Born in Bremerton 63 years ago, Wes Larson traveled and lived around the world, was educated in some of the finest universities and obtained a law degree. While at the University of Washington, he received a degree in German language and was a member of the UW band. He achieved all this while never losing his love for his hometown and his dream of returning home to help develop the downtown he loved as a young child.
So, after living and working in New York City for eight years, Larson decided to come back home and establish a very successful development firm he named Sound West Group. The company has developed projects all over the Northwest and has won many awards for its projects, but the priority has always been downtown Bremerton.
Today, Larson, his partner Mike Brown and the Sound West Group have led an effort to revitalize downtown Bremerton by building over 400 apartment units, including the new Marina Square on the downtown waterfront; purchasing and restoring the old Roxy Theatre; and becoming a leader in the effort to turn Fourth Street into what is now known as Quincy Square, which opened earlier this summer. He also purchased a four-story building downtown on Pacific Street, where he maintains his corporate office.
Larson’s great-grandfather, D.L. Cady, served as the mayor of Bremerton in 1914, and his father worked at the Puget Sound Naval Shipyard for over 40 years. So Larson’s roots go deep in the city of Bremerton. His mother was Canadian, and he has dual citizenship, so he and his wife, Daphne, also spend time in Victoria, B.C., where they own a home.
Larson has many interests besides his development work. He is an avid swimmer and bicyclist while also holding a second-degree black belt. He grew up swimming in the old downtown Bremerton YMCA and has been a member of the organization for almost 60 years. The Bremerton YMCA perhaps is his community priority — he is currently a board member of the YMCA of Pierce & Kitsap Counties and is leading an effort to build a new Bremerton Y facility that can meet the growing needs of the community. Larson is also working on building a childcare center in downtown Bremerton that would be managed by the YMCA.
Wes Larson is many things — a developer, an attorney, a former securities broker-dealer, a musician and a committed member of the YMCA. But most of all, he is an agent of change. He is a leader in the Kitsap community and especially a leader in his hometown, where he continues to invest his money, time and vision. When his work is done, he will have left it better than he found it.
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