Her Story
About Emma
I've been working in commercial real estate for almost 2 years now as an assistant project manager at Cressa. I came into this field without any background in it - I was a marketing major in college - but a friend through my business fraternity was able to put me in contact with the team here. It's been challenging in a good way, and it's different every day. My goal was to be in a role where I can talk to people and help people, and sort of get out of the office and build relationships, and that's definitely something that's been a great part of this job. As an assistant project manager, I oversee a whole commercial build-out from the visioning of what you want a space to look like to ultimately moving into the space and everything in between - design, construction, furnishing the space. I handle a lot of vendor management, client-facing communication, making sure every vendor on a project is doing their part and billing responsibly, keeping up with the project timeline, and making sure the client is being communicated with throughout the duration of the project. I also do back-end things like budgeting and invoicing. I started as a project coordinator and got promoted this past March, which was about a year and a half into the industry, so that's something I'm proud of. I also received a Rising Star Award, which is given to a couple people throughout the company with less than 10 years of experience to recognize the work and relationships built. I feel like a sponge every day, even still now almost 2 years in. The culture here is amazing, and I love that I have flexibility in leaving the office - we go to sites all the time during the workdays, so I'm able to get out and go face-to-face with people. Some days I'm behind my computer all day at the office, but it's a good mix of that and going out into the field and meeting with clients, vendors, and going to construction sites. It's a busy job, but I'm never bored.
Her Interview
Ten minutes with Emma
01What do you attribute your success to?
Honestly, I've always been really independent and driven - that's just a quality that's been nailed into me since I was young. I was a dancer, so perfectionism was a big thing for us. I think it's just that drive and willingness to learn that has made the difference. I feel like a sponge every day, even still now almost 2 years in. I always say to be a sponge and try to learn everything that there is to learn, even if it's something you have no idea what it is. It's just important to, especially in a new role like this, take in everything and be driven.
02What’s the best career advice you’ve ever received?
I would always say to be a sponge and try to learn everything that there is to learn, even if it's something you have no idea what it is. It's just important to, especially in a new role like this, take in everything and be driven. Be a sponge. Even when you're working with vendors who are experts in their specific areas, it's important to let the experts do what they do best, but not be afraid to ask questions - even if it sounds stupid. I always ask a million questions to everybody. I love asking questions because that's how you learn and grow.
03What advice would you give to young women entering your industry?
My best advice - and I'm actually working with two interns this summer, so I'm trying to give them some good advice - is to work hard, but also make sure you enjoy what you're doing. It's no fun to show up to a job that you don't enjoy every day, or people that you don't get along with, so it's important to have strong career aspirations, but also respect yourself in the process, and make sure you're not losing yourself to your work, or putting yourself in an environment that you're not comfortable with. Be a sponge and take in everything, be driven, but don't sacrifice your wellbeing or happiness in the process.
04What are the biggest challenges or opportunities in your field right now?
Honestly, it's a challenge specific to this job, because we're in charge of a lot of different vendors with a lot of different areas of expertise, and it's hard to be an expert in everything. Something that I'm working on learning is letting the experts do what they do best, and then not being afraid to ask questions - even if it sounds stupid. I always ask a million questions to everybody. It's about finding that balance between managing all these different specialists while still learning from each of them and not pretending to know everything when you can't possibly be an expert in all these different areas.
05What values are most important to you in your work and personal life?
It's always important to me to foster relationships - building relationships and fostering them is important both in person and at work, because I really value my relationships with my clients and, of course, my friends and family. Especially in this line of work, it's really important to have good connections. And I always just believe in treating other people with kindness, just in general. Even if we're frustrated with a vendor, it's important to treat them with kindness. I pay attention to when people aren't acting with kindness, so it makes me want to be kind even more. These values of relationship-building and kindness guide everything I do, both professionally and personally.
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