I was a commercial real estate asset manager for a life company investor. I was responsible for a portfolio that had all types of CRE properties in them. Plus I had different types of owners I worked with from general accounts to pension funds, to foreign and domestic partnerships. Progressing out of asset management [an early retirement] into brokerage was the natural progression in my career. Fact is I was working for a commercial construction company before I was an asset manager and they wanted me to work on Mother's day which was also my Mom's Birthday. No way was I going to not be home on her day. So I spent that afternoon looking through the newpaper job ads and on Monday I made the call and they hired me. The rest is history.

Commercial real estate is dealing with a variety of factors right now. Construction costs are affecting every single transaction, be it a lease, purchase, BTS, development, redevelopment, renovation, etc. That together with a tight lending environment, interest rates, planning and zoning, code compliance, unusual requirements, are all contributing to today's challenges. But we have been here before and those who have weathered it, will do so again. Those who have not can learn from those that have.

As an asset manager, one firm. As a broker, 4, but while with the same people, we changed brands, so that may be considered 3. Every single brokerage firm has its pros and cons. And the meaning of each is personal to the broker and the firm. As our careers evolve so do those pros and cons. Key factors in commercial include resources. What does the company pay for and what does the broker pay for. Then do you receive a draw? What is your split, are there any additional fees i.e. membership, E&O, royalty, etc. And how are inbound potential leads handled. Are they automatically split with the house 50/50 regardless of where the broker is in their annual split level? Is there support? Does the brokerage firm offer mentorship, education, support staff as well as company support. The answer to these questions can be the pros and cons. The best thing a new agent can do is have one on one conversations with other agents, brokers from different firms and decide which firm fits that agent's needs in their current phase of their career. For me as a veteran in the CRE industry some pros and some cons for one agent may be different for me because of where I am in my career.

I have received awards from within the various firms I have been with over the years. Too many to recall or detail. Fact is they are internal awards based on the then production. Career to date I am at about $1B in transactions. That includes about 4M+ SF in office, 4M+ SF of retail, a mere 2M+ SF in industrial, about 4500 units in apartments, several hundred acres of land, a few senior facilities projects, hotels, even a country club. I was awarded a St. Louis - Titan 100 award in 2022. But the best award and professional achievement is my longevity in this commercial industry. Being a female in a very male dominated industry. And when a client thanks me for all I do for them. Or saving a client from disaster. i.e. A client wanted to buy a building. I did an in depth analysis showing them future capital needs and risks that convinced them that the purchase would be a really bad idea. I in a sense did my job but lost out on a $65K commission. But they had a below market lease, like 4 + times less than market. I negotiated a new lease, still below market. In fact when their long term lease expires they will still be below today's market rents and methods. Their realizing what I did and how I showed them the best solutions was a better award that I could be given from a company.

Probably when my clients express appreciation for my services. The best moments is when the client's needs are met. Maybe years ago when I had to convince a committee of foreign investment partners to approve a $45K marketing budget and they approved it. And when our absolute net effective rent as the result of that marketing effort increased from $2.38 PSF to $7.68 PSF.

Considering that I started in this industry when we did not have computers, technology has come far. But commercial is very different than residential. It is business to business vs business to consumer. We do not have one single resource like the MLS, in fact we do not use the MLS. I have thus far 17 different resources, both paid and free for info, databases, research tools, analysis tools, plus all of my relationships in the industry and actually intellectual resources are the most valuable. If a CRE broker does not understand the resources and how to use them for the benefit of their clients, they are really not servicing their client well. It is essential that the essentials are known and used as well. It is a vast well that we draw from.

Not that important, at least in commercial. 100% of my business is from existing and repeat clients, as well as from my business to business network. I also receive a huge number of referrals from residential agents and also commercial clients from all sorts of RE firms. Those referrals are because of word of mouth impression of me as a seasoned CRE broker. That is the valuable review.

As a 20+ year veteran as a CRE asset manager I bring that understanding to the table. I understand why asset managers agree or disagree with terms. I also have been CRE broker for over 30 years and together that brings 50 years of knowledge, understanding, analysis, experience and expertise in the CRE industry to best serve their needs. I take the time to educate. It is not uncommon for me to in a sense conduct "Commercial Real Estate 101, 201, 301" type "classes" when I communicate and reply to my client's questions. I have a plethora of resources together with my relationships with my peers in the commercial real estate industry. I think outside of the box, looking for solutions and I am flexible to my client's needs.