
Kurt Little celebrating 30 years at Jones Lang LaSalle
Sub Omnibus Terra – That is Latin for ‘under all is the land.’ It was the motto at LaSalle Partners’ Land Group where Greenleaf founder, John Andersen, worked with Greenleaf Board Member Kurt Little. This year on July 22nd, Kurt completed 30 years of service at this global real estate services firm now known as JLL (Jones Lang LaSalle). At his anniversary celebration, stories were told by colleagues from around the world of the many contributions Kurt has made to clients and societies addressing land utilization, as often as possible doing so with a strong sustainability ethic embedded in the solutions. Because land is central to real estate assets and services, the Land Group’s sustainability initiatives started a movement at JLL that is now core to many of its services.
This summer Greenleaf interns, Will Carey and Jamie Passaglia, spoke with Kurt and other Greenleaf board members and partners to learn a bit about land and what brought these seasoned experts to work with it. Below is a brief profile.
Kurt Little‘s land ethic grew from his childhood experiences on a farm in Michigan – providing the basis for his work in real estate: “the ability to look at a land tract, understand topography and drainage, look at natural assets on those properties, and then incorporate those issues into a development plan was always intriguing,” he says. Like other members of Greenleaf’s network, Kurt has the capacity to understand specific environmental issues in the context of bigger systems. He takes a broader look at development, guiding his work by asking “how do you leverage certain green methodologies out there to deliver and drive value or savings to your clients?” It is an ethic that runs throughout Greenleaf’s board members and partners.

Ron Chamberlain founded and is Chief Agronomist for Gypsoil, now a division of Beneficial Reuse Management. Gypsoil is focused on helping farmers and communities understand the value of gypsum (calcium sulfate) and its use as a soil amendment to improve soil quality and prevent nutrient runoff. Ron didn’t think sales and marketing would be his destiny—“my first job was as a fertilizer salesman,” he says, “and for me, that was an eye-opening experience.” Like other members of the Greenleaf network, Ron’s ethics and curiosity guided him towards sustainable solutions to agriculture. He grew up on a farm where the rich smell of tilled fields filled the air each season. As he worked the fields, his observations filled his mind with questions – why did corn stalks not decompose after spending two years underground? How could a soaking wet field dry out so quickly once the crust was broken? Over decades, Ron studied soil and anaerobic conditions underground – allowing him to understand what contributes to healthy soils so he could guide producers with sustainable solutions.


Ron and Darrell emphasize that farmers don’t intend to work against the environment; as Ron says, “Farmers always want to make their land better…and often times that is good for the environment.” They agree that innovations have to make economic sense. Pierre further notes that government support of a new practice and its demonstrated effectiveness is essential to soften the financial risk and get it incorporated into neighboring farms and the community.
Greenleaf’s board members and partners share a common mission of stewardship that is in many ways informed by their relationship with the land. It inspires them to improve the way we build on the land, farm it, and live.