John Ross Since 1990, John has been responsible for the Denver Division of the Gillis Thomas Company, overseeing all Gillis Thomas Company properties in Denver, Colorado and Baltimore, Maryland. John’s duties include being a leasing agent, construction manager, property manager and when necessary, conducting tax valuation appeal work at the City and County of Denver Staff and Board of Equalization levels.

Philosophically, John believes that the key to survival in industrial real estate is inextricably linked to Tenant Retention. By demonstrating sincere, genuine interest in Tenant’s needs, along with adapting to the ever-changing nature of the marketplace it is easier to retain, and often expand, our Tenant base.

Before coming to the Gillis Thomas Company, John worked 13 years for the Kenmark & Todd Company, developing and managing numerous small retail strip centers, two automatic car wash businesses and one small ice cream manufacturing and retail operation.

Outside of the office, John is an outspoken community activist for Northeast Denver, working closely with numerous nonprofit organizations, including The Urban Farm, The Bluff Lake Nature Center and as a founding member of the Sand Creek Regional Greenway Partnership. Under Mayor John W. Hickenlooper, John was recently appointed to the Mayor’s Zoning Task Force, which is charged with the task of completely revamping Denver’s Zoning Code. John has previously served as Co-Chair of the Mayor’s Industrial Task Force, and in 2002 was a nominee for Denver Volunteer of the Year.

John’s personal interests include hiking, alpine skiing, photography and Argentine tango dancing.