Her Story
About Lauren
Lauren Gronna has been working in commercial real estate, specifically the self-storage sector, for eight years. She began her career right out of college in marketing at her current company, where she managed the website, SEO, and SEM for what was then a small family office with 15 employees. Her role quickly evolved into revenue strategy, where she collaborated with the CEO on pricing, strategic discounting, and rent increases across a portfolio that grew from 17 to 60 properties. After a period working on the international sales team at Fiji Water focusing on revenue optimization, she returned to the company to handle acquisitions of commercial real estate properties for self-storage development and purchase, a role she has held for four years. Gronna earned her BA degree from Loyola Marymount University in 2015 and maintains active involvement in the Women in Self Storage National Group, the Young Leaders and Self Storage Group, and the LMU Alumni Real Estate Group. She attributes her success to strong mentors and values integrity above all in both professional negotiations and personal interactions.
Her Interview
Ten minutes with Lauren
01What do you attribute your success to?
I attribute my success to strong mentors throughout my career who have guided me.
02What’s the best career advice you’ve ever received?
The power of having a network no matter where people are at in their career. The importance of getting to know people at all stages of the profession because you never know what that relationship might lead to, you never know who people are going to become, and you never know what doors might open.
03What advice would you give to young women entering your industry?
Finding a really good company you can grow at is more important than the role itself. Whether you're starting out in a role that isn't necessarily your top choice, if you have a seat at the table at a company that you're very proud to work for and that's experiencing good growth, you'll find your path. Finding a company that really aligns with your values and where you want to be long-term is more important than anything.
04What are the biggest challenges or opportunities in your field right now?
The biggest challenges are external pressures from inflation and geopolitical factors driving up costs, oversupply, and softened demand due to the housing market. The greatest opportunities are long-term steady growth, increasing demand, and the reliability of the asset class.
05What values are most important to you in your work and personal life?
Integrity is the biggest value. Whether you're negotiating a transaction or having a candid conversation with someone at a happy hour, your personal reputation precedes itself, and maintaining your integrity across the board is probably the most important because at the end of the day you are your own advocate.
Join Influential Women and start making an impact. Register now.