Will Roberts II: Denver Board of Realtors president follows father's lead as groundbreaker.

• Author: Bronikowski, Lynn
• Position: EXECUTIVE [edge]

When Will Roberts II was sworn in this fall as the first African-American president of the Denver Board of Realtors he thought how proud his father-the late William Roberts, a former Denver City councilman and deputy mayor under Federico Pena--would be.

"I saw my dad as Superman; I hung on his arm when I was growing up," said Roberts, a 14-year veteran of the real estate industry. "He instilled in me a sense of compassion and to have patience in certain situations."

In today's tough real estate market, such virtues couldn't be more important, said Roberts who insists there are some bright spots in Denver's housing market--such as lower inventories and a decrease in the number of days houses are on the market.

"Denver is poised to lead the nation out of this crisis," said Roberts, who is serving a one-year term as president of 120-year-old organization with 3,800 members. "To be in a leadership position in the industry during this challenging time is a blessing, a privilege."

Roberts learned about civic leadership at an early age--marching side by side with his father in Martin Luther King Day parades to City Park and to a statue of Martin Luther King Jr., in part paid for by his father, who took out a second mortgage on the family home to help pay for it. He recalls handing out turkeys to needy families during holidays and cleaning up the neighborhood by plucking empty bottles from the bushes of a neighborhood liquor store.

"When you're doing all this, you don't realize the good you're doing at the time," said Roberts, 39, a 1988 graduate of Mullen High School, who would go to work for his family business, Empire Construction. "I grew up in the construction business - early on I'd grab a broom...