Bob Hess

Robert (Bob) Hess

Vice Chairman, Global Strategy Newmark Knight Frank (NKF)

Mr. Hess is a Vice Chairman within Newmark Knight Frank’s Global Corporate Services 1,000-person, multi-service platform. He is Team Leader for its global business and real estate practice branded as Global Strategy and responsible for strategy development, quality assurance, business development, and client service. He is a preeminent, sought-after service provider and respected leader in corporate location strategy and site selection. He has conducted over 275 assignments in North America and globally, including mega-facility projects in Asia, Europe and Mexico.

Other past experience includes his role as a co-founder and Consulting Partner with Cushman & Wakefield’s Global Supply Chain Business Consulting Group and long-term tenure with Deloitte’s Fantus Location Strategies service line (formerly PHH Fantus), a specialty practice known for industry leading strategic facility planning, global location strategy, site selection, incentive negotiations and real estate advisory services.

Strategy and operations experience include supply chain planning, distribution network optimization, manufacturing rationalization and consolidation, relocation and stay-go feasibility, strategic cost reduction, large capital investment program management, commercial and industrial site evaluation and due diligence methods, detailed labor market/workforce analysis, and complex infrastructure driven incentive negotiations.

Demonstrable and referenceable industry and functional expertise includes work across industries and functions, such as:

  • Life Science & Biotechnology
  • Retail & Consumer Products
  • Primary Metals & Durable Goods
  • Information Technology Sector
  • Supply Chain & Logistics Management
  • Headquarters
  • Manufacturing
  • Distribution & E-Commerce
  • Back Office & Call Center
  • Data Centers and Digital Infrastructure

Areas of Specialization:

  • Business Strategy & Operations
  • Global Location Strategies
  • Site Selection, Community Due Diligence and Implementation
  • Supply Chain and Logistics Network Planning
  • Large CAPX/Special Project Expansion Management
  • Economic Incentives Strategy
    & Negotiations
  • Economic Development
  • Corporate Real Estate Portfolio Optimization/Process Improvement
  • Global Workforce & Labor Analytics

Notable Past Clients:

Notable clients include Alabama Power, A.K. Steel, ASOS.com, Babcock & Wilcox, Best Buy, Blue Cross Blue Shield, Boeing China, Braskem Chemical, Bullhorn, Cenlar, Corning, Dillard’s, New York Empire State Development (Amazon HQ2), Enbridge, Entergy, Gap Inc., Georgia Power, Kenall, Kikkoman, Kmart/Sears (multiple), Liberty Mutual, 3M, McDonnell Douglas, State of Mississippi, Nestle, Nike, Novartis (multiple), Office Depot (multiple), Rubius Therapeutics, Samsung (multiple), Sherwin Williams, State of Wisconsin (WEDA), ThyssenKrupp AG (multiple), TriZetto, and Young Living.

Mr. Hess has led the strategic placement and Boardroom level business case support of over 100 million square feet of operations (all asset types) across the U.S. and many global markets and helped secure over $1.5 billion in bottom line financial incentives to support these efforts.

Education and Accomplishments:  
Mr. Hess earned his BA in Economic Geography/Urban and Regional Planning from the University of Minnesota – Duluth, and an MBA in Marketing Management from DePaul University in Chicago. He has completed executive development programs at Northwestern University in Global Supply Chain Management, Factory Physics/Lean Manufacturing and Leading w/Advanced Analytics and Automation; MIT for Creative Problem Solving/System Dynamics; Oxford University for Scenario Planning; and multiple leadership development courses at the University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton School of Business.   Mr. Hess is an accomplished speaker, having completed over 60 speeches and panel events in his career to a wide array of audiences. Mr. Hess is a past Board member and current shareholder member in the Site Selectors Guild, an association of the top corporate site selection professionals in the world.

In the News:

 
Contact Info:
 
Phone:  773-957-1439
Mobile:  847-254-0681
Email:  [email protected]
LinkedIn:  https://www.linkedin.com/in/bob-hess-5a9a2a8/