JBG SMITH

Meet Eddie Santos. In his role as an Associate in the Development department, Eddie gets involved in managing the earliest phases of determining a project's feasibility, securing the necessary entitlements, working through design iterations, and seeing the building through construction and leasing.   Eddie earned a master’s degree in Accounting and a bachelor’s degree in Business Administration, both from UNC – Chapel Hill. He started his career as a Certified Public Accountant (CPA) at Ernst and Young before joining JBG SMITH as a project accountant. In that role, Eddie learned a lot about the real estate business as a whole and found himself particularly intrigued by and passionate about the development process.   Then, COVID-19 hit and like many others, Eddie found himself with a lot of free time. He put that time to good use by learning as much as he could about the development process. He read books and publications, took modeling courses, and talked with developers inside and outside JBG SMITH. And, in 2021, he was hired as an analyst and has been on the Development team ever since.   Eddie’s father immigrated to the United States from Brazil, which was colonized by the Portuguese, unlike Mexico and other Latin American countries which were colonized by Spain. So, while the term Hispanic applies to most of the countries in Latin, South, and Central America, Brazilians are not Hispanic but identify as Latino. So (fun fact), while all Hispanics are Latino, not all Latinos are Hispanic.   To add to the confusion, Eddie grew up in a Hispanic culture. He was born and raised in Miami, Florida, which has a large Cuban population. Hearing his last name is Santos and that he’s from Miami, a lot of people assume Eddie is Cuban. And coincidentally, Eddie’s Spanish is actually better than his Portuguese.   While Eddie grew up American, he still takes great pride in his Brazilian heritage. Soccer is a huge part of Brazilian culture. Eddie grew up playing soccer and supporting the Brazilian national soccer team. During his childhood, Eddie’s dad was very involved in the Brazilian-American Chamber of Commerce of Florida. Through that organization, they attended a lot of events with other Brazilian families. Eddie’s grandmother also brought their Brazilian culture to America by cooking a lot of Brazilian dishes for Eddie when he was growing up. One of Eddie’s favorite Brazilian foods is Brigadeiros. According to Eddie, they are little chocolate bonbons covered in chocolate sprinkles that melt in your mouth. That sounds like a treat with no cultural boundaries!  --------------- Americans observe National Hispanic Heritage Month each year from September 15 to October 15. At JBG SMITH, we’re celebrating by recognizing some of our #HispanicStar employees!

Meet Ariana Canales. In her role as a JBG SMITH Property Administrator, Ariana supports property management and engineers with tenant, vendor, and contractor communication, tenant requests, contracts, invoicing, and billing/accounts receivable. She notes how much she’s grown and continues to learn in her role.   As a first-generation Hispanic American, Ariana found it humbling to navigate academics and enter the workforce. She earned a degree in Human Development & Family Science from George Mason University. After graduation, she didn’t expect to land a career in property management, but she’s very happy she did. Ariana has always enjoyed being of service to others and is drawn to roles that provide opportunities to serve.    In the workplace, one of the ways she honors her cultural background is by bridging language barriers between vendors/contractors and employees. Using her Spanish fluency, Ariana has facilitated conversations and developed great working relationships.   Outside of work, Ariana enjoys listening dancing to Salvadorean Cumbia and Merengue music. She also likes dancing to other music like Salsa and Bachata. In thinking about her cultural traditions, Ariana notes that her family has a traditional gathering on New Year’s (El Año Nuevo). They fill their cups with 12 grapes and at midnight, they eat one for each month of the coming year for good luck.   Each week during #HispanicHeritageMonth, we’ll help you learn a bit more about one of our colleagues whose ancestors came from Spain, Mexico, the Caribbean, Central America, or South America. As you’ll see, we are fortunate to have Hispanic colleagues contributing to all areas of our business and at all levels.

We are honored to share that JBG SMITH was recognized at Nareit's #REITworks 2024 Sustainability & Social Responsibility Conference where we were awarded the Impact at Scale Award during their 2024 Diversity Impact Awards. The Impact at Scale Award recognizes operational policies implemented across a building portfolio that advance corporate sustainability goals and achieve broad and measurable impact. JBG SMITH was awarded for fostering economic growth and promoting social equity through a series of intentional projects and partnerships that are "Transforming Tomorrow at National Landing." Congratulations to our wonderful, deserving team!

Americans observe National Hispanic Heritage Month each year from September 15 to October 15. At JBG SMITH, we’re celebrating by recognizing some of our #HispanicStar employees!   Each week, we’ll help you learn a bit more about one of our colleagues whose ancestors came from Spain, Mexico, the Caribbean, Central America, or South America. As you’ll see, we are fortunate to have Hispanic colleagues contributing to all areas of our business and at all levels. #HispanicHeritageMonth ------------------ Meet Leo Garcia. As a Leasing Coordinator, Leo processes incoming deals for JBG SMITH’s Commercial and Retail businesses. After graduating from the University of the District of Columbia with a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science, Leo started his career at JBG SMITH working as a temporary employee in the Legal department. From there, he joined the Leasing team where he continues to learn about our business by listening to different teams and perspectives.    Originally from the Dominican Republic, Leo’s parents immigrated to the U.S. in 2000 to join extended family members. His parents worked hard to provide their children with a better future. While Leo is a first generation American, his family keeps their Hispanic culture alive in many ways. They eat traditional Dominican food, including La Bandera (arroz, habichuela, y carne, which translates to rice, beans, and meat). They also speak both Spanish and English at home.   Leo is proud to have been raised bilingual and speaks Spanish at work whenever the opportunity presents itself. He also honors Hispanic Heritage Month by embracing his Latino roots, which he credits for his work ethic and devotion to family.

Each year, on August 26th, we celebrate Women's Equality Day to commemorate the adoption of the nineteenth amendment to the United States Constitution in 1920, which gave women the right to vote. At JBG SMITH, we work to encourage and empower our employees in their careers and life through programs like WIN (Women’s Initiative Network). WIN is dedicated to empowering women in our workplace by offering resources, mentorship, and events aimed at supporting women’s career growth and leadership development.

Sitting at the base of the future Pedestrian Bridge to DCA, 2011 Crystal Drive is being transformed into a dynamic mixed-use energy center featuring an array of fully-serviced, large scale meeting spaces and elevated food and beverage experiences. Contact office@jbgsmith.com to see how 2011 Crystal Drive is building culture and fostering collaboration for the next generation of work at National Landing.

On Juneteenth, we acknowledge and honor the emancipation of enslaved African Americans. JBG SMITH invites its employees and community to reflect on the significance of this day and learn more about how you can support racial healing and take a stand for social justice. You can learn more about this important topic at: https://lnkd.in/gfYtvYv7 #Juneteenth2024 #diversityandinclusion #AfricanAmericans

JBG SMITH is celebrating #Juneteenth2024 all week. Please join us in honoring the end to slavery in the United States, reflecting on the significance of this day, and celebrating our African American colleagues. Meet Keith Hickson. Keith has been with JBG SMITH for eight and a half years. As the Senior Service Manager for our properties at 1221 Van and West Half/1205 Collection, Keith oversees the service team in its day-to-day operations. He enjoys working through complex situations to arrive at a solution while training and empowering his team members to build on their strengths. Keith comes from a family with a lot of experience and expertise in the trades. His dad was an auto mechanic, one of his brothers is a master electrician and the other is a carpenter. Growing up, Keith loved shadowing his dad and brothers as they worked on different projects. So, it seems Keith was destined for a career in one of the trades. He studied Building Maintenance at Orleans Technical College and graduated at the top of his class. Although Juneteenth is a bittersweet holiday for Keith, he spends time on that day reflecting on how far the African American people have come. He also celebrates Juneteenth with his family and friends. This important day in Black history gives him a chance to hear stories from his mom as she reflects on what it was like to grow up in Georgia. One of the stories she likes to tell is about her grandfather who was a sharecropper with more than 400 acres in Americas, Georgia. She also talks about her great uncle who was the first African American surgeon in southern Georgia. Keith spent time visiting his family in Georgia during the summers as he was growing up, which brought many of his mom’s stories to life for him. #Juneteenth2024 #diversityandinclusion #AfricanAmericans

JBG SMITH is celebrating #Juneteenth2024 all week. Please join us in honoring the end to slavery in the United States, reflecting on the significance of this day, and celebrating our African American colleagues. Meet Troy Wilson, a Senior Service Manager at Atlantic Plumbing. Troy is celebrating his 9th anniversary with JBG SMITH this month. Troy was at Delaware State University, studying Therapeutic Recreation and preparing for a career helping children with special needs when he realized that was not the path he was meant to follow. He tried a few office jobs, but quickly realized he was not going to thrive in a career where he needed to sit behind a desk every day. Around that time, Troy saw a Southern Management ad in The Washington Post offering paid training to anyone interested in becoming a residential maintenance technician. He signed up and started getting excited about how much he could learn and the variety of skills he could gain from the training academy. One day at the academy, a feeling of nostalgia washed over Troy as he remembered a particular experience from his childhood. When he was 11 years old, Troy’s grandmother’s laundry sink in the basement had a leak. No one fixed it for several years because it was right next to a floor drain. Troy was good with his hands (and tired of getting his socks wet when he did laundry), so he walked to a local hardware store and asked an employee there how to fix the pipe. He bought the part he needed with his own money and fixed the sink. Troy remembered how proud and fulfilled he felt after fixing the sink and seeing how surprised and happy his grandmother was when he showed her what he’d done. Reflecting on that memory, Troy realizes he still gets that same great feeling when he solves problems and knows that learning building maintenance was the best decision he has ever made. When asked about his plans for Juneteenth, Troy says he is looking forward to celebrating by grilling food and spending time with his family and friends. In reflecting on the holiday, he says that to him, Juneteenth is about opportunity and reflection. He is always trying to gain a deeper understanding of what his people went through in those times and wants to help his three sons understand this important part of their history. Troy sees Juneteenth as a vital step in enabling him and people like him to have the opportunity to create the lives they want to live as Americans. It’s not lost on Troy how fortunate he is to have been born at a time when there are so many opportunities.  #Juneteenth2024 #diversityandinclusion #AfricanAmericans