DeMartino to Now Head Skanska USA Commercial’s Boston Office
With this promotion, DeMartino will oversee all development operations for the Greater Boston region, including land acquisitions, development, design, construction management, leasing and divestment.
BOSTON—Skanska reports it has promoted Russell DeMartino as its new executive vice president of Skanska USA Commercial Development’s office in Boston.
The promotion comes in response to Charles Leatherbee’s move from Skanska to Trammell Crow, where he will serve as senior vice president and business unit leader of the Dallas-based firm’s new office in Boston. Leatherbee most recently served as executive vice president and regional manager for Skanska’s Boston office.
With this promotion, DeMartino will oversee all development operations for the Greater Boston region, including land acquisitions, development, design, construction management, leasing and divestment. DeMartino joined Skanska in 2016 and brings 16 years of experience to his new role. Since joining Skanska, he led the complete lease up of the speculative 121 Seaport office development project, to the record-breaking $455 million sale of the property.
“Russ’ passion for development and his ability to foster high performing, collaborative teams will allow us to continue to deliver world-class developments in the Boston market,” says Skanska USA Commercial Development president and CEO Robert Ward. “His commitment to sustainability, innovation and customer satisfaction aligns with our values and our long-term growth plans, and I am confident his leadership will support continued value creation for Skanska and our shareholders.”
DeMartino holds a master’s degree in business administration from Harvard Business School, and a bachelor’s degree in science and civil engineering from the United States Military Academy at West Point. After graduating from West Point, DeMartino spent more than eight years as a commanding officer and pilot in the United States Army then went on to receive his master’s from Harvard. He is an active member of the Urban Land Institute and speaks both German and Spanish.
In conjunction with this leadership change, Skanska also promoted Carolyn Desmond to vice president-development for the Boston office.
With 15 years of experience, including nine years at Skanska, Desmond has managed all aspects of the development process including acquisition, financing, design development, construction oversight, leasing and divestment, most recently on the 121 Seaport project in Boston. Her real estate development experience ranges from multi-family condominiums and apartments to office, mixed-use and urban retail. She has worked in various markets during her tenure at Skanska including Washington, D.C., and Warsaw, Poland. She holds a bachelor’s degree in civil engineering from The University of Virginia.
Skanska’s development portfolio in Greater Boston also includes 101 Seaport, the LEED Platinum North American headquarters for PwC; Watermark Seaport, a 300,000-square-foot, LEED Gold residential building with ground-floor retail; 150 Second St., a lab and office building in Cambridge, MA; The Harlo, a 17-story, 183,000-square-foot, LEED Gold luxury residential tower and, Two Drydock, a 12-story, 225,000-square-foot, Class-A, office building with 9,500-square-feet of ground-floor retail, 150 parking spaces and a 12,000-square-foot public plaza, that recently topped out.