John Sobrato, RET co-chair

As founder and Chairman of The Sobrato Organization, John A. Sobrato heads one of the most successful real estate development organizations in California.

John’s career in real estate dates to 1957, when he began selling homes in Palo Alto at age 18 while attending Santa Clara University. Although working only part-time during the school year, he was soon among the Peninsula's top residential real estate brokers, becoming the first member of the Million Dollar Club of the Palo Alto Real Estate Board. After his graduation in 1960 with a business degree, John founded Midtown Realty, specializing in "Eichler" home re-sales. Building on his success in the residential marketplace he soon expanded into commercial real estate, working with his mother and Carl Berg in the development of industrial properties. Thus began Sobrato Development Companies, nearly a decade before the name "Silicon Valley" was coined.

In 1974, John sold Midtown Realty in order to concentrate his full attention to commercial development of the rapidly emerging high technology industry. Since that time, he has been responsible for development and construction of over 250office/R & D facilities totaling over l5 million square feet. The company enjoys long-term relationships with a majority of Silicon Valley's established electronics companies.

Today, Sobrato owns an R & D portfolio of 9 million square feet and 7,500 apartments in California, Oregon, and Washington states, all owned 100% by the Sobrato family without institutional partners.

The Sobrato Family Foundation was recognized by the Society of Fundraising Professionals as the Foundation of the Year in 2007. One hundred seventy five foundations in the United States and abroad were nominated for this very coveted award. Nearly 45non-profit service providers receive rent free office space in two of Sobrato’s office parks in Milpitas and San Jose.

John and his wife, Susan, have been married for 49 years. They have three children, John Michael, 48; Sheri, 46; and Lisa, 42. They also have five grandsons, John Matthew, 21, Jeffrey Michael, 20, Michael Vincent, 9, Joseph Matthew 8, Paul 2, and 2 granddaughters, Anna 4 and Claire who is a year old.

Organizations
Past President, Palo Alto Real Estate Board; Trustee, University of Santa Clara; Regent, Bellarmine High School; Past President, St. Francis High School Foundation; Santa Clara County Director, Bay Area Council; Board Member, Parents Helping Parents, Santa Clara Valley Medical Center and Vice Chairman, National Hispanic University. Chairman, Sobrato Family Foundation. Co-Chair Real Estate Trust of Silicon Valley Community Foundation.

Recent Awards
Named to Junior Achievement Business Hall of Fame 1989; United Way De Tocqueville Society Man of the Year 1994; National Conference for Community and Justice Man of the Year 1998; National Society of Fund-raising Executives Philanthropist of the Year 1998, and Santa Clara Council Boy Scouts of America Distinguished Citizen for the Year 2000, Mid Peninsula Boys & Girls Leading Citizen for 2006, City Year Leadership award 2008, and Commercial Realtors Developer Hall of Fame 2008.

Today, The Sobrato Organization’s day-to-day operations are managed by the CEO, Mr. Sobrato's son, John Michael, a 1983 business graduate of Santa Clara University. John, Sr. attributes the company's recent success to John Michael, who has worked in the company since he was a teenager. Two year ago, John, Sr.’s son-in law, Matt Sonsini, joined the firm as COO after a distinguished career as a corporate lawyer.