Jay Shidler

Jay H. Shidler is the founder and managing partner of The Shidler Group, a Honolulu-based investor focused on commercial real estate and credit-related investments. A nationally acknowledged expert in real estate investment and finance, Shidler is known for his ability to identify emerging trends in real estate and finance and for his effectiveness in capitalizing new companies to benefit from those trends.

Shidler purchased his first property in Hawaiʻi in 1972 and quickly expanded his business with acquisitions in Santa Barbara and Seattle. Since then, The Shidler Group has acquired and managed more than 2,000 properties in 40 states and Canada. In Hawai‘i, the company owns approximately 1.1 million square feet of the Honolulu commercial real estate market.

Shidler has founded and been the initial investor in more than 20 public and private companies, five of which have been listed on the New York Stock Exchange: TriNet Corporate Realty Trust (NYSE: TRI), one of the nation’s largest owners of corporate real estate; First Industrial Realty Trust, Inc. (NYSE: FR), one of the nation’s largest industrial property owners; Corporate Office Properties Trust (NYSE: OFC), the nation’s largest provider of high-security office facilities to the intelligence industry; and Primus Guaranty, Ltd. (NYSE: PRS), one of the largest providers of credit default swap protection.

Shidler’s 100 million USD commitment to the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa Shidler College of Business and his contributions to the local and national commercial real estate industry have had a significant and lasting impact on the college, the university, and the State of Hawaiʻi. His generosity and vision have ensured that future generations of global leaders will have access to a world-class business school for years to come.

Shidler’s gift to the college has inspired countless alumni and business community members to offer their time, services, and resources to benefit the college and the university. For example, the creation of the Shidler Matching Gift Program, which was a part of Shidler’s initial 25 million USD gift, generated more than 3 million USD in private gifts that were matched for a total of approximately 6 million USD raised for scholarship and faculty endowments.

In addition, Shidler remains actively involved in many of the college’s initiatives. He can often be found at college events interacting with alumni and students or sharing his knowledge and expertise with the faculty and staff. He is currently a board member for the college’s Pacific Asian Center for Entrepreneurship and is also an active supporter of a number of other educational, cultural, and charitable organizations, including The Shidler Family Foundation, the Alexis de Tocqueville Society of the United Way, The Nature Conservancy, the Honolulu Museum of Art, the American Heart Association, and the Prostate Cancer Foundation.