Unorthodox ‘interview’ helps PDS Vice President find his purpose

An unforgettable ‘interview’ with a PDS hiring manager provided the catalyst that would inspire Marcus Gary, then a newly appointed Senior Project Manager for PDS, into finding his sense of purpose.

Before joining JLL in 2006, Marcus had worked for a small black-owned construction company that renovated low-income housing projects in an under-served community in  San Francisco.

He was invited to interview for a project manager (PM) role at JLL, but before the hiring manager even stepped into the interview room, Marcus was immediately put at ease when he noticed the walls were adorned with bold African artworks.

This left a deep and lasting impression on Marcus: “I thought to myself, ‘Wow, I haven't seen this in a corporate environment before’.” That would be the first of many more surprises.

Forgoing any formalities, the interviewer engaged Marcus in casual conversation without deep-diving into his résumé. Next, he was invited to dinner by a PDS managing director. Much to his surprise, this managing director looked like him. Instead of the intense questioning he was expecting, the evening unfolded more like a first-day onboarding.

This, too, left its imprint on Marcus: “There was a comfort in this hiring process I hadn’t experienced in a corporate setting before—there was no ‘come back for a second interview’ or ‘we’ll call you if we have more questions’.”

The next surprise was even more startling: instead of being assigned the PM role he had applied for, he was instead offered the role of Senior Project Manager (SPM).

It was in that moment he got a flash of insight and resolved to “pay this blessing forward“, most especially to JLL’s African-American employees.

Marcus served in this role for 13 years until he was promoted to Vice President, where he’s directly responsible for all post-lease project delivery until a facility’s final turn-over to its owner.

Born in Culver City, a neighboring city to Los Angeles in southern California, Marcus was raised by a single mother and helped her take care of his younger brother who was born with cystic fibrosis. His sibling would succumb to the genetic disorder at the age of just 23.

Marcus’s role as a caregiver helped him develop an appreciation for people’s hidden talents and gifts. He credits this formative experience for helping him effectively navigate the role of project manager, who needs to remain centered while mobilizing a team to work together on a common mission.

Marcus holds a B.A. degree in Architecture from the University of California, Berkeley, and a Master of Science in Construction Management and Engineering from Stanford University.

Post-graduation, Marcus worked in both the private and public sectors as an estimator, designer, contractor and construction manager. This gave him invaluable insights across project types, from ground up to interior renovations.

During his tenure in PDS, Marcus has done some serious heavy-lifting for JLL, including a number of landmark corporate headquarter relocations.

He’s worn many hats in JLL—including ambassador, coach and summer internship coordinator. Another area close to his heart is supplier diversity: he’s served on JLL’s Supplier Diversity committee and on a committee that’s developing procurement diversity standards for PMs to use across the company.

He’s a LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) and WELL-accredited professional and also serves as a Construction Management instructor at San Francisco’s City College.

He’s a prominent member of JLL’s Black Professionals Network (BPN), which supports African-American employees of JLL, and is current lead for BPN’s Pacific Northwest chapter.

Marcus’s two sons were infants when he started at JLL. During their formative years, JLL allowed Marcus to work from home so he could be present for their special milestones and school events.

“Having a fully invested relationship with my sons was super important to me—I never wanted to be an absentee father whose role was limited to just bringing home a paycheck.”

Marcus Gary and his sons.

JLL allowed Marcus to experience an openness to new ideas and diversity of thought.

Commenting on JLL’s enabling culture, Marcus says: “At JLL, there’s space for everyone. JLL actively nurtures an entrepreneurial mindset among its employees and encourages them to bring ideas forward, which it supports with a ‘let's see how we can help you make that work’ reciprocity.”

Marcus’s greatest influence has come from his mother, who, despite her adversity as a struggling single mother, still managed to be a “walking affirmation”, he says. Describing his mother as the “epitome of joy”, Marcus continues to lean into her sage advice as his guiding North Star: “She’s taught me the power of the word on the mind—fill it with positivity and it will respond accordingly.”

Urging new hires to embrace who they are, his advice to new recruits is simple: “Lead with love and don't undermine your worth—everyone brings a gift within them. Even though you work for a corporation with set objectives, those goals cannot be achieved without you being who you are.”