It is with sadness that we report the passing of Donald James Grubb, Sr., co-founder of Grubb & Ellis.  Mr. Grubb passed away on Saturday, November 3, 2007.  He will be missed.

Grubb & Ellis was founded by Donald J. Grubb, Sr., (pictured upper left) and Harold "Hal" Ellis (lower left) in 1958, in Oakland, CA.  From its earliest beginnings, Grubb & Ellis has been passionate about client service. That dedication has enabled Grubb & Ellis to become one of the world's leading commercial real estate services firms. 

In 1981, Grubb & Ellis and GMR Properties of Jacksonville, FL, merged to form the new Grubb & Ellis Company, a publicly held corporation.  It was during the 1980's, that Grubb & Ellis grew rapidly through the acquisition of well-established real estate firms in the Pacific Northwest, Northeast, Southeast, Midwest, Texas and California.

By 1996, the Company had acquired Axiom Real Estate Management, Inc., its property and facilities management subsidiary which had been an independently operated joint venture between Grubb & Ellis and IBM Corp.  As a wholly-owned subsidiary of the Company, Axiom was renamed Grubb & Ellis Management Services, Inc.  In 1997, Grubb & Ellis moved its corporate headquarters office from San Francisco to Chicago.

In response to clients’ increasing multi-market needs, Grubb & Ellis launched and quickly grew a national affiliate program in the 1990's.  By establishing formal relationships with leading local real estate companies, Grubb & Ellis was able to expand into key secondary markets, such as Wyoming and New Mexico, where it previously did not have a formal presence.  The Company also formalized its Corporate Services Group and Institutional Investment Group to help better manage client requirements for more services in more markets through a single point of accountability.

Today, Grubb & Ellis Company is a public company, trading on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol "GBE."  It has become one of the world’s leading full-service commercial real estate organizations, providing a complete range of transaction, management and consulting services.  By leveraging local expertise with our global reach, Grubb & Ellis offers innovative, customized solutions and seamless service to owners, corporate occupants and investors throughout the globe.