Bob Donnelly was in his element, regaling an audience of NAIOP industry insiders and power players while accepting its highest honor: The Charles Klatskin Lifetime Achievement Award in 2023.
After Donnelly was done talking about how much he loved the job – how much he loved hunting for deals and then closing them – he looked out at the audience of hundreds and told them how he really felt:
“The best part of it all, are the people,” he said. “The brokers, the developers, the lawyers, the architects, all of you in this audience, literally create what I think is the most exciting industry, certainly in the state, maybe in the world. So, thank you for this honor.”
Donnelly, a veteran of New Jersey commercial real estate and an icon within Cushman & Wakefield, passed away earlier this week at the age of 79.
Over the course of his remarkable career, Donnelly built a legacy defined by excellence, integrity and leadership. A pioneering force in the industry, he was known as a mentor to many and widely respected for his influence on the markets he served.
He carved out a niche in corporate services account work over the course of his near five-decade career, representing numerous Fortune 500 companies, negotiating millions of square feet worth of office leases across the U.S. and internationally for companies.
AT&T, General Electric, Lucent Technologies, BASF, New York Life Insurance, Reed Elsevier, Fiserv and many more all benefited from his guidance.
Of course, none topped his relationship representing Headquarters Plaza in Morristown since the early 1980s – the longest-standing landlord/leasing agency at Cushman & Wakefield.
His Cushman colleagues remember him not for his ability to close deals but his ability to build relationships.
“Beyond his professional accomplishments, Bob was known for his generosity of spirit, trusted counsel, and the meaningful relationships he built throughout his career,” they said in a statement.
Cushman promoted Donnelly to executive vice president and elected him to its board of directors in 2000. In 2014, he was promoted to the position of executive vice chairman.
His legacy will be carried on by his son, Robert Donnelly, Jr., who carries forward that tradition of excellence as a valued member of the Cushman & Wakefield organization.
Josh Burd of Real Estate NJ, who has covered Donnelly for years, wrote a nice tribute.
