Jay Shidler is an American businessman with an estimated net worth of $690 million. He holds a Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration from the University of Hawaii in 1968. While in college, he already did real estate investments. However, he had to take some time off when he served in the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.

Mr. Jay H. Shidler is the founder and managing partner of The Shidler Group, a Honolulu-based commercial real estate investment company, which he launched in 1971. He began buying up properties and his first building was the Polynesian Plaza that he bought in Honolulu in 1972. It has quickly expanded with offices in the mainland including San Francisco, Los Angeles, Chicago and New York City. He and his affiliates have acquired and managed more than 2,000 properties in 40 states and Canada. In Hawaii alone, it controls 1.5 million square feet of offices and the company holdings account for nearly 10% of all of the office space in the state.

Since March 2008, Jay Shidler is the Chairman of the Board of Directors of the group. Between September 2009 and March 2010, he served as the President and Chief Executive Officer on an interim basis.

Shidler has founded and has been the initial investor in various public and private companies. These include three other public REITS namely: TriNet Corporate Trust, Inc., formerly NYSE:TEI and is now part of iStar Financial, First Industrial Realty Trust, Inc. (NYSE: FR), and Corporate Office Properties Trust (NYSE: OFC).

Mr. Shidler is the Chairman of the Board of Trustees of Corporate Office Properties Trust. From 1993 to January 2009, he served as the Chairman of the Board of Directors of First Industrial Realty Trust, Inc. He was the Director until May 2010. He serves as the director of Primus Guaranty, Ltd. (NYSE:PRS), a Bermuda company which he also founded.

Jay H. Shidler is an active supporter of several education, cultural, and charitable institutions. In his honor, the University of Hawaii renamed its business school the Shidler College of Business in 2006.