Mr. Jenkins earned his Bachelor of Arts degree, magna cum laude, from KentState University in 1963, followed by his law degree, with distinction, fromthe University of Michigan in 1966. Upon graduating, he joined the Columbus,Ohio law firm Vorys, Sater, Seymour and Pease LLP, where he practiced until1971. He then became the First Assistant Attorney General (Chief of Staff) forWilliam J. Brown, the longest-serving Ohio Attorney General. In 1975, Mr.Jenkins returned to Vorys, where he continued his legal career until hisretirement in 2006.
Throughout his legal career, Mr. Jenkins specialized in real estatedevelopment, playing a key role in major multiuse projects such as CapitalSouth, a Columbus urban mall with one million square feet of retail and officespace; Easton Town Center, a development exceeding 10 million square feet ofmixed-use space; and Polaris Center of Commerce, which included atwo-million-square-foot upscale mall, additional retail and office space, andhospitality venues. His client roster included The Casto Group, Capital SouthCommunity Urban Development Corporation, The Solove Group, Polaris Partners,and Mid-States Development Real Estate Corporation.
Beyond real estate, Mr. Jenkins was instrumental in raising capital forapartment projects, office buildings, and retail developments, often serving asthe managing member of these ventures. His expertise extended to mergers andacquisitions, financing transactions, securities offerings, and corporate law,where he represented venture capital firms and real estate developers. He alsoco-founded and was a major shareholder in Fleagane Enterprises, Inc., whichdeveloped, owned, and operated 20 Wendy’s restaurants in Connecticut andMassachusetts. Additionally, he played a pivotal role in founding and financingnumerous emerging companies, such as Manta Media, Inc., Foresight Corporation,3GTMS, and Pacejet Logistics, Inc., serving on their boards and acting as legalcounsel.
Mr. Jenkins was actively involved in professional, civic, and politicalorganizations throughout his career. He was a member of the American BarAssociation, the Ohio State Bar Association, and the Columbus Bar Association.His civic contributions included leadership roles with the United Way and theColumbus Foundation, where he chaired the Business Development AdvisoryCommittee. He also served on the Kent State University Board of Trustees andthe National Athletic Development Council. His philanthropic efforts included alead gift for the Jenkins Student-Athlete Academic Resource Center, whichopened in 1980 and has since been expanded multiple times. In recognition ofhis contributions, he was inducted into the Kent State Athletic Hall of Fame in2019.
Following his retirement from law, Mr. Jenkins became the managing member ofDEC Land Co. I LLC (DEC), a real estate development firm focused on residentialand retail projects. Among its key developments is Carriage Trails, a 700-acremaster-planned community in Huber Heights, Ohio. DEC developed 1,425single-family lots, selling 1,333 to major homebuilders, including NVR, Inc.(Ryan Homes), Fischer Homes, and D.R. Horton-Indiana, LLC, the largesthomebuilder in the U.S. The project also included land sales for 450 apartmentunits and a 101-unit senior assisted living facility.
Beyond real estate, Mr. Jenkins invests in private companies, including QQESummit, LLC, which operates a quartz manufacturing facility for computer chips,and Forge Racks & Dunnage, a packaging manufacturer supplying shippingcontainers to major automobile companies such as Honda, General Motors,Chrysler, and Toyota.
