
Lawson developed and operated a diverse mix of businesses, including the Hotel Lawson, Lawson’s Palace, Lester’s Café, Wishing Well Motel, and Low Price Furniture Store, adapting through decades of reinvestment, growth, and market demand.
Lawson’s Palace: A Platform for National Talent (1940s–60s)
Lawson’s Palace in the Green Book
From the 1940s through the 1960s, Lawson’s Palace was a 300-seat national performance venue listed in the Green Book and recognized across African American publications. It hosted iconic musicians during the height of segregation, offering a dignified stage when few existed.
Legacy Performances at Lawson’s Palace
Featured performers included Duke Ellington, Nat "King" Cole’s brother Freddy Cole, and chart-toppers like Laverne Baker, Vi Burnside, and Tiny Davis. Lawson’s Palace became a known stop on the Chitlin’ Circuit, a trusted part of a larger entertainment economy that shaped American jazz, soul, and rhythm & blues.
Wynonie Harris – “Good Rockin’ Tonight”
In the early 1950s, Wynonie Harris was one of many nationally recognized performers who appeared live at Lawson’s Palace. These performances were part of a broader legacy of hospitality and entertainment that shaped the family’s role in the local business community. Today, Harris’s music, including Grandma Plays the Numbers, and Bloodshot Eyes still plays at the Carlisle Antique Mall. A subtle nod to the past that enriches the venue’s present-day character.
1990s: A New Chapter in the Lawson Legacy
Second Generation: Building Businesses Across Sectors
In the 1990s, Stan Lawson expanded his family's business legacy by launching a hotel, restaurant, and entertainment venue. He also operated a grocery store and acquired residential and commercial real estate, demonstrating operational discipline, hands-on leadership, and a long-term commitment to scalable growth.
Legacy in Leadership
A Deeper Look at Stan Lawson
Stan Lawson was more than a business owner, he was a civic pioneer. A Veteran of the United States Navy and a lifelong Republican, Stan began his public service in 1980 as a committee man, never missing a meeting in over three decades of service.
He broke barriers throughout his life:
- First African-American Vice President of Harrisburg City Council
- First African-American Chairman of the Dauphin County Republican Committee
- First African-American President of the Susquehanna Township Board of Commissioners
- Longest-serving President of the NAACP in the state of Pennsylvania
- President of AFSCME Union Council 13
While serving his community, Stan also served as a deacon in his church, worked full-time for the Harrisburg School District until retirement, and continued his family’s entrepreneurial tradition. From managing Lawson’s Grocery to investing in real estate and launching new ventures, he instilled a legacy; not of inherited wealth, but of hard-earned wisdom, discipline, and vision. The Lawson family has endured fires, the civil rights movement, Hurricane Agnes (the flood of ’72), and decades of shifting economies, policies, and cultural trends. Through it all, they adapted. They led, and they built.
This legacy wasn’t inherited, it was instilled. It lives on today through the next generation, who continue to build businesses with the same commitment to excellence, resilience, and purpose.
APEX Financial Management
Legacy-Built. Opportunity-Driven.
As the third generation of Lawson entrepreneurs, Richard Lawson draws on more than 80 years of family business experience, not of inherited capital, but of hard-earned perspective. What carried forward through generations wasn’t wealth; it was insight into people, into markets, and into the long view required to build enduring businesses.
He didn’t receive a portfolio or capital. He built both by a standard shaped through lived exposure: an obsession for real estate, a relentless curiosity for business, and the discipline to pursue them with consistency and persistence.
Richard has spent years working across housing, self-storage, retail, and hospitality. He’s operated in these industries by acquiring distressed properties, bankruptcies, tax sales, and foreclosures, and turning them into productive assets. Every project was executed without partners or hired general contractors. Richard personally managed construction, renovation, and stabilization from acquisition through completion.
In addition to his business experience, Richard has made meaningful contributions to civic and housing advancement in Dauphin County. He served on the board of the Harrisburg Fair Housing Council, a nonprofit organization that has empowered more than 14,000 individuals and families to achieve homeownership through first-time buyer education and down payment assistance programs.
Today, APEX Financial Management is structured to identify value, close deals quickly, and manage complexity with precision. Guided by real-time financial data and operational experience, we specialize in asset-backed business acquisitions, with a proven track record in navigating SBA requirements, regulatory reviews, and high-stakes transitions. Along the way, the company has been recognized with a Historic Architectural Review Board (HARB) preservation award and has received citations from the governor, U.S. Senate, Congress, and Pennsylvania House of Representatives. These commendations reflect APEX’s long-standing commitment to excellence, not just in preservation, but to revitalizing everyday businesses that serve working communities and anchor local economies.
As legacy businesses close and experienced successors grow scarce, APEX is positioned to capitalize on the Silver Wave through targeted acquisition and revitalization of overlooked, underperforming commercial assets. Backed by decades of experience and systems built to scale, we turn complexity into long-term value.
