2018's Best Boss in Commercial Real Estate
John Combs, RiverRock Real Estate Group When we go through the applications for our Best Bosses of the Year awards, there are a few qualities we keep…
John Combs, RiverRock Real Estate Group
When we go through the applications for our Best Bosses of the Year awards, there are a few qualities we keep front-and-center as we make our selections. Inspirational. Knowledgeable. Approachable. Personable. Trustworthy. The list goes on, as you can imagine.
It is the rare individual that can check all the boxes, but occasionally we will find that person. This year, John Combs, founder and principal of RiverRock Real Estate Group is that individual. His impressive background was the least of the factors that went into our decision to give him this title—although his career, which includes roles as COO of Insignia/ESG, for the Americas and Asia, and as president of US Property Services for the company, are remarkable.
Even one of his old cohorts from back then sang his praises. “In all the years I worked with John, he’s always thought out of the box,” says Stephen B. Siegel, chairman of global brokerage for CBRE, which bought Insignia/ESG. “His instinct about business changes is spot on, and he has a knack for creative problem solving. He helps to lead people to the right answers, rather than shutting them down or ignoring their opinions.”
In fact, Combs received so many positive accolades from his staff and colleagues in the industry that some of us on the selection team were ready to go work for him ourselves.
Chip Julin, a broker associate with Keller Williams Commercial, has known Combs since before RiverRock was formed. “He’s who I point to when I want to personify an admired and respected leader in the CRE industry.”
Cal Meeder, a project management RVP in Northern California says Combs was the main reason he joined RiverRock and has remained with the company. “He’s effective in relating to the multitude of unique individuals in the organization.”
When he established RiverRock, Combs had a specific goal in mind. According to the CEO, one of the company’s key performance indicators would be to win a ‘Best Place to Work’ accolase, “because happy people give better service.” Sure enough, RiverRock has been named a “Best Place to Work in Orange County” for each year the company has entered over the past eight consecutive years.
There are a number of reasons why RiverRock has achieved its goal more than eight times. Some of it is in the little gestures from Combs himself. He does the welcome calls to the new employees and has set a policy in which employees receive cards, a paid day off and a $75 gift card for their birthdays each year. He also makes sure that he reaches out to communicate personally, sending a hand-written birthday card to each of his 120 employees.
He reaches out to employees for other reasons as well, says Michelle Weber, regional VP of the RiverRock Real Estate Group in Arizona. “When my mother passed away three years ago, he called to offer his heartfelt condolences,” she shares. A call or email on work anniversaries is also standard.
The company has established strong programs to benefit its employees, such as Rock University, the company’s training and development arm, and the RiverRock Wellness Program, where wmployees are offered financial incentives to take annual exams. That benefit saved one employee’s life who ordinarily felt “too healthy” to bother with an exam. Incentivized to do so, she received an early diagnosis for an aggressive form of cancer.
This incident motivated Combs to increase the incentives; today employees can earn up to $2,700 in health insurance premium discounts every year by participating in various activities. The participation rate has grown from 73% at the wellness program’s launch in 2015 to 93% last year. In short, one assistant property manager says, Combs “has created a company and a workplace environment that far exceeds any place I’ve worked. The work-home balance is constantly reinforced with summer hours and generous vacations policies.”
RiverRock has also established a mentor program for employees. Everyone at the company has one assigned to them—someone who is not their boss and who may even be from outside the firm. The mentors are responsible for their mentees’ ongoing training and professional development and designations. Part of the mentorship at RiverRock is a quarterly series of Forum Calls. Senior executive aren’t allowed to take part in these open-mic sessions, no subject is off limits and there are no consequences attached for anything that comes up.
Combs himself maintains his own revolving list of mentors. Over the years he’s found that mentorships have helped him open new markets and take on new business lines, not to mention drawing amazing talent to the firm.
Combs has built a company “that is the envy of the industry,” says Julien Bieckert, a RiverRock project coordinator. “He’s surrounded himself with the best people and kept his troops motivated. A great leader of men and women, he’s created a company culture that promotes kindness, empathy and family, without compromising on the quality of work. John treats everyone with the upmost respect and has all the qualities one looks for in a leader.”