Martin Selig Real Estate has been in business since 1958, developing commercial real estate and creating custom workspaces for some of Seattle’s most innovative companies. The MSRE family would like to honor our longest-standing employee (aside from Mr. Selig himself!) as we celebrate his 42 years with the firm and wish him well in his upcoming retirement. Clyde Jones has faithfully served as a MSRE Commercial Real Estate Project Manager since 1978! During his tenure Clyde has worked on numerous commercial development projects and honed his skills in strategic planning, construction management, risk and contract management. Before Clyde begins this next chapter in his life, we caught up with him to learn about his journey while working for the company.
Question: Tell us about your role at MSRE and how your journey began
Answer: As a project manager, I oversee all operations for new buildings, such as mechanical, electrical and plumbing, to name a few. I started working for Martin Selig in 1978. At that time, the company was in the process of building Fourth & Blanchard and then later on, Third & Broad and Columbia Center.
Question: What did you learn about the company over the years?
Answer: Martin Selig builds each property with the intention of holding it within the portfolio for its entire lifespan. It has been impressed upon me time and time again the effect extra attention to care can have on a building. A great example is the Columbia Center– high-rise buildings are a huge challenge generally, and this was one of the first for MSRE in terms of size and scale. This particular project taught us about stack effects and how to solve that problem for future developments. I traveled to New York and Atlanta to study other buildings to help design the best solution for this property. We are constantly evolving and learning how to improve our properties.
Image: Clyde Jones overlooking the 400 Westlake construction project
Question: What is the biggest lesson you’ve learned working with the MSRE?
Answer: What I have learned over the years is that every time you step into something new you think you know a lot, but in reality, you don’t know much. We were always learning new things and found new ways to improve our operating systems. I think that’s what makes the job so exciting.
Question: What is your favorite building in the MSRE portfolio? And why?
Answer: Each building has its own uniqueness and special place in my heart, so it’s hard to choose. But the few that will always stick with me are 1,000 Trails because of its idyllic location, 645 Elliott thanks to the architect (which I rarely compliment!) and the Airborne Freight Building.
Question: What’s your fondest memory of working at MSRE?
Answer: Working for Martin has been a great experience. I love how the team works together. Like all families, there’s usually some debating and arguing, but at the end of the day we are a team that gets the job done right. One thing about Martin is that he thinks bigger than all of us. Everything he thinks will work, works. The Columbia Center is a good example– it was completely Martin’s dream. It went against all building codes in Seattle at the time, but it was his vision that brought it to life.
Question: What are your plans now?
Answer: During my retirement, I look forward to riding my Harley with a group of buddies down the east side of Washington, through Northern California, stopping in Las Vegas and the Grand Canyon before returning home. I love the national parks and look forward to taking road trips in our RV and seeing more of the country. I want to thank Mr. Selig for giving me my start at MSRE and the entire family of colleagues that I’ve had the privilege of working with throughout the years, they will forever be my friends. I’ll always look back and be proud of the work I’ve done shaping Seattle’s skyline.
Martin Selig Real Estate has been incredibly fortunate to retain many employees for multiple decades. In particular, Clyde Jones has had an indelible impact on Seattle real estate development throughout his career, and we’re thankful for his many years of service at MSRE. Best of luck and happiness to Clyde as he takes to the road and begins his retirement adventures.
