NAHB Mourns the Passing of Past President Robert “Bob” Mitchell
Robert L. “Bob” Mitchell, 2000 NAHB president, passed away on Wednesday, Nov. 12.
Mitchell was a home builder and developer from Rockville, Maryland. He and his partner Lou founded their residential building business, Mitchell and Best, from a home office in 1975. They built more than 5,000 homes in approximately 40 communities across Maryland and Virginia.
Since attending his first NAHB Convention, Mitchell remained involved in the association at the local, state and national level, including serving as the only three-term president of the Maryland National Capital Building Industry Association (MNCBIA) and president of the Maryland State Builders Association.
From 1987 to 1990, Mitchell was the Maryland National Representative to NAHB and was selected as National Representative of the Year in 1990. He also served as an area National Vice President for the Mid-Atlantic States of Delaware, Maryland, Pennsylvania and Virginia.
“If you knew him, you knew that NAHB was a very important part of his life,” said Marty Mitchell, Bob’s son and CEO of Hometown Collection by Mitchell and Best Homes. “He was truly a legend in the industry and left a huge legacy for everyone and myself to follow. He did everything 100% — husband, father, business owner, industry leader.”
While serving as chairman of the NAHB Public Affairs Committee in the mid-1990s, Mitchell brought the Home Builders Care program he had originated in his community to the national level to create public awareness of the hundreds of home builder community-help programs and projects across the country. Significant contributions from members have helped fuel the impact these projects have been able to make.
“Bob was one of the first presidents I had the privilege to work with when I started at NAHB, and his love for this industry was unmistakable from the very beginning,” said NAHB CEO Jim Tobin. “He brought a rare mix of heart, integrity and determination to everything he touched. Bob believed deeply in the power of home building to strengthen communities and lived that belief through decades of service and mentorship, both on the national stage and within his state of Maryland. All of us at NAHB are better for having known him, as his impact continues to be felt across our Federation.”
Mitchell believed home builders have a unique responsibility to serve the needs of growing communities and was especially proud of the more than 300 moderately priced dwelling units built under a Montgomery County inclusionary zoning ordinance and the Life Care Retirement Community in Bethesda, Maryland, which allowed the city’s growing senior population to move to a service-oriented lifestyle in their own neighborhood.
He is survived by his wife, their four children, six grandchildren and two great-grandchildren.
A memorial service for Mitchell will be held at St. Patrick’s Catholic Church in Rockville, Maryland, on Friday, Nov. 21. Visitation will begin at 10:30 a.m., followed by a funeral mass at 11:30 a.m. Interment will take place at 1 p.m. at Gate of Heaven Cemetery in Silver Spring, Maryland.
In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the Home Builders Care Foundation (designated to the Robert L. Mitchell Memorial Fund) or the Alzheimer’s Association.