About John Jay Schwartz
John Jay Schwartz, MCR, RPA, IBC is a life-long commercial real estate professional and consultant skilled in management, land development, commercial real estate transactions, entitlements, infrastructure development, REO, and strategic and tactical planning for owners, end-users, trustees and economic development agencies.
About The Man with Square Feet®
John Jay Schwartz, MCR, RPA, IBC, a Richmond, Virginia native, is the “Man with Square Feet!”® Without agenda or bias, he has delivered more than 43 million square feet of diverse commercial real estate results for users and occupants across the country. Specifically, John specializes in the areas of consulting, master broker, and strategic and tactical services.
About Have Site Will Travel® and John Jay Schwartz
John Jay Schwartz founded Have Site Will Travel® over 30 years ago and has achieved significant success in the industry not just in his hometown of Richmond, Virginia, but across the country. The Have Site Will Travel® website and brand has now transformed into The Man With Square Feet® and is essentially one in the same.
Professional / Industry Involvement
- Masters of Corporate Real Estate (MCR) from the International Association of Corporate Real Estate Executives (2,215 so honored) of the CoreNet Global network which includes 10,0000 members in 50 countries
- Real Property Administrator (RPA) of the Building Owners Managers International (BOMI)
- Member of International Association of Shopping Centers (ICSC), 70,000 members in over 100 countries
- Member of Greater Richmond Association of Commercial Real Estate (GRACRE), 400 members
- Honorary Lifetime Member of Metro Richmond Chamber of Commerce (ChamberRVA)
- Contributing Member of Retail Merchants Association (RMA) of Central Virginia
- Co-chairman of Industrial Asset Management Council (IAMC), Richmond Fall 2017
Career Notable Achievements
John Jay has endured some notable successes and achievements in his career.
Found, negotiated and closed numerous retail pad sites for TGI Friday’s corporate and franchise accounts in growing trade areas beating the competition to the market
Rolled out Wendy’s corporate and franchise retail locations
Consulted to General Mills Corporation various business models
Managed asset audit for Chase Manhattan Bank in 40 national Tier 1 markets for refinancing of Levitz Furniture.
Career Notable Achievements – Economic Development
John’s expertise and consulting services has been called on by a host of economic development leaders and agencies recently in Louisiana, Texas, Nebraska, New Mexico, Kansas as well as throughout the Commonwealth of Virginia.
Chemical Bank – Created $5 million revenue stream by successfully managing manufacturer liquidation
The Brinks Inc./Pittston Company – Saved $5 million over 10 years by selling corporate headquarters and leasing new World Headquarters facility
Net 2000 Communications – Saved $25+ million by disposing of surplus lease assets.
Love’s Travels Stops & Country Stores, Inc. – Consulted, Identified, and negotiated numerous sites for their East Coast development/rollout
Burn Boot Camp – Searched, identified, and leased extreme fitness facility
Standard Insurance – Portland, OR – sold lender owned 5 retail locations of different shape and sizes throughout Richmond, VA.
Bain Capital – Boston, MA – sold 62 acre vacant land site.
Chase Manhattan Bank -NY, NY – sold inventory and released 1/2 million square foot warehouse of defaulted international business in Gainesville, GA,
Gronik & Co. – Milwaukee, WS – released defaulted warehouses in Georgia and Puerto Rico, and similar problem assets in Hong Kong.
Klaff Realty – Chicago, IL – sold special asset collection of land parcels in Mechanicsville, VA and consulted on other parcels throughout VA plus Sports Complex in Ashland, VA
Paragon Bank – Raleigh, NC – sold REO land in Midlothian, VA
Union Bank – Richmond, VA – REO consulted and combined 9 parcels of land and sold them to one qualified investor in Caroline County, VA and land parcel in Chesterfield County, VA
Trustee Family sales – numerous estate sales for trustees of real estate creating a cash exit for family estates, including Alamogordo, NM, Omaha, NE, Jacksonville, FL, Carmel Church, VA, New Kent County, VA Baltimore, MD, Pitt County, NC, Greenville, NC, Rockingham, NC, and Greater Richmond, VA to note a few.
Career Notable Achievements – Early Stage Technology Real Estate
John Jay Schwartz was on the ground floor as the exclusive commercial real estate consultant for several early stage technology companies by consulting on space planning, asset sale and leasing, acquisition and overall growth and expansion including:
- Built state-of-the-art multipurpose high-tech headquarters.
- Co-managed acquisition of Telergy Inc.’s bankrupt assets
- Negotiated no security deposits, saving cash of at least $1.2 million
- Uncovered two-year cash savings of $1.3 million in billing errors
- Promulgated 125 transactions in 3+ years in 19 states
PENdulum Global – Consulted and executed conservative lease strategy from small flex space to multiple Class A office leases
Richmond Telecom – Expanding technology in telecom caused rapid expansion need, thus negotiated a most favorable lease in Class A office with great business growth support
Guild Launch – Unique game designer consulted from startup, from emergency relocation to tripling Class A office space based on international growth
- Innovated technology company to protect and monitor business, people and assets
- Fulfilled accelerated growth needs for headquarters office, warehouse and support facility
- Found ideal REO purchase opportunity to fast track and meet specific user needs
About John Jay,
“VCU’s 1st Ultimate Ram”
In Richmond, John Jay is AKA (also known as) the 1st Ultimate Ram by Virginia Commonwealth University and throughout the RVA (Richmond). He received a VCU B.S Accounting degree in 1969 and an IBC from the VCU International School of Business in 2011. His heart bleeds black and gold! He is very deserving of this recognition as the biggest and most recognized VCU Ram fan. John’s involvement with VCU is not only important to him personally, but also supports the future goals and development of the University. John contributes his time, energy, passion and money as he has served for nearly 40 years on: various boards including Friends of the Library advisory board, the VCUAA board of directors, and the VCU School of Business alumni board; VCU Alumni Association as a Lifetime Member; and the prestigious donor group known as the VCU Heritage Society. He is the 1st Voice of VCU Men’s Basketball; and currently the Color Commentator for the VCU Lady Rams on the vcuathletics.com digital network.
