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2020 Power 100: Heavy Hitters

John Eakin, co-founder and chairman, Eakin Partners

What John Eakin said all along did finally come true: By July 1, there were people typing at their desks in his newest office building. And though there were far fewer workers than Eakin would have hoped as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, even that won't knock off his game. The region's biggest office landlord entered the market by way of buying one of his previous companies. So he built another one, which now boasts one of the region's three largest office portfolios. Eakin's done it not by pursuing a rendering of a skyscraper, but homing in on projects he can finance and deliver. His currency is the trust he creates by consistently producing what he promised (that new building actually opened a month early). At a time of such economic upheaval, Eakin's wash-rinse-repeat track record makes his projects compelling for tenants and reassuring for his investors, headlined by billionaire Gaylon Lawrence Jr.