The Dolben
Difference
We are the Dolben Company — a dynamic real estate firm, with a family inspired culture, developing and managing best-in-class […]
MoreWith great sadness, The Dolben Company, Inc. announces the passing of our Chairman, Donald C. Dolben. He was a visionary, mentor, friend, and partner. We will miss his steady guiding hand, his sage advice, and his deep love for this company. Here at DOLBEN, we will continue his legacy following the standards and integrity he demonstrated throughout his life, personal and professional.
Don started his professional career as a door-to-door salesman for Fuller Brush, then got a job selling toothpaste and other toiletries for Procter & Gamble in upstate NY. Don joined the family real estate business in 1961 and he remained active here until his death. Determination, combined with inspiration and a lot of perspiration marked his early career at DOLBEN as a commercial real estate broker. Cognizant that success in brokerage was cyclical, he decided to redirect the company focus from brokerage to multifamily acquisition and management – that vision began the transformation of The Dolben Company into what it is today.
Stewardship, performance, and loyalty – to clients, residents, and employees – are the core values Don embodied and passed down to future generations. His vision and leadership transformed The Dolben Company, Inc. from a small brokerage, appraisal, and management business serving commercial properties in downtown Boston, to a regional developer and manager of multifamily communities. His integrity and commitment to stewardship led to lasting relationships with investors in the ventures he sponsored. As a leader on non-profit boards, Don championed teamwork, fundraising, and the achievement of possibilities often unimaginable to others. He has shared his time and expertise with the Greater Boston Real Estate Board, UST Corp, Suffolk Franklin Savings Bank and Mutual Savings Bank, Fisher College, Northfield Mount Hermon School, and the Appalachian Mountain Club. In each role, he brought the aspiration of ideas that most others thought impossible to attain. He challenged each group to better achieve their missions. Those who served with him know he never came to a meeting just to listen or just to be seen.
Don will be deeply missed and fondly remembered by his family, the DOLBEN family and all those he met and inspired during his long life.