About

James E. Robertson Jr.

Principal and founder. Client-first, every time.

Get your landlord read
$2.5B+
Closed
18 years
In Houston
Client-first
Every time
1 app
The first client app in CRE

James E. Robertson Jr.

Principal · Robertson Partners Houston

Houston, Texas

Host, Office InsidersHouston's Commercial Real Estate Show · YouTube, Instagram, LinkedIn

Outthink. Outmaneuver. Outperform.

Get your landlord read
$2.5B+transaction volume
18yearsHouston commercial real estate
  • Top 10Houston Office BrokerGrubb & Ellis · 2009
  • Top 50Black Professionals & EntrepreneursTexas · 2025
Career and education
  1. Associate → Broker2007–2009Top 10 Houston Office Broker
  2. Senior Vice PresidentOffice & Industrial
  3. Senior Vice PresidentChairman, Black Professionals NetworkLed AI technology tiger teamTop broker, Summer of Sales (national) · 2023
  4. PrincipalFounder · today

Earlier2004, City of Houston Controller's Office, Director of Community Relations. 2009, founded WorkSpace Commercial Real Estate as Managing Broker. At Grubb & Ellis, 94 on the national exam, highest in the Houston office.

EducationUniversity of Houston, B.B.A. in Management, C.T. Bauer College of Business. Two-term Student Body President, elected by the largest margin in school history. Four-year Jesse Jones Scholar. Middle linebacker, UH football.

The short version

When a real estate decision is one the business will live with for years, owners and executives call James. He walks in already knowing the market, the building, and the people on every side of the table.

His career runs through Grubb & Ellis (Houston Top 10), CBRE, and JLL, where he chaired the Black Professionals Network and led the AI technology tiger team. He founded Robertson Partners on one rule: the client comes first, every time. Clients range from locally owned businesses to Fortune 500 companies and some of the nation's largest public institutions.

He hosts Office Insiders, Houston's Commercial Real Estate Show, on YouTube, Instagram and LinkedIn.

Your deal team
JamesLead Broker
AlyssaOffice Manager
SruthiDirector, Design & Client Experience
Co-host, Office Insiders
Office Insiders · James hosts, Sruthi co-hosts
AIAgentic team

Every recommendation is reviewed by James before it reaches you.
Director, Design & Client Experience · Co-host, Office Insiders

Sruthi

Sruthi walks every building with James and reads it the way a tenant will live in it. Interior design, aesthetics, curb appeal, walkability: the lifestyle and luxury layer a rent roll leaves out. She is the firm's ambassador and co-hosts Office Insiders with James.

Recommendations on LinkedIn

What clients say

He helped my company find our first office space 10 years ago. Since that time, James has worked with us to expand and open 5 additional office locations across the US.
Tracy SmithTaylor Smith Consulting, LLC
James was able to explain every detail regarding the operating costs and provided us with a detailed analysis of why they were so high… We were able to get the terms on the lease that protect us from inflated operating costs.
Roberta M. MorenoClient, lease relocation
Selected work

Cross-trained across property types

OfficeIndustrialPublic sectorDevelopmentLandRetail
Office · Tenant repIn progress
$30M+ in TI and incentives identified to add competitive value
Downtown HoustonClient confidential
Industrial · Buyer repClosed
Purchased 8-acre industrial building; seller-funded roof closed a $200K price gap
Northwest HoustonClient confidential
Public sector · AcquisitionClosed
Building purchase Negotiated the downtown acquisition and added value for the County
Downtown HoustonHarris County
Industrial developmentDelivered
$1B+ plastics recycling plant, managed through project & development services
Waller, TXNatura PCR

Partial client list

Waste ManagementState FarmHarris CountyCity of HoustonHouston ISDLone Star CollegeACSMCA Communications
$2.5B+in transaction volume
<10,000 SF → 1,000,000+ SFdeal sizes, from single suites to million-square-foot transactions
Property types
OfficeIndustrialLandRetailP3 projectsInvestment

From locally owned businesses to Fortune 500 corporations and some of the nation's largest public institutions.