Ben Johnson

President

Ben Johnson is the President of Connect Media and has more than 25 years of experience in senior-level positions in communications and marketing for leading firms in the commercial real estate and financial services industries.

Prior to joining Connect Media in 2019, Ben was Director of Brand and Corporate Communications at AssetMark, a leading financial services firm based in Concord, Calif., and was a Managing Director at Institutional Real Estate Inc. where he led the launch of a new Real Assets-focused publication in both digital and print formats called Real Assets Adviser.

Ben was also the Director of Marketing at Marcus & Millichap, a Vice President at Cole Real Estate Funds in Phoenix, Publishing Director at American Airlines Publishing, and
was the Publishing Director at CoStar Group, Inc., where he managed the company’s extensive news division for 65 major markets and 100,000+ subscribers across the United States.

Prior to joining CoStar, Ben served as the Director of Real Estate Marketing with Atlanta-based Wells Real Estate Funds where he was responsible for all marketing programs for the company’s $6 billion, 130+ national property portfolio.

Ben also has extensive editorial and publishing experience, including nearly a decade of leading two highly respected CRE trade publications, National Real Estate Investor and Shopping Center World magazines. He also has nearly a decade of experience working within top-level marketing and creative agencies in Dallas and New York, including four years with The Richards Group.

Ben holds a Bachelor of Journalism from the University of Missouri-Columbia and an Associate of Arts from Missouri Southern State University.

Penguin Group published his first book, the only biography written on billionaire Chicago investor Sam Zell, in December 2009.