JLL Atlanta's affordable housing team has worked with H.J. Russell & Co. for a decade, and the brokerage recently made a major donation to the hub for Black business named for the development firm's late founder.
JLL said it has given $150,000 to the Russell Innovation Center for Entrepreneurs, a business generator, innovation lab and museum that the Russell family created to honor Herman J. Russell, a development and construction giant in Atlanta who died in 2014. JLL and H.J. Russell have sold 19 affordable housing properties containing 2,672 units across Georgia.
“We are honored to have the support of JLL to bring more resources to Black entrepreneurs,” H. Jerome Russell Jr., chairman of the Russell Innovation Center for Entrepreneurs, said in an email. “JLL has had a longstanding relationship with H. J. Russell & Company, and we look forward to furthering that relationship through their efforts with RICE.”
Doug Childers, senior managing director of affordable housing at JLL, said the brokerage wanted "to give back to an institution that is dedicated to supporting the future generations of entrepreneurs."
“Herman Russell’s affordable housing portfolio has greatly impacted Atlanta, and we're honored to play a role in furthering his legacy," Childers said in an email.