George C. Charbonneau

George Charles Charbonneau, SIOR, CRE of Indianapolis passed away peacefully at age 88 on January 13th, 2020 in hospice with the support of his family and his wife of 64 years, Linda (Whitney). George was the much-loved father of sons and daughters-in-law Milt (Elizabeth) of Princeton, NJ, Andrew (Sara Bodenmiller) of Indianapolis, and Dan of Washington; and adored grandfather of Whitney Charbonneau of San Francisco and Andrew and Anna Charbonneau of Indianapolis. George was born in Ormond Beach, FL and grew up in Dayton, OH, attending Stivers High School and was an Eagle Scout. He received a degree in Horticulture from The Ohio State University where he was a member of Tau Kappa Epsilon Fraternity and ROTC. He met Linda there and they were wed in Charleston, WV. After college he spent two years as a Captain in the Air Force stationed in Great Falls, MT before moving to Indianapolis. There, George launched a 59-year career in commercial real estate at the F.C. Tucker Company, joining a team of industrial brokers that impacted Indianapolis significantly. Among his early clients at the Tucker Company were Purina Corporation, Stokely Van Camp, and Inland Container Corp. George became active in the Society of Industrial Realtors (SIR), the elite group of commercial brokers making nationally significant transactions on behalf of users and developers of space via the network known for its’ code of ethics and standards of practice. In 1986, he was elected International President of the organization, now the Society of Industrial and Office Realtors (SIOR). George was known nationwide for his affable manner, terrible jokes, and ability to provide intimate counsel on both transactional and corporate matters. He took part in writing a textbook that eventually became the framework that still serves as the prerequisite for admission into SIOR and then proceeded to teach these methods and practices to hundreds of new practitioners. Within the company, George took on the hiring of a new generation of brokers, many of whom are active today. They remember him as a master of attracting and cultivating young talent. As Indianapolis grew into the 1970s and 80s, George and the Industrial Team completed transactions that would lay the foundations for the economic drivers of the city today. In 1980, George conceived a one-day conference - The STATE of Real Estate - that would bring data and anecdote to bear on an overview of the Greater Indianapolis real estate market. Mr. Charbonneau’s contributions are acknowledged by the George C. Charbonneau Leadership and Productivity Award given annually by Cushman & Wakefield’s Indianapolis office to brokers who exemplify these traits. George served as President of the Horticultural Society at Newfields; the Ensemble Music Society and Woodstock Club. He was a member of Players Club, and an elder of Second Presbyterian Church. He will be remembered for his encyclopedic knowledge of plants, his support of The Ohio State Buckeye Football Team, and for leading multiple epic trips through his beloved Haleakala Crater on Maui, Hawaii. In lieu of flowers, the family requests that donations be made to Horticultural Society of Newfields, Garden Fund. A celebration of George’s life will be held on Saturday, March 7th at 1:00 pm, Second Presbyterian Church, 7700 North Meridian Street, Indianapolis, IN 46260.