He won the very first “Grillman of the Month” award from the Bordentown McDonald’s…still holds the record for the fastest Mile at his high school…plays ice hockey two or three times a week at the age of 50…sails a Hobie Cat…admits to driving 140 mph (we won’t say where) and being ‘a bit of an adrenalin junkie’ (flying in an airplane doing aerobatics and skydiving including a free fall from 10,000 feet are both crossed off on his bucket list).
  He is the first person in his family to go to college (he applied to the hotel management school at Cornell because his high school guidance counselor told him it was ‘hard to get into’)…met his wife on a blind date…had a summer job toting 80 pound bags of coffee beans (he was an imposing 5 feet tall and weighed 100 pounds at the time)…and he’s the president-elect of the New Jersey chapter of the National Association of Industrial and Office Properties (NAIOP).
  George Sowa is also the Executive Vice President and Senior Managing Director of Brandywine Real Estate Investment Trust, where he is responsible for oversight of Brandywine’s New Jersey and Delaware Region, which includes more than 5 million square feet of owned and managed office space
  He has been at Brandywine for a dozen years and his regional staff, which is headquartered in Mount Laurel, includes 50 employees who provide engineering, property management, construction, leasing and administrative support for Brandywine’s tenants, properties and vendors.
A local boy, Sowa was born in Trenton and grew up in Bordentown, where he ran cross country, as well as in door and outdoor track. Assemblyman Herb Conaway’s father was his high school track coach and Sowa reluctantly admits to some considerable success on the track, including “winning the Freedom Division.”
He adds—with a smile—that his friends contend that the “only reason” his school record in the Mile still stands is “because races these days are all run over metric courses.”
Sowa describes his father, George, as “a hard working, entrepreneur with great business sense” who owned both an electronics business in Wrightstown (Triangle TV/Radio Shack) as well as motels in Lakewood and in Zephyr Hills, Florida—midway between Tampa and Orlando. 
  Sowa describes his parents’ relationship as “truly best friends to one another.” But he admits that his own relationship with his wife of 18 years, Lisa, did not get off to a very promising start. “We met as the result of a blind date arranged by a co-worker and that first date was a little shaky,” Sowa recalls. “Our double date blind first date was nearly our last...I nearly didn’t call Lisa after our first date…but things worked out much better after our second date.”
  Lisa, who is a nurse practitioner in Pennsylvania, is Sowa’s “favorite person…even though she may not always recognize my admiration.”
  The Sowa’s two daughters (Julia, 14, an 8th grader and Grace, 10, a 4th grader) both run cross country and track (“without any parental pressure”) and swim competitively.
  After graduating from Bordentown Regional High School in 1978, Sowa went on to Cornell University, graduating with a BS in Hotel Management in 1982. After college, he moved to New York City where he remembers presenting himself to a company that was advertising for a VP of Acquisitions.
  “I knew that I wasn’t qualified, but I needed a shot. And they took me on. That was The Brookhill Group and it was a great experience…even though I started at $300 a week.”
  After eight years at Brookhill, it was on to eight years with Linpro in Central New Jersey, and then to his current position with Brandywine.
  Sowa’s personal motto is “Take what you do seriously but don’t take yourself too seriously.” That juxtaposes nicely with his business philosophy, which is “A Relationship is more important than a deal and never compromise your integrity.”
  Sowa measures his business success by tenant retention. “That’s a key metric for our company because it‘s a measure of tenant satisfaction with our properties and the high level of service we strive to provide.  I also measure success on the growth of our employees within the region and company.”
  He includes his boss at Brandywine, Jerry Sweeney, as one of the two people he most admires (along with this dad). “Jerry had the vision, dedication and intelligence to grow Brandywine from an insignificant entity to one of the largest full-service real estate companies in the United States.  He created a company with an excellent culture and principles of high quality buildings and providing excellent tenant service by our staff. 
  “Jerry also practices and insists upon a commitment by all to strict ethical standards, treating everyone fairly and valuing and recognizing the company’s role in the community.  As a senior office of a public company, I very much appreciate and respect Jerry’s insistence and commitment to best in class quality and the tone he sets from the top for our company,” says Sowa.
  While Sowa says he loves his role at Brandywine (and disdains the concept of “do-overs”), he admits that he wonders at times “if I would have succeeded at my early plan of becoming an owner of multiple McDonald’s franchises rather than going to college and being in the real estate business.”
  If Sowa could invite five people (real, but living or dead) to dinner, the five would be Abraham Lincoln, Thomas Jefferson, Ben Franklin, any soldier who fought in combat, and my great-grandparents from Europe.
  Why those five? “Lincoln due to his courage and vision despite limited formal education.  Jefferson and Franklin for their intelligence, vision and diplomacy as founding fathers of our country.  Any soldier who had the courage and bravery who fought in combat for our country despite serious injury or death.  These men and women are true heroes that do not receive the appreciation and recognition that they deserve.  I would like to meet my great-grandparents in Europe.  While I don’t expect to uncover nobility or vast wealth, it would be interesting to better understand my family’s heritage,” Sowa explains.
  The elected official or politician Sowa most admires is a “two-fer.” “I am very encouraged by the early efforts and cooperative spirit of the Christie administration and Senate President Sweeney.  New Jersey has some huge hurdles to overcome to return to its position of leadership within the country and region and I am very encouraged by the early efforts,“ says Sowa.
  If Sowa could do one thing to change South Jersey, it would be to get everyone “to be advocates for Southern New Jersey and recognize it is a wonderful place to live and work.  We also need to accept that we are part of the larger state and need to have a loud voice for inclusion on all items that impact the state.”
  Sowa currently serves on the board of the Chamber of Commerce of Southern NJ, The Evergreens (a CCRC in Moorestown) and NAIOP (Board of Directors for the corporate office of NAIOP in Washington, DC).  He also serves as the VP of Public Affairs and President-Elect of the NJ Chapter of NAIOP.
George Sowa: At A Glance
Toughest Decision:
  Personnel decisions especially when it involves a good person who is not a good performer.
Greatest Fear:
  I deal with multiple levels of managed/calculated risk everyday in the business environment but my greatest fear would involve issues beyond my control especially when it entails my family’s health and happiness.
Mentor:
  My dad.  I recall discussing business with him from an early age.  I have also had the benefit of working for and with many people during my career and I try and learn from everyone I come in contact with.
Most Important Lesson Learned:
  Embrace change, learn from mistakes and try your very best.  While you may not always achieve the desired outcome, you can take comfort knowing that you tried your very best and understand what thing(s) need to change in the future to succeed.
Person Most Admire:
  On a personal level, my father.  He took the risks and sacrifices to create several businesses over his lifetime that supported our family.  On a professional level, Jerry Sweeney, Brandywine’s President and CEO.
Self-description:
  Competitive, dedicated, passionate and fair.
Favorite Thing To Do:
  Spending time with my family but I especially enjoy our family bike rides along the Delaware and Raritan Canal.
Proudest Accomplishment: 
  Being the father of two wonderful children and husband of a great wife.
Hobbies/Avocations:
  Ice hockey which I continue to play 2-3 times per week year round and going to the gym.
To Relax: 
  I own a Hobie Cat (sailing catamaran) and enjoy sailing on the weekends.  I also recently purchased a baby grand piano and look forward to learning to play the piano.
Favorite Vacation Spot:
  Block Island, Rhode Island.  It is a 10 square mile island (half of which is preserved) off the coast of Rhode Island, which is accessible only via ferry or small plane.  We rent a house on 1-2 acres of ground and only hear the ocean and crickets at night.   Our daughters sail and we go to the un-crowded beaches, hike and ride bikes all over the island.
Favorite Book, Movie, and TV Show:
  Good to Great by Jim Collins.  While I am not a big fan of movies, I did see The Godfather and One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest more than once.  Seinfeld, Curb Your Enthusiasm and The Office are my favorite TV shows.
Epitaph (as you would like it to be written):
  A good man who loved his family and lived life to the fullest
One Question You Hope You’re Never Asked: 
  Can you help me fix this?  Despite developing some very complex and complicated buildings and projects over the years, I did not receive any “handy genes” and rarely have the ability to successfully fix anything.  My father and brother received all of the handy genes in our family!
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By Mike Willmann