Stephen P. Navarro leads clients beyond their expectations
By Shelia Watson, Contributing Writer

Since 1990, Stephen P. Navarro has directed the operations of The Furman Co., the Greenville, S.C.-based parent of the four businesses under its umbrella, which specialize in asset management, property development, insurance and commercial brokerage.

Now Furman’s president and sole proprietor, Navarro said taking its reins when he was only 30 years old was one of the greatest personal challenges he faced. Today the challenges are more about meeting the needs of a rapidly changing community.

“We strive to provide intellectual services to our clients on a par with what they would find in Atlanta, Washington or New York City,” Navarro said. “The recruitment, development and deployment of our human resources is our highest priority and, because of the (smaller) market size, proves to be our most critical challenge.”

Apparently the challenge is being met well with Navarro at the helm. Among the company’s biggest projects in recent years was Clemson University’s International Center for Automotive Research project, which operates on a 250-acre research campus in Greenville and is a partnership between Furman, Clemson, Microsoft, Michelin, IBM and BMW. When Furman committed $48 million in private investment funds to the project, Clemson was able to obtain research grants from the state in an equal amount.

“The key to our success has been more of a global understanding toward what the more sophisticated real estate clients need,” Navarro said. “I think our biggest successes have been the shift of our company’s culture and attitude toward business, becoming more than a corporate advisory firm.”

In considering his achievements, Navarro said he is proud of the company’s growth and diversity during the past 10 years.

“We have evolved into a true intellectual advisory services firm where the selling, leasing and managing of real estate is the product of our advice and consultation to our clients,” he said. “The majority of our revenues are now derived from corporate and institutional real estate users and owners.”

Navarro, who grew up in Southern California and received a business degree from California State University-Fullerton, is a Counselor of Real Estate, a professional membership designation established in 1953 for leading real property advisers. He is a member of the executive committee for the Counselors of Real Estate, is a past chairman of the CRE Education Committee and is chairman of the Business Issues Committees.

In 2006, Navarro was named a fellow of the London, England-based Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors, a global standards organization for professionals involved in land, property, construction and environmental issues.

Navarro is involved in the Urban Land Institute, serving as chairman of the Upstate Region for South Carolina District Council.

His basic work philosophy is direct and focused: “To constantly be re-creating our services to meet a changing environment. To strive to deliver, not to be successful in this environment, but rather, in the environment that we will face tomorrow. That means normal or typical expectations are not good enough.”

Above all, he said, providing leadership is a critical factor for success in business.

“Leaders don’t create followers; they create more leaders,” Navarro said.