Robert Donnelly Sr. — Courtesy: Cushman & Wakefield
By Joshua Burd
Robert Donnelly Sr., one of New Jersey’s iconic commercial real estate brokers and a central figure in decades of high-profile corporate office deals, has died. He was 79.
Donnelly, an executive vice chairman with Cushman & Wakefield, spent nearly five decades representing blue-chip companies ranging from AT&T and General Electric to BASF and a host of other household names. That includes his 46 years with the real estate services firm, where he was a pioneer in corporate services while maintaining its longest-standing leasing agency, representing the owners of Morristown’s Headquarters Plaza since it was built in 1980.
For AT&T, for which he served as account executive since 1993, he oversaw all of C&W’s activities on the client’s behalf and interfaced with senior management on an ongoing basis. He also led a brokerage team that includes his son, Robert Donnelly Jr., and many other prominent office specialists in the region.
“Over the course of his remarkable career, Bob built a legacy defined by excellence, integrity and leadership,” Cushman wrote in a tribute this week after his passing on Dec. 16. “A pioneering force in the industry, he was known as a mentor to many and widely respected for his influence on the markets he served.”
Fittingly, the legendary broker recognized his family and colleagues at Cushman in 2023 as he received NAIOP New Jersey’s Lifetime Achievement Award and reflected on his long run with the real estate services firm.
“If it hasn’t come through in my comments, I just have to say, I love this business,” Donnelly said at the chapter’s annual spring gala. “It’s fun, it’s exciting, it’s competitive. You have the thrill of the hunt, then you make the deal and life goes on. But the best part of it all are the people.
“And those people — the brokers, the developers, the lawyers, the architects, all of you in this audience — we literally create what I think is the most exciting industry, certainly in the state, maybe in the world. It dwarfs the stock market — it makes the stock market look like a candy store. So thank you for this honor and thank you for making this so much fun.”
Cushman promoted Donnelly to executive vice president and elected him to its board of directors in 2000. In 2014, he was promoted to the position of executive vice chairman.
The firm this week highlighted Donnelly’s niche in corporate services account work over the course of his distinguished career. He represented many Fortune 500 companies, negotiating millions of square feet worth of office leases across the U.S. and internationally for clients that also included Lucent Technologies, New York Life Insurance, Reed Elsevier and Fiserv.
“Beyond his professional accomplishments, Bob was known for his generosity of spirit, trusted counsel and the meaningful relationships he built throughout his career,” the firm wrote in its tribute. “His legacy continues through the many colleagues he inspired, including his son, Robert Donnelly Jr., who carries forward that tradition of excellence as a valued member of the Cushman & Wakefield organization.”
