Charles Lyons-Burt
Patrick Roddy is fluent in scaling mid-sized businesses for growth, expansion and acquisition. As executive vice president, chief operating officer and, eventually, president of American Facilities Professionals, his work was recognized as propelling the company to be one of the fastest-growing private organizations in the U.S. by Inc. 5000. After real estate giant CBRE acquired J&J Worldwide Services in Feb. 2024, they entrusted Roddy to lead operations for the base support and facilities maintenance provider. He was named CEO in December.
Effective now, J&J Worldwide Services has officially become CBRE Government & Defense Services. Roddy, who spent 15 years in the Army as an infantry officer, colonel and chief of staff to the Pentagon’s COO, talked to ExecutiveBiz about the company’s refreshed mission under its new ownership, its ambitions for the next decade and its goal to become “the single point of integration for CBRE’s capabilities across the full lifecycle of the built environment.”
EBiz: Where are you seeing opportunities for expansion in CBRE Government & Defense Services portfolio? What new capabilities or markets are you eyeing?
Roddy: J&J Worldwide Services, now CBRE Government & Defense Services, is actively expanding across the federal marketplace by delivering comprehensive, full lifecycle solutions for the built environment. Our services span land acquisition, planning, design, construction, operations, maintenance and final asset disposition. We combine CBRE’s global real estate expertise with decades of specialized support to defense and government agencies.
Our focus is on enabling mission-critical and high-trust environments where compliance, security and operational readiness are essential. Whether supporting military bases, federal healthcare facilities, or secure research installations, we offer both integrated service delivery and the ability to self-perform key functions. This positions us to meet federal expectations for accountability, speed and cost efficiency.
CBRE’s scale and reach are unmatched, with over 7 billion square feet under management and operations in more than 110 countries. This global footprint gives us the flexibility to support U.S. government operations wherever they are needed. Through advanced analytics, digital platforms and portfolio intelligence tools, we help federal agencies make informed decisions, reduce costs and improve facility performance.
We see continued opportunity for growth in geographies that align with U.S. strategic defense objectives, particularly in the Indo-Pacific, Europe and the Middle East. We are also investing in capabilities related to energy resilience, cyber-secure infrastructure and smart facilities, which are increasingly important to federal modernization initiatives.
By aligning CBRE’s commercial innovation with government and defense requirements, we are creating a forward-looking model for federal real estate and facilities services—secure, scalable and focused on long-term mission success.
EBiz: Where do you see CBRE Government & Defense Services in 10 years, and what are the concrete steps you have to take to get to that stage of evolution?
Roddy: The next decade will be a defining period for CBRE Government & Defense Services. We are building on a strong foundation of support to the Department of Defense and other federal agencies, and we are taking deliberate steps to move into more complex, higher-value areas of government contracting. This includes expanding into secure infrastructure, cyber-resilient facilities and contingency operations that require technical precision and operational agility.
Our long-term vision is to become the single point of integration for CBRE’s capabilities across the full lifecycle of the built environment. That means managing everything from strategic planning and land acquisition to design, construction, operations, maintenance and asset disposition. We are particularly focused on supporting high-trust, mission-critical environments that demand strict compliance, security and accountability.
To deliver at this level, we are investing in the internal systems needed to support complex contract types, including cost-plus and other cost-reimbursable structures. These contracts require robust accounting platforms, detailed cost tracking and transparent performance reporting. Upgrading these capabilities will allow us to compete for larger and more technically demanding programs across the federal space.
We are also expanding our service offerings. One example is our development of an end-to-end capability for secure facility construction, including sensitive compartmented information facilities, known as SCIFs. This will support both government and commercial clients that operate in highly secure or remote environments, and it will be backed by CBRE’s global supply chain and technical expertise.
Looking ahead, we see CBRE Government & Defense Services evolving into a global provider of integrated logistics, infrastructure and facilities support for both public and private sector clients. By combining our government contracting experience with CBRE’s commercial scale and innovation, we will be positioned to serve missions anywhere in the world, delivering outcomes that matter in the most demanding environments.
EBiz: What do you think are some of the biggest challenges facing government agencies today, and how is CBRE Government & Defense Services helping to address them?
Roddy: Government agencies today face increasing complexity, which includes tightened regulations, rising cybersecurity risks and growing expectations for resilient, efficient infrastructure. These challenges require partners who can operate confidently in highly regulated environments.
CBRE Government & Defense Services brings that capability. We have built a robust cybersecurity program that aligns with DOD’s evolving standards. We comply with DFARS clause 252.204-7012 and hold a CMMC Level 2 Certified Third-Party Assessor Organization certification. These credentials demonstrate our commitment to cybersecurity readiness, system resilience and regulatory compliance. Our infrastructure is designed to ensure that our networks and data systems meet the rigorous cybersecurity requirements necessary to support defense and federal missions.
This is not just a compliance exercise. It is a strategic investment in protecting the integrity of the services we deliver across hundreds of federal and defense installations. From secure medical campuses to classified research facilities, our work is increasingly intertwined with the secure operation of critical infrastructure.
Beyond cybersecurity, we are also focused on strengthening the physical resilience of the built environment. That includes expanding our capabilities in secure facility construction, continuity of operations planning and rapid deployment of facility and logistics support in response to both natural and manmade disruptions.
By combining operational expertise with enterprise-level resilience, CBRE Government & Defense Services is helping federal agencies and defense partners adapt to today’s most complex facility challenges. We are building the infrastructure and digital backbone required to support secure, reliable mission performance—anywhere our clients need us.
EBiz: Where are you seeing the most exciting opportunities to deliver better capabilities to our warfighters, and how are you harnessing these opportunities?
Roddy: One of the most exciting opportunities to support our warfighters is the ability to bring greater visibility, accountability and operational insight to the facilities that underpin military readiness. Defense infrastructure—ranging from operational bases to logistics hubs, medical centers and training facilities—is an essential component of high-trust environments. These assets are as critical to combat power as the platforms and personnel they support.
While battlefield commanders now benefit from real-time situational awareness of their units and assets, the same level of visibility has historically been lacking in the world of defense real estate and infrastructure. That gap is now closing.
At CBRE Government & Defense Services, we are harnessing advanced technologies, data integration tools and analytics to deliver a unified, real-time view of facility readiness and performance. Our platform helps government leaders track the condition, utilization and mission alignment of their assets, which allows them to make faster, smarter decisions about maintenance, modernization and resource allocation.
By leveraging CBRE’s global experience in facilities management and real estate technology, we are bringing commercial innovation into the defense space. This includes predictive maintenance tools, digital twins, geospatial analytics and integrated asset management systems that mirror the situational awareness capabilities used in operational theaters.
The goal is simple: ensure that those responsible for supporting the warfighter have the same level of clarity and responsiveness as those in the field. When facility managers and infrastructure leaders can see and respond to readiness gaps in real time, they can help keep missions on track and warfighters equipped, supported and protected.
In an era of complex global threats, the ability to align infrastructure performance with mission outcomes is no longer optional. It is a strategic imperative—and one we are proud to help lead.
