Early Life and Education:
Roy Donahue “Don” Peebles was born on March 2, 1960, in Washington, D.C. His parents were Ruth Yvonne Willoughby and Roy Donahue Peebles Sr..
At the age of eight, Peebles and his mother moved to Detroit, MI. Later, they returned to D.C., where he attended The Congressional Page High School while serving as a congressional page in the House of Representatives on Capitol Hill.
During this time, he interned for two members of Congress and worked as a staff aide for another Congressional member.
Peebles attended Rutgers University in Newark, New Jersey, where he initially studied pre-medicine.
Professional Journey:
In 1983, at the age of 23, Peebles founded his own residential and commercial real estate appraisal firm.
The same year, Mayor Marion Barry appointed him to Washington’s real estate tax appeals board, known as the Board of Equalization and Review (now the Board of Real Property Assessments and Appeals).
In 1986, Peebles led a partnership that acquired the site for his first commercial real estate development project.
Through a Public-Private Partnership (PPP) with the District of Columbia, he delivered his first Class A building in 1989.
In 1990, Peebles founded RDP Assessment Appeals Services, a Washington-based commercial tax assessment appeals firm.
Throughout the 1990s, he continued to acquire commercial buildings and development sites, primarily through PPPs in Washington, DC. Notable projects include 10 G Street NE, 59 M Street, and the Courtyard by Marriott Convention Center Hotel.
Achievements and Recognition:
Peebles is the founder, Chairman, and CEO of The Peebles Corporation (TPC), a privately held real estate investment and development company established in 1983.
He is regarded as one of the most successful African American CEOs, with many projects executed through public-private partnerships.
In May 2009, Forbes listed Peebles among the top ten wealthiest black Americans, estimating his net worth to be over $700 million.
In April 2015, Black Enterprise named him one of the “Business Trailblazers and Titans of Black America: 40 most powerful African Americans in business” 1.
For more information, you can visit the official website of The Peebles Corporation.