Donald A. Brown, who co-founded The JBG Cos., the precursor to JBG Smith Properties, died in Florida on Wednesday. He was 90.
His wife, Ann Brown, told the Palm Beach Post the cause of death was cancer.
Brown, along with JBG co-founders Joseph Gildenhorn and Benjamin Jacobs, watched their early partnership evolve from a real estate-focused law firm into one of the region's most successful commercial development companies. The full extent of what is arguably its biggest and most lasting legacy — landing Amazon.com Inc.'s second headquarters — is still playing out at National Landing in Northern Virginia.
Brown served as principal of JBG from 1960 to 1996. The last of the initial trio, Jacobs, stepped aside from management of the Chevy Chase-based firm in 2011, years before the company's 2017 launch as a publicly traded real estate investment trust called JBG Smith Properties (NYSE: JBGS).
In a statement, CEO Matt Kelly said JBG Smith is saddened by Brown's death, noting he will be remembered as a pioneer in the industry.
"He was a leader and a mentor in the community," Kelly said. "Don's inexhaustible capacity to give made him unique and special to all who knew him. Don will be missed, but his legacy will live on through the great work taking place at JBG Smith and through all the lives he touched. Our sincerest condolences go out to his family and friends."
The three original founders were honored for their contributions to the region last year by the Washington Business Hall of Fame, benefiting Junior Achievement.
Brown, who was not able to attend the event, stressed the importance of delivering value to the company's investors above all else.
"We had close to 400 syndications — nobody ever lost money with us," Brown told the WBJ in an interview in November. "The most important principle was that our investors got their money back at a profit before we got anything. As a result of that, we never had trouble getting investors."
Later in life, Brown supported philanthropic causes, including Palm Beach Playworks, where he was known for his advice, generosity and enthusiasm, Managing Director Sue Ellen Beryl told the Palm Beach Post following his death.
Brown's wife, speaking to the Palm Beach Post, described her husband of more than six decades as "a great guy" and said his passing was "a huge loss." Ann Brown said her husband was proud of having been a D.C. native and said the city was his passion. The two built a house in the District and were involved in everything in the city, she said.
Within his circle of friends in the Palm Beach area, however, Brown wasn't one to tout his impact or that of JBG on the D.C. region, said his nephew, Glenn Glazer, a meteorologist at West Palm Beach NBC affiliate WPTV. He was better known there for his generosity and contributions to local causes.
"He didn't ever really talk about himself in that way," Glazer said. "He knew he was successful and really good at what he had done, but he wasn't a bragger or a show-off in any way."
A Wider Circle, the Silver Spring nonprofit that aims to eradicate poverty, honored Donald and Ann last year for contributions to the organization.
In addition to his wife, Brown is survived by two daughters, Cathy and Laura, and three grandchildren, the Palm Beach Post reported. Click here for the death notice and information on services and memorials.
