Chapter Leader Focus - Jonathan Colton
Jonathan Colton is a commercial real estate finance professional who is passionate about executing for his clients. As Executive Director and Product Specialist at JP Morgan he does loan origination and structuring and covers investors and developers headquartered in San Francisco, Seattle, and Portland. He finances deals anywhere his clients are active domestically which means that Colton executes in a myriad of markets across the country. “I deliver for our clients in a comprehensive way and as a result I develop close, trusted relationships” he said. “Additionally, everything I originate is held on the bank’s balance sheet across asset classes and profiles.”
Given the wide variety of deal types he works on, Colton sees a big advantage in being a generalist. He finds it fun to sit and compare all the different opportunities, each one unique, and figure out what strategy will best help his clients. “Multifamily and industrial are priced to perfection, office is uncertain with work-from-home, retail is finding a new equilibrium and life science, data centers, self-storage and the like all offer something different, however still emerging,” Colton said. “I also enjoy getting to know something about each of the great cities we do business in. I love learning about their history, what makes their economies tick and of course exploring the great restaurants and museums.”
Colton joined NAIOP SFBA in 2011 when he moved to San Francisco to work for Bank of America Merrill Lynch and credits the with chapter helping him integrate into the real estate community quickly. In 2015, he participated in the Young Professionals Group (YPG) and in 2021 he was appointed as Co-Chair of the Engagement and Connectivity Committee. “I moved here knowing literally no one and never having set foot in the Bay Area before,” he said. “In hindsight, I must have joined out of desperation, and I’m so glad I did! I have met a diverse mix of people with so many different perspectives and many of them have become close friends.
In terms of advice for emerging professionals, Colton advises putting yourself out there and living by the adage “there are no stupid questions”.
He also believes that finding good mentors is key. “Inside of your organization they can help pull you up and outside ones can offer a different perspective,” he said. “Good mentors might not always have the answer, but they can tell you how to think about a situation.”
On the personal front, Colton was born and raised in Phoenix and earned his bachelor’s at Arizona State University’s W.P. Carey School of Business. These days he makes his home in Walnut Creek with his wife Natalie, their sons Noah (3) and Jack (1), and their Goldendoodle Charlie (4). In his rare spare time, he enjoys golf and college football. However, his major passion is travel. Some highlights include hiking Kilimanjaro, spending a week underground in a cave in Vietnam, and hiking the W circuit in Patagonia. “I don’t have much time for travel right now with young kids, however I’m looking forward to much more in the future,” he said. “Food is one of my favorite parts of the adventure and I do my best to find the local hole in the wall places. I always find that seeing different places, people, and cultures gives me a new perspective about home.”
