John M. Tess

President

John M. Tess is president and founder of Heritage Consulting Group. He is a nationally recognized expert on real estate redevelopment and historic preservation issues, especially in the area of incentive programs for the rehabilitation of historic properties. 

John began his career in 1975 in Portland, Oregon, as a program assistant to the Portland Historic Landmarks Commission.  He then became Grants Manager and Tax Incentive Specialist for the State of Oregon Historic Preservation Office.  In this capacity he managed all federal pass-through grants-in-aid funds that provided matching grants for historic preservation development projects and preservation-related planning projects in the State of Oregon. 

In 1982, John established Heritage Consulting Group to provide historic preservation consulting to the real estate industry. John is a leading expert on the redevelopment of historic buildings.  In the course of a 25-year career focusing on the preservation and rehabilitation of real estate, John has earned a reputation for providing skilled guidance to clients. 

John is a board member of Preservation Action, the National Trust for Historic Preservation, the National Housing and Rehabilitation Association, as well as many other organizations.  In 2007 he was appointed by Governor Theodore Kulongoski to Oregon's Task Force on Historic Property, and was elected its chair. The task force will evaluate the state's Special Assessment program and provide recommendations. He was also asked by First Lady Laura Bush to participate in Preserve America, a national summit to review historic preservation in the United States and to offer strategic direction moving forward in the 21^st century.  John frequently speaks at conferences headed by both public and private sectors.