Member, Newmark Industrial Leadership Council (ILC)
J.R. McDonald joined Newmark in 2015 and is a Vice Chairman in the Boston office. McDonald leads the team with his partner, Vice Chairman Michael Frisoli. McDonald and his team completed sale and lease transactions with a total value of $3 billion in 2020. The team services both landlord and tenant clients in their markets as well as manage national portfolios for key tenant relationships.
Prior to Newmark, McDonald worked for 15 years at Cushman & Wakefield, where he received many team and individual accolades, including recognition for the last five years as a top industrial producer. To date, he has been involved in the sale or lease of more than 50 million square feet of commercial and industrial properties.
McDonald has significant experience helping retailers find solutions for their non-retail real estate requirements. As the national exclusive broker for the non-retail portfolio of Petco, he has successfully completed more than 20 transactions totaling in excess of 5 million square feet. Other retailers that McDonald has represented include Ahold, BJ’s Wholesale Club, Ethan Allen, Keurig and Barnes & Noble.
Partial List of Lease Transactions
As a tenant representative:
- Ahold; 973,376 SF
- Barnes & Noble; 1,150,000 SF
- Petco; 300,000 SF
- BJ’s Wholesale Club; 281,000 SF
As a landlord representative:
- 135 American Legion Hwy, Revere, Atlantic Management: 826,338 SF
- 480 Sprague Street, Dedham, Griffith Properties: 228,560 SF
- The Campus at Marlborough, Marlborough, Hines/Greatland Partners: 582,246 SF
- 112 Barnum Road, Devens, Artemis Real Estate Partners: 391,591 SF
Partial List of Sale Transactions
Representing seller:
- 480 Sprague Street, Dedham: $46,750,000
- The Campus at Marlborough, Marlborough: $66,000,000
- Boston Logistics, Boston: $76,000,000
Representing buyer:
- Boston Logistics, Boston: Griffith Properties acquired from First Highland Management & Development, $76,000,000
Partial Client List
- Ahold
- Blackstone
- Bridge Investment Group
- Camber Development
- Campanelli Companies
- Charles River Realty Group
- DRA Advisors
- FoxRock Properties
- Greatland Realty Partners
- Griffith Properties
- Jadian Capital
- Keurig
- National Development
- Outshine Properties
- The Davis Companies
- Trigate Capital
- Wheelock Street Capital
Professional Achievements
- Newmark #1 Top Producer for 2019
- Newmark #2 Top Producer for 2021
- Connect Media’s 2020 Top Broker Award
- CBA Industrial Deal of the Year 2019
- CBA Suburban Office Deal of the Year 2021
- CBA Life Science Deal of the Year 2021
Professional Affiliations
- Greater Boston Real Estate Board
- Commercial Brokers Association
Personal Affiliations
- Building & Grounds Committee Tufts University
- Team Impact Dinner Committee
- St. Sebastian’s Annual Fund Committee
Education
McDonald earned a Bachelor of Arts degree from Tufts University with a double major in Economics and Political Science in 1992.