Protecting Your Investment: A Deep-Dive Interview with Jonathan Williams, CEO & Founder of Real Projectives®
Today’s commercial real estate landscape presents unprecedented challenges—from labor shortages and supply chain disruptions to increasingly complex regulatory requirements. In this conversation with CEO Jonathan Williams, we explore how Real Projectives® has evolved its approach to not just manage these challenges, but turn them into competitive advantages for clients. Whether navigating a time-sensitive student housing project or recovering from an unexpected crisis like the hurricane that destroyed 400+ manufactured homes in one community, the company’s commitment remains the same: protecting client investments and reputations while delivering results. Discover how proactive risk management strategies and continuous team approach provide peace of mind in an uncertain market.
Q: How did Real Projectives get started and what does the name mean?
Jonathan: I founded the company shortly before the economic downturn in 2008 after previously doing some independent consulting. I enjoyed helping multiple businesses overcome challenges and solve problems and wanted to create a business in the real estate sector where I could leverage my experience. Our name combines “real” for real estate with “projectives,” which modifies the word “projects” to convey actively making ideas become reality—taking somebody’s vision and making it become real.
Q: What makes your approach different from competitors?
Jonathan: First, we keep the same team involved throughout a project’s lifecycle—from acquisition through occupancy—providing continuity of knowledge and action for clientele. Other firms often switch internal teams during different project phases or staff with junior associates instead of senior leadership. Second, we customize our approach for each project rather than following a preset formula. As an agile, mid-size company, we skillfully adapt quickly to different project locations, types, situations, as well as client needs and cultures, striving hard to become a natural extension of the client’s team.
Q: What challenges do real estate investors face that you’re particularly good at solving?
Jonathan: Commercial real estate projects are increasingly complex with numerous stakeholders, technical considerations, supply chain complications, and regulatory requirements. Our expertise helps navigate these challenges by managing projects and programs—putting together plans, assembling teams, delivering results—and identifying and mitigating risks along the way. We’ve developed deep expertise in complex sectors like manufactured housing, cannabis facilities, self-storage, and medical offices.
Q: How do you help clients identify and manage risks?
Jonathan: We start by understanding a client’s risk tolerance across budget, schedule, quality, and reputation for each project. Reputational risk is often overlooked, but we focus heavily on it—how can we protect and enhance our client’s relationships? Based on the priorities, we facilitate open dialogue about responsibilities, develop scenario plans, negotiate stronger contracts, modulate monitoring intensity, and create recovery strategies. Our proactive approach has saved clients months and millions over our 15+ years in business.
Q: What’s your outlook for the real estate market in these uncertain times?
Jonathan: In today’s market where uncertainty is amplified, bringing confidence to our clients is more important than ever. We’re constantly evaluating whether situations require immediate action or patience and discussing planning for scope changes, time impacts and budget contingencies. The ongoing shortage of labor—from trades to designers to local inspectors—continues to challenge the industry. In this environment, it’s much more about having multiple plans (A, B, C, and D) based on endeavoring to know more and acknowledging what is difficult to predict than in the past and partnering with contractors that can and want to manage all stages of a project.
Q: Can you share a recent client success story?
Jonathan: We’re currently working on a student housing development for an investor who’s partnering with an up-and-coming developer on a well-designed but challenging urban site. We helped vet the deal and continue to ask tough questions that help everyone more consciously understand and address the risks early. Student housing is particularly time-sensitive—it must be completed before classes begin as promised to students and their parents—so we track potential issues and help the team develop proactive and alternative solutions to keep the project on track.
Another example involves a manufactured housing community where we were planning a simple clubhouse renovation when a hurricane destroyed all 400+ homes. We quickly reorganized with our client and an extensive team to work with the many stakeholders to establish a prioritized gameplan to aggressively manage the complete community restoration, bringing the first residents back into new homes in less than two years.
Q: What sectors do you specialize in?
Jonathan: We have deep expertise across all forms of multi-family housing—seniors, students, market, active adult and low income —plus hospitality, retail, restaurant, self-storage, industrial distribution and warehouses, cannabis cultivation facilities, and medical and general offices. Our team brings diverse backgrounds including architecture, engineering, property management, construction management, and finance to every project. This broad expertise allows us to solve complex problems innovatively and course-correct troubled projects to protect our clients’ returns and reputation.
Q: How do you measure success for your clients?
Jonathan: Beyond the fundamental metrics of timeline, budget, and financial returns, we focus heavily on protecting and enhancing our clients’ reputations. Our clientele has peace of mind knowing they have a partner fiercely protecting their investment and reputation. Trouble with marquee projects can quickly erode investor confidence, so our proactive risk mitigation is essential. As a dedicated advisory firm, we remain completely objective and independent, 100% aligned with our clients’ interests.
Q: What’s your philosophy on client relationships?
Jonathan: We seek long-term relationships rather than transactions. Our clients range from those doing occasional projects to partners we’ve worked with for over a decade on hundreds of projects. Trust is everything—our clients value our unvarnished, uncensored, and objective advice. This begins with honest and clear communication, but ultimately comes down to listening, responding, and adapting to situations for whatever serves our client’s best interests. If we don’t add value, we’re the first to say we shouldn’t be on the project team.
Q: How does Real Projectives® continue to grow and evolve?
Jonathan: We’ve come a long way from our humble beginnings with just me working from a basement. Today, from our headquarters in Laurel, Maryland, we serve clients nationwide with both local and remote team members. Looking ahead, we’re focused on strategic growth that maintains our high service standards while expanding our capabilities. Our vision is to continue building our reputation as the trusted partner for investors and owners navigating complex real estate challenges—helping them minimize headaches, protect reputations, and maximize returns.
Contact Real Projectives to discuss how we can help you project your investment.
