Industry Pioneer John L. Dowling Dies

NEW YORK CITY-Influential broker John L. Dowling died on May 4 in Boca Grande, FL. He was 66. Dowling worked at Cushman & Wakefield from 1962 until he retired in 1999 as executive vice president and member of board of directors for the real estate services firm. The cause of death was listed as a heart attack brought on by complications of melanoma.

“He taught me everything I know,” Ed Weiss, C&W vice chairman, tells GlobeSt.com. The pair worked together for nearly three decades. “He was a tough negotiator and very perceptive in business and nuances.” Weiss, a top broker in his own right, largely attributes his success to Dowling. “He was a brilliant broker who understood that clients come first.” A statement from Cushman called Dowling, “a real estate visionary who helped shape the skylines of America’s cities.”

During his tenure with Cushman, Dowling, who was the firm’s top producing broker 16 times in 20 years, worked with such Fortune 500 companies as General Electric, GTE, IBM, MCI, and Texaco. Even after his retirement, Dowling continued business dealings with C&W as founder and president of Dowling & Co.