1248 Holdings

1248 Holdings

1248 Holdings was established to manage the liquidity event created when O. Gene Bicknell sold NPC International, the world's largest Pizza Hut franchisee. The firm sits in Kansas City, where the Bicknell family's business roots run deep. Martin C. Bicknell acts as Manager of the office, while his wife Cheryl Bicknell serves as COO of the affiliated operating business, Mariner Wealth Advisors. The family office's known investment posture centers on direct real estate assets and operating company equity. Confirmed real estate holdings include The Villas at 44 Washington and The Residences at 44 Washington in Kansas City, Missouri, alongside the Aspen Properties Portfolio spanning Kansas City and Leawood, Kansas. The office also maintains the Bicknell Family Art Collection and holds a substantial stake in Mariner Wealth Advisors, where Leonard Green & Partners is a minority investor. The geographic concentration is distinctly Midwestern, with no disclosed coastal or international diversification. The principals split their professional focus across the family office and the wealth management firm. Martin Bicknell is CEO of Mariner Wealth Advisors and a member of YPO and the Civic Council of Greater Kansas City's board. Cheryl Bicknell is COO of Mariner. The family's philanthropic arm is structured through the Bicknell Family Foundation, a separate grantmaking vehicle. In recent activity, the family office maintains its operational headquarters at 4622 Pennsylvania Avenue in Kansas City. The architecture of 1248 Holdings is defined by its dual structure: a private family office managing direct real estate and an art collection, paired with a professionalized wealth management platform that itself has taken institutional minority capital from Leonard Green & Partners. This creates an unusual dynamic where the family both controls a significant operating asset and runs a separate vehicle for passive, personal investments.