John serves as Chair of the Fred A. and Barbara M. Erb Family Foundation. He was the 2019 recipient of the Russell G. Mawby award for philanthropy.

The mission of the Erb Family Foundation, a $300 million foundation headquartered in Royal Oak, Mich., is to advance an environmentally healthy and culturally vibrant metropolitan Detroit and a flourishing Great Lakes ecosystem.

John began working at Erb Lumber as a stock boy at the age of 12 and progressed through all aspects of the business over his 38 years with the company. His last position was Vice President of Retail Operations. A graduate of the University of Denver, John serves on the boards of the Community Foundation for Southeast Michigan, Detroit Zoological Society and The Nature Conservancy. He also serves on the Board of Governors for the Cranbrook Institute of Science. At the University of Michigan, he serves on the Strategic Advisory Council for the Erb Institute for Sustainable Enterprise, and the Advisory Board for the Graham Environmental Sustainability Institute. Past boards include the Council of Michigan Foundations, Cranbrook Educational Community, Detroit Public Television, Stratford Festival, and Bank of Birmingham.