NAHB Mourns the Passing of Past Chairman John “Joe” Robson

John “Joe” Robson, 2009 NAHB chairman, passed away on Saturday, Dec. 27.

As founder and president of The Robson Companies, Inc., Robson was a leader in the Tulsa, Okla., area home building and development industries for decades.

Robson led NAHB’s efforts to strengthen the housing industry in response to the Great Recession following the housing bubble. Amidst reports of falling home prices and declining housing starts, he worked with federal lawmakers and regulators to find ways to shore up the housing market and renew confidence in the American economy.

“This may be a difficult year for home builders around the country, but we will continue to do all that we can to meet the housing needs of America’s families,” Robson noted at the time.

“Joe’s leadership helped guide our association and our industry through moments of challenge and change,” NAHB CEO Jim Tobin shared. “His steady presence, thoughtful counsel and unwavering commitment earned him the respect of builders across the country and left a lasting mark on NAHB.”

Robson was a driving force in local, state and national home builder associations, and held numerous leadership positions within NAHB. He became a member of the Board of Directors in 1990, and served as chairman of BUILD-PAC (1998), the Legislative and Regulatory Policy Task Force and Resolutions Committee (2002), and the Federal Government Affairs Committee (2003). He also served as vice chairman of the Budget Committee in 2005.

“Joe was, at his core, a builder in every sense of the word,” Tobin added. “He believed deeply in the power of housing to strengthen families, communities and opportunity, and he devoted his career to advancing an industry he truly loved.”

At the state level, Robson served on the Board of Directors of the Oklahoma State Home Builders Association beginning in 1990 and was the association’s president in 1993. Robson was honored as Oklahoma Builder of the Year in 1994.

Locally, he served on the Board of Directors of the Tulsa Home Builders Association beginning in 1986 and was the association’s president in 1991 and 1992. He was the Tulsa Home Builder of the Year in 1992.

Robson was also active in numerous business and civic leadership positions. He served as a director of the Federal Home Loan Bank of Topeka; a director of the Broken Arrow, Tulsa and State Chambers of Commerce; and a member of the Oklahoma Judicial Nominating Committee. He also served as chairman of the Tulsa Area Command of the Salvation Army.

Robson is survived by his wife, their two children, and five grandchildren.