RON TERWILLIGER
Former Chairman, Trammell Crow Residential
Years in the Industry: 39 Terwilliger’s impact on the apartment industry has been felt in a number of ways over the past decade. For one thing, there’s the sheer number of units his firm has built. From 2006 through 2009, Trammell Crow was the No. 1 builder on Multifamily Executive’s list of Top 50 Builders. In 2004 and 2005, it was also in the top three. But that professional profile doesn’t tell the whole story about Terwilliger’s influence. There are also the great leaders that have been bred under Terwilliger’s leadership, folks like Bryce Blair and Richard L. Michaux at AvalonBay Communities; Chris Wheeler at Gables Residential; Leonard Wood at Wood Partners; and Bruce Ward at Alliance Residential.
Terwilliger’s influence doesn’t stop there. He had a three-year stint as chairman of NAHB Multifamily and has also served as chairman of the Urban Land Institute. Terwilliger has donated $5 million to the organization to establish the J. Ronald Terwilliger Center for Workforce Housing; $100 million to Habitat for Humanity International; and $5 million to Enterprise Community Partners. The result so far: The development of more than $130 million worth of affordable housing throughout the country.
