JLL just named Greg O’Brien its CEO of the Americas, so of course it was our job to find out what he does for fun. The former CEO of The Staubach Co recently tried skydiving for the first time with his wife Lynne and their oldest son Jack. “That gets your heart going, to jump out of a plane at two miles up.” Greg and Lynne spend a lot of time with their three kids (college, high school, seventh grade) around sports, music, arts, and other activities. They also play golf, ski, and visit their home on Cape Cod. He replaces Lauralee Martin, who left to become CEO of HCP last October.

Greg earned an MBA from Harvard and a BS in electrical engineering from Tufts (above, go Jumbos!). Here are his key trends to watch this year:

• Economy gaining momentum with improving consumer and business confidence
  
  

• Already robust capital markets activity expected to grow 20% as supply constraints in key markets and global demand for US assets push values and some investors head to second-tier markets to find yield
  
  

• Increased leasing activity, with office vacancies projected to fall below 16% in 2014 and asking rents moving up