John Guba

John Guba

John Guba is a long-standing Greater Philadelphia Chapter member that many of us know him by his warm and friendly personality as well as his funny anecdotes. John views himself as a very approachable and is well known throughout the Philadelphia real estate community as someone who will help you if he can.

Guba finds his CoreNet Global membership to be a valuable resource to his primary business function of managing real estate and the value of his membership over the years has been immeasurable. Simply stated, “It’s the people. You have to talk to people in this business. You have to network in order to learn what is going on in this business.” Guba credits CoreNet Global with providing resources and people who, over the 24 years he has been growing in his positions, have helped him so he doesn’t have to constantly re-invent the wheel. Learning and growth have been very important to Guba over the years — he began his career as a Clinical Pathologist.

The company quickly saw that Guba was not the typical scientist, and moved him to Administrative Services, to work with people. His first task in his position was to shut down a Revlon site in Tuckahoe, New York. He was instrumental in relocating 1,500 people from Tuckahoe to Fort Washington, Pennsylvania. Subsequently they asked him to manage one million square feet of space at a facility in Collegeville, Pennsylvania. He was suddenly faced with a project to fit-out much needed laboratory and office space, complete with furnishings. From this point forward, the company came to know Guba as the person who can make it work.

Following the successful completion of the Collegeville project and now with two major real estate projects under his belt, Guba was asked to oversee the space requirements for the firm’s Corporate Headquarters in King of Prussia, Penn.

Guba is responsible for 140 sites, 100 domestic and 40 international. In his 24-year career with the company, John has worked for Revlon (US firm), Roher (US firm), Rhone-Poulanc which then merged with Hoechst (German firm) and later became Adventis (French firm), then the Plasma division of Adventis, Adventis Behrig, which this past April sold to CSL Ltd., an Australian firm. CSL Limited bought Adventis and named the new company ZLB Behring. Today, Guba works for ZLB Behring, the world’s largest plasma company ahead of Baxter and Bayer.

ZLB Behring resides in approximately 100 plasma collection centers in 40 states throughout the United States. ZLB Behring plans to consolidate 32 of the centers with hopes to realize a $100 million savings. The reduction of plasma collection sites is a current trend in the industry as both Baxter and Bayer are also reducing the number of sites in their portfolios.

Guba is now faced with the challenge of reducing the number of sites and employees. My job is to make sure that the 9,500 employees ZLB Behring world-wide continue to receive great customer service from my department.” So how difficult is it to consolidate 32 sites across the country?

“Not too hard to do,” Guba states, “most of the properties are leased. We can sell what we own, and sublet the other sites. In terms of equipment, furniture, fixtures, etc., we will bring in a third-party vendor and ask them to liquidate everything.”

“At King of Prussia, of our 143,000 square feet of space, we will retain 75,000 square feet.” His team will look for someone to sublet the remainder of the space, fully furnished. If the company then decides to relocate to another area, Guba will investigate the Keystone Opportunity Zones, but he notes that the company will need to consider the human factor and where people are living and how they commute to work.

The area of caring about the people first is a constant theme with Guba. He believes in people and gives them an opportunity to learn and grow. “People don’t work for me,” calmly explained, “they work with me.” With over 24 years experience planning and developing space for employees, Guba calls upon that first fit-out project in Collegeville.

“People need room for their stuff,” he said, “when fitting out space, I make sure that the employees have a place to hang their coat and to put their personal belongings. When fitting out the King of Prussia location I made sure that the workstations were 80 square feet per person, instead of the former 64 square feet per station.”

Guba makes it a point the employees of the company. Although he would probably still make a great Clinic Pathologists, his 25 published papers on that topic can attest to that, the employees and individuals who have worked with Guba are most likely grateful to the human resource person, who saw his talent and his ability to be a people person. The Philadelphia Chapter of CoreNet Global is proud to have among its members the Connecticut Yankee in King of Prussia!

M.H. Flick is a member of the Philadelphia Chapter of CoreNet Global.