NAIOP New Jersey CEO Michael McGuinness
By Joshua Burd
Mike McGuinness, the highly regarded CEO of NAIOP New Jersey, is stepping down after more than 25 years at the helm of the commercial real estate association.
The chief executive will retire from the role this summer, he said Thursday, having held the position for half of the organization’s history in the state and serving alongside more than a dozen chapter presidents. He and the association made the news official at its annual gala, which drew more than 800 registered attendees to The Palace at Somerset Park in Franklin Township, where industry leaders paid tribute to McGuinness ahead of an awards ceremony that honored several key figures and high-profile transactions.
“Mike has been able to inspire others in a way that I have not seen by other leaders of organizations,” said Peter Cocoziello, founder and CEO of Advance Realty Investors, during a tribute to the outgoing chapter leader. McGuinness has impacted countless NAIOP members, he said, while helping to grow the organization and building on its platform of education, advocacy and networking.
“When you think about that, it comes down to one thing that’s always on our mind, and that is legacy,” Cocoziello added. “So there’s a legacy here that Mike McGuinness leaves to this organization that will always be remembered in the same way as I look back on 30 or 40 years … and see that legacy in everything that transpires.
“Truly, that’s what has happened. And that leaves, with legacy, an impact on something that’s so important to all of us in this room — and that is our industry — because, in the worst of times and the best of times, we’ve always worked together, and the impact of the leadership by someone like Mike has truly made the difference.”
McGuinness, who became CEO in 1997, joined NAIOP New Jersey after more than a decade with the New Jersey Builders Association. He helped guide the chapter through both the Great Recession and the COVID-19 pandemic, while being a mainstay and advocate for one of the state’s largest and most influential industries.
On Thursday, McGuinness also formally introduced his successor, Dan Kennedy, who will join the organization next month after serving as the senior director at the Utility & Transportation Contractors Association of New Jersey. That figures to help NAIOP New Jersey maintain its strength in the public policy realm and other areas, he said, while noting that “deciding to retire and saying goodbye to my commercial real estate family is not easy.”
“It’s been a privilege and an honor to serve the needs of our members and work alongside all of you — professionals, the business leaders, the entrepreneurs who I now call friends,” he said. “The memories, the lessons learned, the laughs, the camaraderie are priceless.”
He added that being NAIOP New Jersey’s CEO has been “a great way to use what I learned at home in the Boy Scouts and from my Jesuit education. My passion has always been to help and serve others, and I believe that’s what set me up for success.”
“When you bring together great people, you can achieve great things,” McGuinness said. “It’s been an extraordinary learning experience and one that has kept me engaged. I look forward to the many opportunities and adventures ahead, both personally and professionally, as I continue to seek ways to help others. Those who are successful have a duty to give back to those who are less fortunate. I’m blessed to have all of you in my life and I look forward to staying connected.”
