John Thornton Named as President of C.W. Driver

PASADENA, Calif. - Jan. 28, 2014 - PRLog -- C.W. Driver, a premier builder serving California since 1919, has promoted John Thornton, LEED-AP, to president. Thornton has been with the company for 18 years, serving most recently as an executive vice president, and will now be responsible for overall direction of the firm’s market sectors, which include retail, entertainment, hospitality, K-12 education, higher education, commercial/office, healthcare and civic projects.

“John brings not only in-depth industry knowledge, but an 18 year history with our company to his new role – both of which contribute to laying the groundwork for the future of this 95-year-old company,” said Dana Roberts, who remains C.W. Driver’s CEO and chairman of the board. “Building a bridge to the next phase of our growth is critical and he will excel in helping us push forward into the next generation.”

During his time at C.W. Driver, Thornton‘s vast industry knowledge and expertise has contributed to the company’s success, including being ranked in ENR-Engineering News Record ‘s Top 150 General Contractors and Top 100 Construction Managers. C.W. Driver completed more than $500 million in projects during 2013 alone for clients such as City of Newport Beach, Qualcomm, Extron Electronics, Bloomingdale’s, and NBC Universal.

Recently, Thornton orchestrated the creation of C.W. Driver’s new subsidiaries Driver SPG and Driver URBAN as well as the recent acquisition of Good & Roberts, LLC.

“We made the bold decision during the economic downturn to employ an expansionist strategy in lieu of being protectionist like the rest of the industry,” said Thornton. “This is an exciting time for me to take on this new role with a company rich in history but also committed to continuing its role as industry leaders and innovators.”

Thornton earned dual business degrees in real estate development and entrepreneurship from the University of Southern California. He holds the distinction of being a LEED accredited professional as well as a certified retail property executive.