H. Jon Runstad
Co-Founder
Jon Runstad, Seattle visionary, civic leader and philanthropist, passed away on June 20, 2023 at the age of 81. Jon’s career spanned over 50 years and shaped the Seattle skyline with iconic architecture and design, serving the city’s unprecedented growth from a company town to an international hub of innovation and industry. As CEO of Wright Runstad & Company, which he co-founded in 1972 with Howard S. Wright, Jon oversaw the development of nearly 20 million square feet of commercial real estate occupied by tenants such as Microsoft, Amazon, Facebook, and many others.
Under Jon and his team’s leadership, WR&C’s award-winning portfolio includes commercial real estate, government, and medical buildings, stretching from downtown Seattle to Bellevue, Olympia, Boise, Portland, and Los Angeles. Notable Seattle landmarks and projects include the redevelopment of Rainier Square, 1201 Third, the former First Interstate building (now 999 Third), the first Bellevue high rises, the original Microsoft campus and The Spring District in Bellevue. Jon was proud of all his projects, but, as a fourth generation Husky, development of the new Husky Stadium was especially dear to his heart.
Jon’s pride in his work was hard earned. He valued honesty and integrity and sought partners who could share trust and respect in pursuit of bold projects and big ideas. He was widely recognized as a committed and decisive leader with strong instincts and clear vision for the future of the built environment. He worked hard and expected the same from the company’s talented development and management teams, to whom he credited the success of WR&C. Driven by his passion for architecture and the design process itself, Jon developed a multidisciplinary approach to integrate expertise from construction, urban planning, architecture, finance, land use law and real estate. He loved collaborating with architects, working with global firms such as NBBJ and Kohn Pedersen Fox and other professionals to bring the best thinking from each discipline to WR&C projects. He believed this collaborative approach was essential to future city development and growth. Committed to elevating the professionalism of real estate development, Jon and his wife, Judy, a pioneering Seattle land use attorney, helped fund and establish the Runstad Department of Real Estate within the UW’s College of Built Environments.
Alongside his professional career, Jon’s civic leadership benefited a wide range of sectors, including the arts, education, medicine, athletics, business, and philanthropy. Among other civic duties, Jon chaired the Downtown Seattle Association and the UW Board of Regents and also served on the boards of the Seattle Symphony, Benaroya Hall Music Center, the UW Foundation, The Pike Market PDA, the Washington Board of Rowing Stewards, and the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center.
He loved creating beautiful places. And he loved his city. The story of his legacy lies in the skyline and the vibrant hum of civic life within it.
