| Some people deal in shades of gray, but St. John Properties chairman Ed St. John isn't one of them: sticking to a "numbers only" formula allowed him to grow his company's 50k SF portfolio into a 14M SF national juggernaut. Now he's expanding to Dallas to take advantage of an underserved economy (no frills) office market. |
| Not bad for a guy who originally wanted to fly airplanes. He started out in the early 1970s when he assumed control of three small companies his father left him. They included manufacturing and distribution entities that weren't his cup of tea, Ed says, but he really liked real estate. His company (then called MIE Enterprises) originally dealt in large warehouses and gradually added flex, office, and retail to its portfolio. And now mixed-use projects are the company's favored development, Ed tells us. He thinks North Dallas has enough demand to support development. |
| Above is Phase 2 of The GATE at Aberdeen Proving Ground, one of St. John's signature properties in the Baltimore metro. Ed's 2011 predictions for the area? Other than the obvious benefits BRAC (which he designed the GATE to serve) provides to Howard and Harford Counties, Ed says he thinks the completion of the new Route 29 interchange in Maple Lawn (giving it excellent proximity to the DC and Baltimore Beltways) means that market will tighten. Also, he tells us Annapolis will be strong no matter the economy because it doesn't have much commercially zoned land. |
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