John Martin

John Martin

John’s career is balanced with experience in Market Research, Community Planning, Neighborhood and Residential Product Design, Land Development, Homebuilding, Marketing and Sales. He provided leadership in the Strategic Planning, Product Design and Marketing of the Mission Viejo community in the 1960s and 1970s, Irvine Company communities in the 1970s and 1980s and the new town of Valencia in Los Angeles County in the 1990. He also spent 15 years as an entrepreneurial developer and builder. John was the first recipient of the Tipton award for Marketing Excellence in Southern California in 1970 and was recognized as a Legend of Residential Marketing, presented by the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) and Builder Magazine, at the NAHB convention in Houston in 1997.

John is a graduate of the UCLA School of Business with postgraduate studies in Real Estate and Marketing at UCLA and USC and is currently a member of the Building Industry Association, Urban Land Institute, American Planning Association, and Board of Advisors, Institute for Real Estate, Chapman University. John is a frequent speaker at the Urban Land Institute, Pacific Coast Builders Conference, American Planning Association and NAHB Convention. He has lectured at Graduate Schools (Cornell, UCLA, UCI, USC, Chapman) of Urban Planning and Real Estate Development on Market Driven Strategic Planning, Residential Real Estate, Trends and Concepts in Neighborhood Design and 33 Guiding Principles and Strategies for Creating Communities. He was published nationally in Professional Builder Magazine on these Principles and Strategies and is currently writing a book on the History of Innovation in Residential Design and Marketing in Southern California from 1965 to 2007.

Martin and Associates, LLC, specialize in Visionary and Strategic Planning, Market Positioning, and Product Programming in planned communities and projects at all scales. The idea is to start with people's wants and needs and assist land owners, community developers and home builders in creating desirable communities, neighborhoods and residential housing which enhance quality of life while optimizing net present land values, builder profits and sales absorption. John is a strategic thinker as well as a tactical implementer, and believes we can invent the future with Vision, Leadership, Creativity, Innovation, and Organizational Effectiveness. Martin and Associates is currently working in Northern, Central and Southern California, Nevada, Florida and Hawaii.

Major Accomplishments and Career Highlights (1964-2009)

2010 Honored as a Legend by the Urban Land Institute Community Development Council Spring Meeting, Boston.

2009 Created Gen M 2345 Process for Opportunity Creation in a Down Market – Won a Gold Nugget Grand Award for the Multi Generation Concept at the Pacific Coast Builders Conference, June 2009 Published Book on Hope, Vision and Value Creation -- based on Lessons Learned in Housing Cycles, Community Development and Residential Design.

2008 Inducted into the California Building Industry Association (CBIA) Hall of Fame at the Pacific Coast Builders Conference (PCBC) in San Francisco, June 2008.

1996-2009 Strategic Planning and Positioning of Master Planned and Active Adult Communities, Large-Scale Developments and individual projects for Pacific Bay Properties/Ford Motor Company, Lennar Communities (Southern, Northern and Sacramento, California Divisions), Lennar Homes, Greenpark Holdings, Pulte Homes, Shea AAC Communities, Forest City Development Company, Estate of James Campbell, RM Development Associates (Partners-Tejon Ranch Company, Pardee Homes, Standard Pacific, Lewis Operating Company), Castle & Cooke Homes Hawaii, Alexander and Baldwin, Schuler Homes/Hawaii, Rivermark (Partners-Lennar, Shea, Centex), Taylor Woodrow Homes, Newhall Land, Valencia Company, Sequoia Ranch Partners, Riverside County Advisory Council, Kennecott Development Company, John Laing Homes, Laing Luxury Homes, Bigelow-Silkwood/Friant Ranch, The Irvine Company, Sares-Regis Group, Collier Enterprises, The Bonita Bay Group, Levitt Corporation, Core Communities, Standard Pacific Corporation, Walsh Ranch, Kiley Ranch, Palamanui/Hawaii. Pre-Development Manager for active adult communities in the central valley of California

1997 Recognized as a Legend of Residential Marketing by the National Sales and Marketing Council, Members of the Institute of Residential Marketing (MIRM) and Builder Magazine at the January 1997 NAHB National Convention in Houston.

1995-2008 Lecturer in the USC, UCI, UCLA, Cornell University Schools of Urban Planning, Development, Real Estate and Management on Market Driven Strategic Planning, 33 Guiding Principles for Communities of the 21st Century and Trends in Neighborhood Design. Speaker on these and other subjects at conferences and seminars of Urban Land Institute, Pacific Coast Builders Conference, National Association of Home Builders, Building Industry Association, American Planning Association

1991-1996 During recession in Los Angeles County at Newhall Land/Valencia Company:

Increased market share of Los Angeles County from 1% in 1991 to 12% in 1994.

Increased market share of Santa Clarita Valley from 14% in 1991 to 58% in 1994.

Increased sales absorption in 1996 to highest level in seven years.

Increased contribution to net income per acre by three times between 1992 and 1994.

1987-1988 Two trips to Europe sponsored by the Irvine Company and RGC to study Mediterranean Coastal Hillside Developments and Urban Places.

1987 Through market segmentation, product innovation and builder relationships during an improving market in the second half of the 1980’s, more than doubled Irvine Company land values

1985 Repositioned residential products, reoriented marketing and sales programs, improved profitability and increased sales absorption on 20 J.M. Peters Company projects in four Southern California counties.

1976 Owner of land development and home building company. Managed land acquisition, planning, entitlement, land development, product design, financing, production, marketing and sales for ten years.

1972 As Division President created a decentralized housing operation from inception and managed all functions including land acquisition, site development, home building, financing, marketing and sales.

1971 Recipient of the first annual Max C. Tipton Award for Marketing Excellence in So. California.

1970 Conducted research and coordinated product design for Madrid Homes, the best selling project in the 30-year history of the Mission Viejo Company (over 2700 units sold in 10 years). Recommended the Mission Viejo Lake amenity in 1971 which was developed in 1976.

1966 Conducted research and coordinated product design for California Classics, an affordable housing program by the Lyon Company that sold over 4,000 units statewide.

1964 Conducted the market study for the Mission Viejo Community, and Mission Viejo Company President Donald Bren. Provided the design criteria for La Paz Homes, the first company built housing program. The community grew to 30,000 units and 90,000 people in 30 years.