Jay Russo
Founder, Boston Common Solutions
Jay Russo grew up in Boston where he learned from his family the
importance of community commitment and government involvement.
His family runs a small business and his grandfather was
involved with city politics. From a young age, he was taught the
importance of investing in the community and being engaged in
the local government process. Through the years, he has
continued to make both community vision and local politics part
of his life.
Jay founded Boston Common Solutions with these
values in mind. With more than 15 years of experience in the
development, government and construction industries, Jay has a
strong insight into the entire building and development process.
Over the years, Jay has been able to create and maintain
relationships within these industries. He has always made
teamwork a priority and has a keen eye for people’s strengths
and how to build the most effective team to accomplish any given
task.
Most recently, Jay was the Vice President, Business
Development with Suffolk Construction. During that time, he was
able to help start up the Government and Aviation Division of
the company.
Prior to that, Jay was a Development Associate at
Trammel Crowe Residential where he oversaw the construction and
successful lease-up of 240 rental apartment units for a 40B
residential project in Pembroke, MA.
Jay spent more than 12 years at Boston City Hall and knows the inner workings of city
government and how to get things done. He held the position of
BRA Deputy Director for Development Review and oversaw a staff
of more than a dozen project managers.
While there, Jay was
responsible for the overseeing of all real estate development
projects in the City of Boston. As a member of the Director’s
senior staff, Jay provided input and served on various
committees to advise the Director on policy issues in the area
of planning and economic development.
Jay was the Project Director for the Boston Convention and Exhibition Center as well
as the Intergovernmental Liaison for the BRA.
Jay started his career as part of Mayor Menino’s original advance team. During
that time, Jay was able to staff Presidential and state visits,
attend numerous events with the mayor, and coordinate logistics
for the Mayor’s State of the City Addresses.
A graduate of Stonehill College, Jay currently resides in West Roxbury with
his wife, Nicole, and their two daughters.
