Hillwood’s John Magness: From Battlefields to Boardrooms

By Zoe Stutman

Connect Media asked Hillwood’s John Magness, an established and respected CRE executive who leads its West Coast office, and is a U.S. Army veteran, to share how his military training shaped the transition from the battlefield to the business field.

Q: First, tell us a little bit about your military background. What do you recall most about your time in the service and how it shaped your life?
A: I attended the United States Military Academy at West Point. Upon graduation, I was commissioned in the U.S. Army and attended various training schools (Airborne, Air Assault, Survival, Chemical Officer) on my way to attend Rotary Wing Flight Training. My first assignment was flying Cobra gunships along the Iron Curtain in Germany, with the 2nd Armored Cavalry Regiment. Two years later, when the wall came down, my unit deployed to the Persian Gulf where I commanded an attack helicopter troop charged with leading the 7th Corps with liberating Kuwait.

Upon returning to Germany, I decided I wanted to try a different type of flying and a different unit. I assessed for selection with the 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment, the Nightstalkers, whose job is flying under night vision goggles to support units like Navy Seals and Army Rangers. After four years, a lot of deployments and two combat missions to places like Somalia and Haiti, my wife and I decided that if we wanted to start a family it was time to leave the Army and get into another line of business.

My grandfather was an officer in WW2 and Korea. He is largely credited with inventing the flame thrower, and received the Republic of Korea’s highest award. My father was also an Army officer serving in Vietnam, and was awarded a Silver Star and Purple Heart in battle. I guess you would say it was inevitable that I would also serve in the military, as did both my brothers. It’s an unwritten ideal in our family that service to our military and country comes first…business came later.

The camaraderie for sure. Everyone is bound together for a common cause, and the Mission takes precedence over everything including your own safety and comfort. Good successful companies do this too, but obviously not to the extend as the military does.

It impacted almost every facet of my professional, personal, and even my spiritual life. Teamwork, Focus, Discipline, Fitness, Decision-making are among the biggest takeaways for me. [Magness wrote a book called Pilot Vision that takes the seven secrets of pilots and applies them to leadership and business, which is available on Amazon.]

Q: How did you end up in your role leading Hillwood’s West Coast?
A: The great family that owns our company and who I work for, the Perot Family, have been big supporters of the military for 50 years. They don’t publicize the amazing things they do for our veterans, but the short story is that Mr. Perot Sr. helped more than a few members of my unit and their families with medical bills, prosthetics, and funeral expenses. I came through Dallas to thank him, and got to know he and his son Ross Perot Jr., our chairman. Two years later, they offered me a job at Hillwood.

I am the Market Leader for Hillwood’s West Coast office based in Ontario, CA. I am blessed to lead an extraordinary bunch of talented real estate professionals in finding land, investment, and development opportunities for our stakeholders, partners, and tenants.

We work with the best of the best: our incredible internal General Contractor- HCS; best in class brokers, architects, engineers, and consultants.  We also work with some great cities and public agencies, who are hungry for the jobs and investment that our projects bring.

Q: How does a military background help leaders perform in a business function?
A: Having a military background starts you off with values like honor, integrity, and candor. Sprinkle in some work ethic, critical decision making, self-discipline and persistence. These can be and are often taught by families, mentors, and other institutions, not only in the military. But in the military, lives depend on leaders who display these characteristics. There is no substitute.

Q: What advice do you have for others considering shifting into CRE roles from military service?
A: First, get involved in NAIOP, SIOR, and/or ULI. These groups are great for networking, and most have programs that can help veterans who want to learn more about real estate. Second, there are many different careers in real estate: broker, title, architect, engineer, consultant, construction manager, and yes, developer. Talk to as many people in the industry as you can until you find the role that fits you best.

Lastly, read about CRE in magazines, blogs, twitter feeds, and yes, books. Most military officers will tell you the quickest way to gain experience is by reading about military battles. The same is true in business. I recommend ‘The Real Estate Game’, by William Poorvu, to all veterans and students who are thinking about joining our industry. But, also get into books on business, business leadership, and innovation…they can help get you up to speed on the real estate battlefield as well.

For comments, questions or concerns, please contact Zoe Stutman