Up Close With John Roberts
JLL project and development services regional director John Roberts has worked on 260 construction projects in the past 35 years, including managing 15M SF of design and construction totaling $1.2B. Now he’s trying to help others follow his path—he’s pushing to make the construction industry more appealing to the workforce.
John always wanted to build things, and got a couple of construction degrees, including a Master's in Construction Management from A&M. After working for a GC, John went out on his own in the late ‘80s to do construction management—he liked going deeper into the process and being part of scheduling, budget and design. In 1991, John joined Henry S Miller/Grubb & Ellis, where Dan Bellow and Mike Boehler were working. (John first connected with Dan in the late ‘80s at Four Oaks Place, where they office now; Dan was leasing the complex, and John was building the interiors.) Together, the trio moved to Staubach Cos in 1994, and they’ve stayed together since.
John (pictured with wife Mary, sons Johnny and Reed, and daughter-in-law Leslie) is particularly proud of his work with Lone Star College—his team just wrapped up a four-year assignment managing $108M of its 2008 bond. He says the system has an amazing impact (even in his own life—his sons took courses there) and helps people transition into school. For the same reason, he’s thrilled to work with HCC—JLL’s managing $136M of its 2013 bond. John’s love for education extends to a drive to give back to the younger generation of real estate pros; he feels like the industry doesn’t have enough mentorship.
John’s also on the board of C3, which aims to create a sustainable construction workforce by promoting craft and safety training and competitive wages with benefits. He says making construction a career people actively choose should be important to everyone in real estate. John’s also passionate about his faith, which he says has defined him and his career. He reads the Bible daily, and wakes up Mary before he leaves for work so they can pray together. The whole family's into bird hunting and fishing—each year, he and his sons (and Mary, if it's exciting enough) go on a hunting/fishing excursion. (This year, they’ll probably go to Mazatlan, which should work for Mary.)
