Robert Voit

President

The Voit Cos.

Age: 57

Specialty: Office, Industrial Development

Recent Deal: Redeveloping GM site, San Fernando Valley Civic Center

Robert Voit could have gone into the family business Voit Rubber Equipment, a leading manufacturer of sporting goods. Instead, he chose real estate and even that was on a fluke.

“I had been interviewing for management training jobs for places that made semiconductors and transistors it was corporate America-type companies, but none really interested me,” he said. “When someone told me I should go into real estate, I thought the last thing I wanted to do was drive around town and talk about the color of carpeting with new home buyers.”

But he soon realized that industrial and commercial real estate went far beyond holding an open house. To Voit, the wheeling and dealing of large projects was exciting and exactly what he wanted to do.

“I love the deal every day is something different,” he said.

His first job was with Coldwell Banker, which he left in 1972 to form his own company.

The Voit Cos. specializes in development, construction and property management.

Voit was the mastermind behind Warner Center Plaza and Warner Center Business Park. He is now working with the city of L.A. to develop and build Phase I of the San Fernando Valley Civic Center. Additionally, Voit is a joint-venture developer on the GM plant site in Van Nuys.

Voit oversees company operations for the corporation and its five service divisions, including more than 300 personnel within offices from Chula Vista thorough San Francisco, as well as operations in Oregon, Utah and Arizona.

“When people ask where I live, I tell them on an airplane,” said Voit, who travels extensively to manage the company. “I’m always on the go.”

Joe Bel Bruno