R. Donahue Peebles

Roy Donahue "Don" Peebles (born March 2, 1960) is a real estate entrepreneur, author, and political activist. Peebles is the Founder, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of the Peebles Corporation, a real estate company.[1]

R. Donahue Peebles
R. Donahue (Don) Peebles
Born
Roy Donahue Peebles

(1960-03-02) March 2, 1960
Washington D.C.
NationalityAmerican
OccupationEntrepreneur
Known forReal estate development
Peebles Corporation
TitleFounder, Chairman and CEO
WebsiteOfficial website

In April 2015, Black Enterprise named Peebles as one of the "Business Trailblazers and Titans of Black America: 40 most powerful African Americans in business".[2] In May 2009, Forbes listed Peebles in the top ten of the wealthiest black Americans,[3] and in January 2015 it estimated his net worth to be over $700 million.[4]

Background

Peebles was born in Washington, D.C. to Ruth Yvonne Willoughby and Roy Donahue Peebles Sr.[5] His grandfather was a doorman at the Marriott Wardman Park hotel [6] in Washington D.C. Peebles has said that assisting his father as car mechanic while still a child contributed to his strong work ethic.[7] At the age of eight, Peebles moved to Detroit, where he spent five years until returning to Washington D.C.[8] at 13 and completed high school while serving as a Congressional Page.[9]

Career

In 1979, after his freshman year as a student at Rutgers University Peebles dropped out[1] and became a real estate sales agent and appraiser in Washington, D.C. On January 9, 1983, at the age of 23, he established RDP Corporation, a residential and commercial real estate appraisal firm. Later that year, he was appointed to Washington's Board of Equalization and Review by Marion Barry, the real estate tax appeals board currently known as the Board of Real Property Assessments and Appeals. One year later, when Peebles was 24, Washington's Mayor Marion Barry appointed him Chairperson of the Board[10] where he served until 1988.[1]

In 1986, a Peebles-led partnership acquired the site for his first real estate development project: a 100,000-square-foot (9,300 m2) Class-A office building at 2100 Martin Luther King Ave. SE.[11][12] In 1990, Peebles founded RDP Assessment Appeals Services, a Washington-based commercial tax assessment appeals firm. Peebles continued to acquire commercial buildings and development sites in Washington, D.C. throughout the 1990s, including 10 G Street NE, and the Convention Center Courtyard by Marriott.[13]

In 1996, Peebles redeveloped the 1930s Royal Palm hotel in Miami Beach.[14] The Royal Palm Resort became the nation's first major hotel developed and owned by an African American.[15] Other Miami projects include The Residences at The Bath Club, a luxury residential tower.[1] Peebles also co-developed The Lincoln, a mixed-use development featuring Class A office space in South Beach. In the early 2000s Peebles expanded into San Francisco, Las Vegas and New York.

In November 2010, D.C. Attorney General Peter Nickles sued Peebles’ company for alleged overbilling; Peebles maintained the charges were politically motivated due to his opposition to then Mayor Adrian Fenty failed re-election bid earlier that year. A D.C. Superior Court dismissed most of the claims against Peebles.[16] The suit was settled in November 2012 by Nickles’ successor, D.C. Attorney General Irvin Nathan for $120,000, a fraction of the initial claim.[17] The court accepted the settlement, and dismissed as moot the over-billing claims.[18]

Peebles had been a member of the Real Estate Board of New York's Board of Governors,[19] the former Chairman of the Greater Miami Convention and Visitors Bureau,[20] an invitee to then-President-elect Clinton's 1992 Economic Summit in Arkansas, and in 2013 was named to Miami-Dade County Mayor Carlos A. Gimenez's Mayoral Business Roundtable. [21]

Peebles developed properties in Miami; Miami Beach; Washington, D.C.; and has current or pending developments in process in Boston, New York City, Philadelphia, Washington, D.C., Charlotte, N.C., Miami and Los Angeles.

His present development projects include: 108 Leonard Street (a.k.a. 346 Broadway), a luxury hotel and condominiums in Manhattan's landmarked “Clocktower Building;” in a joint venture with El-Ad Group.,[22] 1801 Vine Street, a luxury boutique hotel in Philadelphia's historic Family Court Building;[23] and The SLS Hotel and Residences, a luxury hotel and condominiums in Washington, D.C.’s Mount Vernon Triangle;[24] a large scale hotel, retail and residential mixed use development called Viola in Boston's Back Bay,[25][26] and a 17-acre development consisting of 12 buildings with a mixture of uses including two hotels, office, apartment and residential condominium buildings in Charlotte, N.C. Mecklenburg County, North Carolina. The project has been named Brooklyn Village.[27] A Peebles JV team was awarded the exclusive rights by the Los Angeles Community Development Agency to develop the tallest building in the western United States in downtown Los Angeles. The project, Angles Landing is expected to cost $1.2 billion to build.

In 2016 Peebles told DNAinfo that he had requested a return of a $20,000 contribution his company had made to a PAC formed by NYC Mayor Bill de Blasio represented to support universal Pre-K for NYC children when he discovered the funds were being used to fund political mailers to advance development projects favored by de Blasio.[28]

Awards

In 2004, Peebles was elected as chairman of the Greater Miami Convention and Visitors Bureau and has been recognized by various organizations for his leadership and innovation. Also in 2004, the Peebles Corporation was recognized by Black Enterprise as "Company of the Year."[29]

He was named “Trailblazer of the Year” by the Metropolitan Black Bar Association in 2016[30]

In 2017, the New York City Mission Society honored Peebles with its “Champions for Children” award.[31][32]

Politics

Peebles is a Democrat. He and his wife have supported various congressional, mayoral, gubernatorial, and presidential candidates over the years. In the early 1990s, Washington Business Journal wrote an article citing Peebles as one of the “top fundraisers” in the city. In 1992, he hosted presidential hopeful and Arkansas Governor Bill Clinton in his home for a fundraiser.[33] Peebles served as a member of President Barack Obama's National Finance Committee for the President's 2008 election and 2012 reelection campaign.[34][35] in May 2008 Peebles hosted then Senator Obama for a campaign fundraiser at The Bath Club and later hosted President Obama at the home he owned in Washington D.C. for a campaign fundraiser on August 8, 2011.[36]

In 2010, Peebles considered running to become mayor of Washington, but he decided against a run due to his mother-in-law's illness.[10] Peebles' mother-in-law died later that year.

In 2013, Peebles was elected vice chairman of the board of directors of the Congressional Black Caucus Foundation.[37] In July 2015, he was elevated to chairperson of the CBCF's board of directors and re-elected in February 2016, [38][39][40] a role he held until February 2017 when he reached his term limit on the board. Peebles was the only non-member of Congress to be elected to the position of Chair of the CBCF.

Peebles' advocacy for minority and women owned businesses, a more business friendly environment, and expansion of Charter Schools raised speculation[41] that he was a potential candidate to challenge de Blasio for re-election in the 2017 election cycle for the term beginning January 2018, however, Peebles did not enter the race citing wanting to teach his then 22-year-old son, a recent graduate from Columbia University, the real estate business, and to spend time with his 14-year-old daughter during her last four years at home before college.[42][43][44]

Personal life

Peebles moved to Miami, Florida, in 1998 then Coral Gables in 2001,[45] has homes in Bridgehampton, Coral Gables and New York City,[46] and lives in Coral Gables and New York City with his wife Katrina, whom he married in 1994[47] She is a former PR executive[48] and model that serves on the Board of Directors of the Peebles Corporation.[33]

His son Donahue is a Columbia University graduate and is currently working as the Senior Associate of Development at The Peebles Corporation, where he is leading the company's Washington, D.C. development efforts,[49][50] His daughter Chloe is an equestrian competitor and two sport student athlete.[51]

Writing
  • The Peebles Principles: Tales and Tactics from an Entrepreneur's Life of Winning Deals, Succeeding in Business, and Creating a Fortune from Scratch. R. Donahue Peebles with J. P. Faber. John Wiley and Sons (2007). ISBN 0-470-09930-5.
  • The Peebles Path to Real Estate Wealth: How to Make Money in Any Market. R. Donahue Peebles with J. P. Faber. John Wiley and Sons (2008). ISBN 0-470-37280-X.
gollark: You were talking about regexes and some Boolean logic thing.
gollark: In Highlight 2, I mean.
gollark: <@319753218592866315> Please implement some sort of TC language in <@292212176494657536> for composing triggers.
gollark: Apparently some HP Prime calculator can run UEFI and thus Windows. On ARMv7 of course.
gollark: Basically underpowered locked down phones.

References
  1. Hughes, Allan (June 2004). "The Prince of South Beach: R. Donahue Peebles has built a real estate empire with the posh and a pipeline of deals in South Florida. And he's not finished yet". Black Enterprise. Earl G. Graves Publishing Co., Inc., hosted on BNET. Retrieved December 5, 2010.
  2. "The Business Trailblazers and Titans of Black America". April 25, 2015. Archived from the original on May 10, 2015. Retrieved April 24, 2015.
  3. Miller, Matthew (May 6, 2009). "In Pictures: The Wealthiest Black Americans". Forbes. Retrieved December 5, 2010.
  4. Sorvino, Chloe (January 27, 2015). "Successful African American Real Estate Mogul Inches Closer to Billionaire Status". Forbes. Retrieved February 19, 2015.
  5. Smith, Timothy (December 22, 2010). "Roy D. Peebles Sr., 80: Federal employee, mechanic". The Washington Post. Retrieved September 4, 2012.
  6. O'Connell, Jonathan (January 1, 2012). "Peebles Corp. won't bid on Stevens Elementary". The Washington Post. Retrieved September 4, 2012.
  7. "Roy Donahue Peebles, Sr". Washington Informer. January 30, 2010. Archived from the original on February 9, 2013. Retrieved September 4, 2012.
  8. Peebles, R. Donahue (2007). The Peebles Principles. New Jersey: John Wiley & Sons, Inc. p. 3. ISBN 978-0-470-09930-8.
  9. Peebles, R. Donahue (2007). The Peebles Principles. New Jersey: John Wiley & Sons, Inc. pp. 3, 4. ISBN 978-0-470-09930-8.
  10. Schwartzman, Paul; Nikita Stewart (January 6, 2010). "Millionaire Peebles says he won't run for mayor of D.C." Washington Post. Retrieved December 5, 2010.
  11. "Billionaire entrepreneur considers bid for mayor". The Georgetown Current. October 21, 2009. Retrieved February 19, 2015.
  12. Portlock, Sarah (June 2, 2008). "Don Peebles: Seeking a fast climb up the ladder". The Real Deal. Retrieved September 24, 2012.
  13. Cubé, Christine (October 28, 2002). "Peebles turns up heat". The Washington Business Journal. Retrieved February 27, 2015.
  14. Kellner, Tomas (April 15, 2002). "Making A Splash" (PDF). Forbes. Retrieved March 2, 2015.
  15. Woodlee, Yolanda (May 24, 2007). "From a Native Son, Politics of Getting Rich". The Washington Post. Retrieved March 2, 2015.
  16. Fischer, Ben (November 10, 2010). "D.C. sues Peebles' company". Washington Business Journal. Retrieved December 5, 2010.
  17. Neibauer, Michael (November 20, 2012). "D.C. settles civil case against partnership co-led by R. Donahue Peebles". Washington Business Journal. Retrieved February 27, 2015.
  18. Neibauer, Michael (November 20, 2012). "D.C. settles civil case against partnership co-led by R. Donahue Peebles". American City Business Journals. Washington Business Journal.
  19. Morris, Keiko (December 10, 2014). "Real Estate Board of New York Names New President". The Wall Street Journal. Retrieved March 9, 2015.
  20. "Peebles re-elected to CVB post". South Florida Business Journal. May 26, 2004. Retrieved March 9, 2015.
  21. "Miami-Dade County Mayor Carlos A. Gimenez's launches the Mayoral "Business Roundtable"". Miami-Dade County. Retrieved March 9, 2015.
  22. Gould Keil, Jennifer (December 12, 2013). "Peebles buys Stanford White Building for $160M". New York Post. Retrieved March 9, 2015.
  23. Adelman, Jacob (January 31, 2017). "Family Court hotel project on the Parkway gets boost from renovation-plan action". Philadelphia Media Network, LLC. Philly.com.
  24. Jordan, John (May 12, 2014). "Peebles-Walker Team Selected by DC to Build Hotel". GlobeSt.com. Archived from the original on April 2, 2015. Retrieved March 9, 2015.
  25. Adams, Steve (April 9, 2017). "Breaking Down Barriers In Back Bay". The Warren Group. Banker and Tradesman. Archived from the original on April 21, 2017. Retrieved May 16, 2017.
  26. Boston RFP. "The Viola: An Iconic Mixed-Use Development". bostonplans.org. Boston Planning & Development Agency.
  27. Portillo, Ely (August 12, 2016). "Marshall Park is on its way out – but will new development have enough park space?". Charlotte Observer. CharlotteObserver.com.
  28. "De Blasio Asked Me for $20K And it Was Hard to Say No, Developer Says". DNAinfo New York. Archived from the original on December 1, 2017. Retrieved December 10, 2017.
  29. Hughes, Alan (November 1, 2009). "The Master Builder Strikes Again". Black Enterprise. Retrieved September 24, 2012.
  30. "Trailblazer of the Year: R. Donahue Peebles". Metropolitan Black Bar Association.
  31. Sabino, Catherine (April 10, 2017). "Glitterati Honor Diahann Caroll, Don Peebles at NYC Mission Society Gala". Haute Media Group. Haute Living.
  32. "New York City Mission Society Hosts Annual Champions For Children Benefit". Look To The Stars. looktothestars.org. April 13, 2017.
  33. "Katrina L. Peebles". The Peebles Corporation. Archived from the original on August 22, 2012. Retrieved September 24, 2012.
  34. Harrigan, Matt (July 11, 2012). "Top Obama fundraiser Peebles criticizes the president's campaign message". Advance Media New York. The Post Standard.
  35. Ward, Jon (July 11, 2012). "R. Donahue Peebles, Obama Fundraiser, Says Attacks On Romney Woke 'Sleeping Giant'". Huffington Post.
  36. Ward, Jon (July 11, 2012). "R. Donahue Peebles, Obama Fundraiser, Says Attacks on Romney Woke 'Sleeping Giant'". Huffington Post. Retrieved September 24, 2012.
  37. "CBCF Announces New President/CEO and Chair of Board of Directors". Congressional Black Caucus Foundation. Archived from the original on February 27, 2015. Retrieved February 27, 2015.
  38. Sterlin-Hernandez, Shrita (July 30, 2015). "CBCF Announces New Board Chairman". Congressional Black Caucus Foundation, Inc. cbcfinc.org.
  39. Sands, Darren (June 8, 2016). "Congressional Black Caucus Threatening To Boycott Namesake Foundation Fundraiser". BuzzFeed.
  40. Shelbourne, Mallory (December 19, 2016). "Trump to meet with real estate mogul R. Donahue Peebles". Capitol Hill Publishing Corp. The Hill.
  41. Parker, Will (May 15, 2017). "Sparks fly over politics and projects at fiery developer panel". Korangy Publishing Inc. The Real Deal.
  42. Small, Eddie (December 19, 2016). "Here's Who Might Run Against Bill de Blasio in 2017 — And Who Already Is". DNA Info. Archived from the original on March 18, 2017.
  43. Samtani, Hiten (August 6, 2015). "Don Peebles may challenge de Blasio in Democratic primary". Korangy Publishing Inc. The Real Deal.
  44. Gould Keil, Jennifer (December 20, 2016). "Real estate honcho Peebles meets with Trump". News Corporation. New York Post.
  45. Sederstrom, Jotham (November 8, 2011). "Fresh Eyes on Manhattan". New York Observer. Retrieved September 24, 2012.
  46. Clarke, Katherine (March 21, 2016). "Don Peebles wants $14M for his Bridgehampton mansion". Korangy Publishing Inc. The Real Deal.
  47. Dahle, Stephanie (November 17, 2008). "Briefing Book: Don Peebles". Forbes. Retrieved December 5, 2010.
  48. "President Obama Announces More Key Administration Posts". WhiteHouse.gov. September 13, 2011. Retrieved September 24, 2012.
  49. Johnson, Richard (December 22, 2015). "Don Peebles' son is ready for dad to be mayor". New York Post. Page Six.
  50. "Dynasties: A Son's Positive Influence". The Wall Street Journal. March 2, 2014. Retrieved February 27, 2015.
  51. "2012 Competition Results". United States Equestrian Federation. Retrieved September 24, 2012.
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.