Real Estate: GERALD S. DIVARIS

Divaris believes that real estate lies at the core of a person’s needs.

“The transformation of real estate into desirable places in which to live, work and play transforms a ‘need’ into a ‘want,’” he adds. “The ability to use my work to enable this transformation is exciting and rewarding.”

Divaris earned a master’s degree in real estate marketing from the University of Cape Town in South Africa in 1976. Divaris Real Estate, one of the companies under the Divaris Group umbrella, opened its first office in the United States in 1982 in Virginia Beach. It now has more than 200 employees on the East Coast, as well as about 31 million square feet in management and leasing assignments.

Tenants represented by the company include Kohl’s, Best Buy, Trader Joe’s, Banana Republic, Staples and P.F. Chang’s. In November 2021, Divaris was named management and leasing agent for the World Trade Center in Norfolk.

PERSON I ADMIRE: My son, Alexander, who passed away three years ago, and yet, in his short 40 years he achieved much, including a loving and devoted family, and he showed leadership qualities much admired by all who knew and worked with him.