About Us

Robert G. Johnson, known by many as Bob, was born and raised in Mauricetown, New Jersey.  Bob earned his Bachelor of Science degree in Accounting from Bob Jones University and performed graduate work at Glassboro State University.  Upon graduation, he was employed as a Senior Auditor with Price Waterhouse & Company in their New York City corporate office.  During a three year leave of absence from Price Waterhouse, Bob served in the United States Marine Corps during the Vietnam War, obtaining the rank of captain before being honorably discharged and returning to Price Waterhouse in 1973.  In 1975, he accepted a position with Gannett Co., Inc., as Director of Internal Audit.  His responsibilities included performing acquisition, financial and operational audits, and reported directly to the Board of Directors.

Bob joined the Simpson Housing Corporation in July 1979, establishing Simpson Housing’s operations in Portland, Oregon.  During this time as the Portland Managing Partner of Simpson Housing, Bob oversaw the development, construction and lease-up of thousands of apartments.  When the jointly developed properties were sold to the State of Michigan in August 1994, Bob discontinued his affiliation with Simpson Housing.

Bob founded and is President of Marathon Acquisition and Development, Inc., Marathon Construction Services, LLC and Marathon Management, Inc.  Under Bob’s leadership, Marathon has developed, constructed, leased-up and managed nearly 5,000 apartments and 160,000 square feet of commercial space.  He has successfully managed, including third-party management, as many as 5,600 apartments at a given time.

Bob is a Certified Public Accountant in Oregon, a Certified Property Manager under the auspices of the Institute of Real Estate Management, a licensed real estate broker in the States of Oregon and Washington, and is a Housing Credit Certified Professional.

Aaron Wigod joined Marathon Acquisition and Development, Inc. in 2010 and is Vice President and a shareholder.  He spends most of his time acquiring and developing multi-family and mixed-use real estate developments.  Aaron has a unique talent for developing creative partnership and financing structures for new developments or to acquire and resurrect non-performing or overleveraged properties.  He has become proficient in structuring developments with real property tax exemptions and appealing or otherwise reducing real property taxes.  Aaron also serves as general legal counsel for Marathon Acquisition & Development, Inc., Marathon Construction Services, LLC, and Marathon Management, Inc.

Prior to joining Marathon Acquisition & Development, Inc., Aaron earned his Juris Doctorate from Northwestern School of Law at Lewis & Clark College.  He practiced law for nine years, five of which were with Greene & Markley P.C. and four were at his own firm.  Aaron focused on secured and unsecured collection litigation and litigation revolving around real estate transactions and failed real estate ventures.  During this time he represented real estate developers and investors, debtors, and various types of creditors including private lenders, landlords, banks, and judgment creditors.

While practicing law, Aaron also acquired and managed several small real estate projects for his own account.  He purchased and remodeled retail commercial buildings and single family homes.  He also has significant experience purchasing real property through foreclosure and purchasing and collecting secured debt.

Scott Watt is a construction expert with experience ranging from swinging hammers to managing $100MM of construction at one time. Scott’s responsibilities include budgeting, scheduling, contracting, and overseeing on-site superintendents.

Prior to joining Marathon, Scott worked as a construction project manager and superintendent for commercial and residential construction in the greater Portland area. He has supervised the construction of thousands of apartments, tens of thousands of square feet of commercial space, and numerous apartment rehabilitations and commercial tenant improvement projects.

Sonya has worked for Marathon since 1996.  As the Controller, she is responsible for the day-to-day operation of the Corporate Accounting Department, which provides support for all of the Marathon affiliates.

Her responsibilities include cash management, HR and payroll, accounts receivable and payable, preparation of monthly financial statements and construction draws,  as well as supervision of the Accounting Department staff.  She works closely with our CPA firm to prepare the annual tax returns.   She is responsible for the preparation and submission of all financial reporting required by our Lenders.

Prior to joining Marathon, Sonya worked for several engineering firms in the capacity of Contract Administrator.