About Jeff

Jeff Johnson is the Founder and Managing Partner of Lakeshore Holdings LLC, a real estate investment firm specializing in commercial real estate, private equity, and sustainable energy investments. He has been responsible for over $70 billion in accretive investment transactions, emphasizing acquisitions, dispositions, and portfolio repositioning. Lakeshore Holdings is in the process of growing a sustainable energy company, focused on solar energy investing.

Jeff served as Chief Investment Officer and Chairman of the Investment Committee at Equity Office Properties Trust, a Fortune 500 company. Under his leadership, Equity Office completed its Initial Public Offering (IPO), grew by 600% over 10 years, outperformed the public REIT index, and was sold for $39 billion at the peak of the REIT market.

Additionally, Jeff co-founded Lehman Brothers’ first global real estate private equity fund, raising $1.6 billion in equity. This fund delivered over a 30% annualized return to shareholders, exceeding industry benchmarks.

As Chief Executive Officer of Dividend Capital Diversified Trust Fund (now “AREIT”), Jeff led the transformation of a $2.5 billion underperforming, nontraded public REIT into the largest and best preforming Daily NAV REIT.

Jeff has advised major organizations such as Strategic Value Partners, Washington Prime Group as Interim Chairman, and The Irvine Company. His for-profit board experience includes Washington Prime Group, Wright-Runstad Company, Prescient, and Captivate. He has served on numerous not-for-profit boards, including Denison University, The Nature Conservancy, the Kellogg Real Estate Advisory Board, and the White Flag Foundation.

Jeff holds a B.A. with honors in Economics from Denison University, and an MBA from Northwestern University’s Kellogg School of Management.