People & Companies: ‘A truly remarkable person’

The HRE sector mourns the loss of mentor, colleague and friend Tony Scrivner

By John B. Mugford

Last week, HREI™ reported the sudden and unexpected death of Toby Scrivner, a gregarious, quick-with-a-smile and well-known professional who had been involved in the healthcare real estate (HRE) industry for nearly two decades.

Soon after the news of his passing at age 59 from a heart attack, the accolades began pouring in from HRE professionals across the country in the form of comments on Mr. Scrivner’s LinkedIn page, as well as calls, texts and emails to HREI.

As it happens, Mr. Scribner passed away Monday, Sept. 14, just before last week’s InterFace HRE conference in Dallas, giving attendees an opportunity to express their shock and grief in person – and to share fond reminiscences about not only about his professional career, but also who he was as a person.

Before one of the conference panel discussions, Richard “Rich” Kelley, executive VP of the InterFace Conference Group, said, “I want to acknowledge the shocking and extremely sad passing of Toby Scribner of Northmarq. Toby was very well known and extremely well liked in this industry… This is our 17th year of holding this event, and I think Toby was here year one, and pretty much every year after that, often road-tripping down from Tulsa (Okla.) with colleagues in a van or even an RV.

“Like everyone else, I almost fell off my chair when I heard the news of Toby’s passing. He was a bright light in this industry, and in life, and he will be sorely, sorely missed.”

Mr. Kelley concluded his remarks by asking the conference attendees to observe a moment of silence for Mr. Scribner and his family.

‘Gregarious, full of life’

Mr. Scrivner was the Tulsa-based senior VP and director of the National Healthcare Group for Northmarq, one of the country’s largest privately held real estate firms.

After starting his career in surgical sales, Mr. Scrivner joined Tulsa-based Stan Johnson Company, a commercial real estate firm, in 2006 and established the company’s first team of professionals dedicated solely to the sale of net-leased healthcare investment properties. The firm was acquired by Minneapolis-based Northmarq in late 2022.

During his 15 years with Stan Johnson Company, he completed more than 400 real estate transactions, and throughout his career, he and his team were involved in more than $1 billion of HRE sales.

Northmarq, in its description of Mr. Scrivner’s role at the firm, said that by “continuously monitoring the trends and changes within this unique niche of the net-lease market, Toby has proven himself as a knowledgeable resource to owners and buyers of healthcare properties.”

A U.S. Navy veteran, Mr. Scriver served in the Gulf War in the early 1990s and was a member of the Foundation for Ambulatory Surgery in American Physician Hospitals of America, the American Legion, the Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW) and the U.S. Naval Institute.

In a Sept. 15 post on his LinkedIn page, his Northmarq colleagues wrote: “Our hearts are broken as we share the devastating and completely unexpected loss of our loved one Toby Scrivner. His passing was so sudden and shocking – 59 years old, healthy and taken from us by a massive heart attack.

“He was one of those rare people who seem to know everyone and made friends wherever he went. Gregarious, full of life and always ready for the next adventure he truly lived live to the fullest. He had friends all over the world and left an impression on everyone lucky enough to know him.

“We are still trying to comprehend that he is gone. We are grateful for the many wonderful memories and for all the people who loved him. This is such a devastating loss. Life is precious and far too short. He will be deeply missed and forever remembered.”

Mentor, colleague and friend

Christian Vaughn, senior VP with the Net Lease Capital Markets Healthcare team with Northmarq, tells us that he considered Mr. Scrivner to be an “early visionary” in the HRE sector.

Mr. Vaughan, who calls Mr. Scrivner both a friend and mentor, notes that when Mr. Scrivner joined Stan Johnson Company in 2006, “healthcare real estate had yet to be established, but Toby chose to specialize in an emerging product type with strong macro tailwinds behind it.

“At a time when many in CRE (commercial real estate) brokerage were focused on being generalists, he saw the value in specialization, (and) he quickly became known as the net-lease healthcare real estate guy. He was a part of the early few that could sense where the puck was going … and he developed what would become one of the most-respected healthcare net-lease platforms in the industry.”

Ryan Roedersheimer, senior VP with Northmarq’s National Shopping Center Group, wrote: “To know Toby was to love and admire him. Even from a distance, it was clear that he understood something we are all reminded of in moments like this: Life is a precious gift, never to be taken for granted. He truly lived life to the fullest, always giving of himself to those around him and leaving a lasting impact on everyone he encountered.

‘Toby embodied the spirit of what drew me to (Stan Johnson Company) in 2019 – a genuine commitment to people, generosity and living with purpose. I pray that his family and friends find comfort and peace in the midst of such a sudden and heartbreaking loss. We lost a truly remarkable person in Toby Scrivner.”

Jeff Cox, executive managing director with Northmarq, noted that Mr. Scrivner’s “professional achievements were many, and he was known and respected throughout the healthcare real estate industry. He also served his country with distinction in the U.S. Navy. But the truth is, we just loved Toby because he was Toby.”

More praise, accolades

As of this writing, more than 130 clients and colleagues had commented on Mr. Scrivner’s LinkedIn page.

James A. Schmid III, formerly the chief investment officer and managing partner with Charlottesville, Va.-based Anchor Health Properties, wrote: “Toby was one of the most positive and pleasant people I’ve interacted with in my career. We did a good amount of business together over the years. He seemed to never have a bad day, which is really hard to pull off! Someone you’d want to be around and enjoy the moment. A can’t-miss presence at conferences and a leader in the healthcare real estate industry. Will miss him tremendously. RIP.”

Shane Seitz, senior investment officer with Chicago-based Ventas Inc. (NYSE: VTR), noted: “Devastating news, but all of these comments show how wonderful of a human he was to so many of us both professionally and personally. He had an amazing resume, but so many of us will remember him for who he was as a person and the ways that he would lift us up and make us all feel supported and important. Healthcare real estate was just a part of his life, and as others have said, he lived his life, which we all should strive to do more!”

Thomas W. “Tommy” Tift III, executive VP, management, with Dallas-based Lincoln Property Company and the longtime president and CEO of HealthAmerica Realty Group, wrote that Mr. Scrivner was “one of the Good Guys. A close friend, and confidant … one of the best in our industry, gone way, way too soon. Love you, brother.”

To read more LinkedIn comments, please click here.

‘For Toby, the journey mattered’

Mr. Scrivner’s obituary notes that “while his professional accomplishments were significant, they tell only part of Toby’s story. Toby was, quite simply, one of the funniest people you could ever meet. He had an incredible sense of humor and an effortless ability to make people laugh. Whether it was a perfectly timed comment, an outrageous story, some harmless mischief, or simply Toby being Toby, laughter was rarely far behind. His quick wit, larger-than-life personality, and ability to find humor in almost any situation made him unforgettable.”

It goes on to state that “for Toby, the journey mattered. He embraced the places he went, the people he met and the experiences along the way. Behind the successful businessman, Navy veteran, world traveler, adventurer, storyteller and comedian was something even more important: Toby loved deeply.”

On a personal level, Mr. Vaughn, who was part of Mr. Scrivner’s team at Stan Johnson and Northmarq, says that Mr. Scrivner “changed the trajectory of my career. I worked with Toby since 2016, when he hired me to join his growing healthcare investment sales team at Stan Johnson Company, which grew to seven team members under his leadership.

“What stands out to me about Toby was his generous spirit and sincere care for the people and clients in his life. Toby taught me one of the most important professional lessons, to value relationships over transactions. Charming, gregarious, and quick to be your friend, it was genuinely hard to find someone who didn’t like Toby. He welcomed me and so many others into his chosen family, and he made us feel like we fully belonged in it.”

He adds that Mr. Scrivner was “brave, resilient and relentlessly optimistic. It was hard to find a deal too difficult to deter him, as he often took on tough assignments for a client that others would’ve turned down. He looked for solutions, whether it was in commercial real estate, relationships, or life, Toby believed there was always a path forward.”

‘I’ll be ready to ride!’

Mr. Scrivner’s zest for life was on full display last October, as he wrote on his LinkedIn page that he had “completed a trip that has been a bucket list adventure for me since 2014. Called ‘Rode to Everest,’ the adventure involved riding motorcycles through Nepal and Tibet over a 14-day period, riding some of the most amazing switchbacks, riding over the highest road in the world, supposedly, and staying a night at the Mt. Everest base camp on the Tibet side of the mountain.”

He added: “While the consequences seem too high a cost to some, the rewards for making it through an adventure like this far outweigh the costs. The perspective gained, the awareness of your ability to persevere, the friendships made along the way, and the opportunity to stand before the highest peak in the world and to watch the night sky disappear as the sun rises over Everest, those memories will invigorate and inspire me for the rest of my life.”

Noting that despite completing the arduous ride, he was still far from having actually climbed Mount Everest.

“I recognized just how much additional preparation would be needed, if I decided that the top of Everest was to become my goal. I had achieved a goal that few others will get to experience in life. Here I was at the base which seems close, but then realizing how very far away I was from making it to the top.

“Sometimes our career goals and aspirations can have similarities to this realization. They may seem close to the summit, but in reality, they are not. Enjoy the reward of any goals set and achieved, then be honest with yourself in what will be required of you when the next goal is to go higher.

“As for me, when they put in a road that allows me to ride the motorcycle to the summit, I’ll be ready to ride!”

Mr. Scrivner is survived by his son, Zachary; his mother, Carol Niceley; his sister, Tammy Westermier; his brother, Todd Henderson; his girlfriend, Dannelle Newnam; and Zachary’s mother, Kim Scrivner. Services are pending.

To read Mr. Scrivner’s obituary, which includes even more insight into who he was as a person and his remarkable life, please click here. ❏