John Auber has worked in the retail real estate and finance fields for over twenty years and has established a solid reputation as a top-quality, specialty leasing real estate professional. After a few years in commercial banking, he joined Williams-Sonoma, Inc. where he spent nine years playing a key role at a corporate-wide level in their real estate group. John was instrumental in the repositioning of Pottery Barn, Hold Everything, and the company's namesake into their respective expanded formats. He gained national experience, first covering the western half of the country while living in San Francisco and was then promoted and asked to open a Boston office where he led the company's expansion in the eastern U.S. During his tenure with Williams-Sonoma, he identified and finalized more than 200 transactions and evaluated many more opportunities to determine whether they met Williams-Sonoma's industry leading standards. Initially recruited by J.Crew to head their real estate department, John's responsibilities expanded to encompass all aspects of their stores' lifecycle: site selection, negotiation, store design, construction, lease management, repairs and maintenance, and deposition of underperforming assets. John has extensive experience in various retail venues— regional malls, lifestyle, street front, entertainment centers, and outlet centers. His core strengths are strategic planning, problem solving, negotiation, and relationship building/development. John has successfully partnered with colleagues on a variety of retail concepts in vertical, multi-channel, high-growth companies. Most notably, he has successfully represented his clients in both expanding and contracting markets. Through his many business transactions, he has established a wide network of contacts and built relationships with developers, landlords, and tenants throughout the United States and Canada. John is a proud member of the International Council of Shopping Centers. He serves on the Client Advisory Board for Emerson Investment Management, Inc. and is currently involved with his local YMCA and their effort to raise money to renovate its facility; he is on the executive committee as well as heads the building subcommittee.