91ÊÓƵ

Donn Sullivan, 78, still isn’t ready to retire.

“As long as I still enjoy it, which I do, there is no reason for me to quit,” said Sullivan, a senior vice president with Grubb & Ellis in Portland.

Sullivan joined Grubb & Ellis in 1998 and has been in the commercial real estate industry since 1956, when he was hired by Commonwealth Inc. to help oversee development of the Cedar Hills neighborhood.

He followed his eventual wife to Portland after graduating with a degree in finance from the University of Oregon, where he played football and competed in track and field. He said he learned about the commercial real estate business from Harry Brock, a broker who Sullivan shadowed for years.

91ÊÓƵ: What knowledge do you have that you fear will be lost as your generation begins to retire?

Donn Sullivan: The thing that I loved about the business was that it changed every day. The phone would ring and it would be a random call. You’d go meet with them, get to know them a bit, and then you might invite them back to your office and discuss their needs. That’s how you put things together. It was very enjoyable. But today, everything is done on the computer.

What we enjoyed was that you would get to sit down and meet with people. We used to go to Jolly Jones, a little restaurant in the Morgan Building, for breakfast at 6 every morning. You would meet Bill Brewster (a former journalist), or someone at the bank, or talk to the mayor. You could put deals together there. The public officials don’t want to talk to you anymore, especially in that type of setting.

I remember some guys moving a file cabinet at Georgia Pacific in the Equitable Building and they knocked a window out onto the street. I called Bill Bowes (a former city commissioner) and told him he needed to shut Sixth Avenue down. Five minutes later it was shut down.

91ÊÓƵ: What advice do you have for young people that want to go into the business?

Sullivan: The most important thing is to listen to your client. Don’t try to talk them into something or try to convince them that you know everything. Listen to them first. And once you’ve listened to what they’re trying to achieve, then give them your ideas. What you want may not have anything to do with what they want. Get their goals and their desires first and then you solve the problem.

91ÊÓƵ: What do you see as the biggest threats to your industry 10 or even 20 years down the line?

Sullivan: Selling real estate or managing property hasn’t changed much in the times I’ve been around. I’ve been around 55 years and I still try to do the business the same way. Granted, I have a cell phone and a computer, but it doesn’t change what I do. It never has. I’m not on the cell phone all the time and I don’t want to be. I want to talk to the person’s face. I get more out of it that way and it helps me serve them the best.

All that technology is helpful, but it can’t be substituted for personality. It’s a tool, but it won’t change how we do business.

91ÊÓƵ: What has changed the most since you started?

Sullivan: The lack of conversation between the client and the provider. People do deals without meeting sometimes these days. That would never have happened before.

91ÊÓƵ: What key educational elements do you think are most important for new workers thinking about going into this field?

Sullivan: Technically, it doesn’t make a difference if you are in the business college or into engineering or even architecture as long as you’ve got a good brain, you’re able to understand your clients and express their desires.

I learned this business by following someone who knew what they were doing everywhere and taking notes. I didn’t talk. I just listened and tried my hardest not to forget anything. It was that experience and how he’d deal with each situation differently that taught me how to do this.

I’ve had the pleasure to teach several young people in this industry. I did the same thing that was done for me. I made them come with me and sit down and listen. Experience is important in this industry and that’s how you get it.