Joseph E. Robert, Jr.*

The oldest of five siblings, Joe Robert was born in 1952 in Takoma Park, Maryland. Robert's father had several careers: he served in the U.S. Navy and sold life insurance and cars. Robert's mother helped with the family finances by working in a bridal shop. "Life was a struggle for us," said Robert. "Money was always an issue, and we were a large family living in a small space. It was loud and chaotic with lots of stress, but my mother made it warm and loving."

Pending the birth of his baby sister, the Roberts outgrew their two-bedroom apartment and moved to Silver Spring, Maryland, where they rented a small home. Eventually, they bought a house. Money and space were a constant problem, and Robert wore hand-me-down clothes and slept in a bunk bed until he was 18. At an early age, he was expected to work to help pay for his school supplies and for spending money. He had a paper route when he was 12 and sorted milk cartons at school. In high school, he worked three nights a week as a dishwasher and busboy.

A devout Catholic, Roberts spent much of his youth at his neighborhood church, playing basketball and helping with church-related activities. One of the priests became his mentor and had a strong influence on Robert and his values. "His spirit of giving had an effect on me," he said. "My father was not around very much, and I, as well as many other kids in the neighborhood, responded to his interest and kindness."

In the eighth grade, Robert entered a Catholic military high school. "It was an old school with strong traditions, and I was attracted to the structure and discipline it offered, which had always been lacking in my home life," said Roberts. At the same time, his father launched a used car business, which failed within a few months. He then took a job in the real estate industry two hours from their home in Ocean City, Maryland. "Since we didn't even own a car that could take my father to work each day, he lived in a rooming house in Ocean City throughout my high school years," said Robert.

A mischievous child, Robert had the mental ability to do well in school, but he often got himself into trouble over pranks he couldn't seem to resist. His jobs and sports involvement kept him in a constant state of exhaustion, and he was never fully engaged in the classroom. "I didn't think too much about my future," he said. "No one in my family had gone to college. I didn't live in a neighborhood of college-educated people, and I just thought I'd graduate and get a job."

Although most young people in Robert's neighborhood did not go to college, the boys at his high school did. It seemed to be a natural progression when he went away to Mount St. Mary's College in Maryland. At the end of his freshman year, however, he was expelled. "I was still up to my usual pranks, and this one actually caused some property damage," he said. "I wasn't prepared for school mentally, emotionally, or academically. The school would not allow me to return, or go to any other school for that matter, until I paid off what I owed them for the damages. My parents cut me off, and I had nowhere to go. Life became a downward spiral after that."

Robert slept in his friend's basement for three months, and when he was no longer welcome there, he went to the beach where he got a job working in construction. He slept in a hammock in a swimming pool pump room and took showers in the pool's locker room. "I tried to get back into school, but no one would take me," he recalled. "I knew that life without an education wasn't going to offer me much, and I realized I had woken up to reality too late."

Determined to pay his debt to Mount St. Mary's, he got a job as a real estate marketing representative and worked an early morning shift for United Parcel Service unloading freight trucks. He spent his nights selling encyclopedias door to door. In the fall of 1972, Robert and his father formed a company that marketed distressed condominiums for commercial banks.

For the next seven years, father and son worked together with moderate success. Robert eventually felt unchallenged in the business, however, and he and his father often disagreed on the direction the company should take. They dissolved their partnership in 1981, and Robert set up a business that would manage troubled real estate assets. He used his $10,000 in savings and a second trust on his house to get started. It took three years for JER Partners to make a profit.

Looking back over the ups and downs of his life and career, Robert advised youth to never give up. "There are as many defeats in life as there are victories," he said. "Learn from your defeats and then get back in the race. I've always been a strong believer in integrity, results, and relationships. You won't go far without these standards. Values matter. I think people bet on me because of my values, my commitment to the job, and my tenacity and perseverance."

Giving deserving youth a chance at a promising future was important to Robert, and he was honored to be involved with the Horatio Alger Association's scholarship program. "Mentorship is underestimated," he said. "If I'd had a mentor in high school, I think I would have been more productive earlier. At every turning point in my business career, there was a mentor behind the scenes with a hand on my shoulder. Now it's my turn to be there for someone else who could benefit from my experience."