Congratulations to WC Smith President John Ritz, who in June celebrated his 50th anniversary with the company.
Over this tenure, John has been a key architect of WC Smith’s success, as well as a respected and fair-minded colleague and supervisor, and a passionate advocate of DC’s housing industry and its communities.
John enjoys unique admiration among his peers and staff within WC Smith. Employing a management philosophy that focuses on teaching, mentoring and training, John has achieved a rare accomplishment in property management – a long-tenured staff. Many WC Smith property managers have been with the company for more than 20 years. And many on this team have grown within the company from entry-level to leadership positions.
John is a strong voice for the commercial real estate industry. He was AOBA president in 2009 and has served on nearly 40 committees for the organization throughout his career, testifying before the DC Council countless times on behalf of building owners. He helped guide the industry’s response to the 2006 revision of DC’s rent control law, and has continued to help advocate for housing providers each time lawmakers consider changes since.
His commitment to the industry is rivaled only by his dedication to our residents and their neighborhoods. He still personally manages two properties. He never asks his team to do something he isn’t willing to do himself. And managing the properties keeps him connected to not just the residents and the sites, but also all the new technology and processes we implement. He can see the benefits and consequences first hand.
Under his direction, WC Smith built new and refurbished existing playgrounds in public spaces across the city and at more than a dozen of our properties. He is a generous supporter of THEARC, the multi-purpose community center in Southeast DC that WC Smith founded in 1997.
In 2018, at the request of DC Mayor Bowser, he and WC Smith created Building Bridges to a Better Life, a program through which WC Smith provided housing to formerly homeless families who were living at DC General Hospital and motels.
His activities have also improved the lives of DC residents. When WC Smith’s Building Bridges to a Better Life program began, it fell to John and his team to coordinate the complex move of families from DC General and motels to housing within our properties. He and WC Smith Chairman Chris Smith were able to cut through DC’s Department of Human Services red tape to expedite inspections, secure wraparound services for the residents and reduce the caseworker-to-client ratio.
Through these efforts, more than 70 formerly homeless families were housed in apartments, complete with furniture and necessary household supplies. These families had access to job training and educational services for their children.
In 2023 John received AOBA’s David Hillman Maverick Award and was named the Catholic Business Network’s Person of the Year.
