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Will Naito has big shoes to fill. His grandfather, Bill Naito, was among the earliest to see the importance of redeveloping Portland’s Chinatown and Old Town.

Through the 1950s and early ’60s, Old Town was known as Skid Road. At a time when most developers were abandoning downtown for the suburbs, Naito saw value and potential in reclaiming derelict and abandoned buildings in both downtown and the Old Town Chinatown area.

In 1975, he renovated a department store building built in 1910 and turned it into one of the earliest mixed-use renovation projects in the area. The project, dubbed The Galleria, helped secure Naito’s reputation as a developer willing to breathe new life into old properties.

When Bill died in 1996, his son Bob Naito took over as head of the firm, continuing the family tradition of finding new purposes for old buildings. The firm, for example, moved the historic Simon Benson House to the Portland State University campus, where it was renovated as a visitor center and alumni office.

Naito Development also has led by example when it comes to finding sustainable ways to renovate older buildings. Recent green projects include a LEED platinum renovation in the historic Halprin blocks in downtown Portland and One Waterfront Place, a project currently rising in Portland’s River District that’s also targeting a platinum rating.

In 2009, Bob’s son Will Naito joined the firm as a project manager. Both Will and Bob are part of the team that last year was handed the task of redeveloping the 117-year-old Grove Hotel in Old Town Chinatown. The project calls for a 52-room, 190-bed boutique hotel.

鈥淲hen we bring people from out of town here 鈥� developers, architects, designers, hospitality professionals 鈥� they get excited at the potential in Old Town Chinatown,鈥� Will Naito said. 鈥淪ometimes locals forget what a gem they have here. Helping to revitalize it is what we do. I guess you could say I’m doing what my father and grandfather did, and I can’t think of anything else I’d rather do.鈥�