By Bob Simons, managing partner, Hartman Simons
At Hartman Simons, we are proud these days of partner, Lori Kilberg, who is making a difference in the Atlanta real estate community — and getting noticed for it! Last fall, she was elected as the 2011 President of the Atlanta Chapter of Commercial Real Estate Women (CREW). An organization committed to elevating women to positions of power and influence in the real estate industry, CREW-Atlanta members represent a variety of disciplines within the commercial real estate market. With approximately 300 members, the local group ‘s membership includes many of Atlanta CRE’s power players. Lori’s election is truly a testament to her leadership and reputation in the field.
As a woman who has spent her career in a male-dominated business, Lori is passionate about the organization’s goal to help women advance their careers in commercial real estate. In her letter to CREW members and supporters, Lori articulates the organization’s goal of “Building Relationship to Build Business.” CREW’s monthly luncheons, seminars and classes are resources to help CREW members capitalize on the limited opportunities in the current market and position themselves to excel as leaders in the industry. Beyond her commitment to women, Lori is focused on the success of the entire commercial real estate industry. Therefore, it is exciting to see her being recognized in several publications.
In early February, a picture of Lori at CREW‘s January Economic Forecast luncheon appeared in the Atlanta Business Chronicle. Bisnow Atlanta also showcased Lori’s smile in a photo taken at the February CREW luncheon (which featured a program about one of Lori’s particular areas of expertise, adaptive reuse). My favorite coverage though, has been The Atlanta Journal-Constitution’s Up Close piece about Lori in early March. Lori has survived three commercial real estate recessions during her career. The article featured Lori’s perspective on how the recent recession has affected the long-term Atlanta real estate market. I know I am hardly the only one who found her comments insightful. Here’s an excerpt from what she had to say about Atlanta:
“I think we’ve just gotten older. … We’re not the young, new, brash city anymore that is growing by leaps and bounds every time you turn around. We’ve had some incredible growth spurts, and I am not by any means saying that the growth days are over. They’re not. They will come back, but they will be more measured. That’s really the lesson here. We need to be a little smarter, a little more careful. You can’t just build things for the sake of building them thinking that they will be occupied. You really need to do your homework.”
Way to go, Lori! We are proud to have you on the Hartman Simons team and happy you are getting the recognition you deserve!