John Sobrato’s handiwork is all over Silicon Valley. His portfolio of 7.5M SF of office includes HQ space leased by titans like Apple, Yahoo and Netflix.
His mother, Ann, was the Bay Area’s first female real estate developer. She started the family business with proceeds from the sale of a restaurant in 1952, and began investing in property in the suburbs south of San Francisco.
Sobrato started working in real estate while enrolled at Santa Clara University, and founded the Sobrato Organization in 1979. He still serves as its chairman. The firm has developed over 15M SF of commercial space. The Sobrato Organization has a strong charity arm, the Sobrato Philanthropies, which encompasses the Sobrato Family Foundation, individual giving by the family members and corporate giving. Much of the philanthropy from the foundation is focused on the communities where the Sobrato Organization is active. — Scott Klocksin
