Veteran property managers, possibly a bit world-weary from their recent COVID struggles, might find fresh inspiration by viewing their profession through younger eyes. Talk with folks such as Brianna Drisdale, and you’ll hear such words as “passion” and “excitement” in descriptions of her chosen profession.
The 30-year-old Drisdale is so new to property management (she got her first job–with Brookfield Retail Real Estate Group–just this past January) that she hasn’t yet gained her CPM certification– although it’s definitely on her must-do list.
Drisdale’s enthusiasm for the profession is clear. But don’t mistake that enthusiasm for naivete. Since graduating Sam Houston University in 2014 with majors in media and marketing, Drisdale has been driven to put those skills to work. She’s a self-proclaimed “hustler,” who says, “The theme of my career has always been challenging myself and taking risk.”
She came to this point in her professional path by seeking out the people who could guide her, and by picking up whatever training she could along the way to further define her career. That’s how she discovered commercial real estate in the first place. After dipping her toe in the waters of media and public relations, she took a position selling houses, and got her Texas Real Estate License in 2019. It was in that position that she first heard of commercial real estate.
“It sounded new and exciting,” she says. But as she did her research, she found barriers to entry. “It was very elusive. A resume is great, but at the end of the day, you have to know someone. But I knew that, if I tried hard enough, I could break through.”
Then she attended an IREM mixer, and being the self-starter she is, began networking. “I could tell that, like other areas of real estate, these people were successful,” she says. “But they were also happy.” And, unlike other disciplines, they were very open to talk.
“For months I would take people to coffee and talk with them,” she says. “I interviewed with several companies to better understand the industry, and I found it was more exciting and inspiring than the residential real estate I was doing.” Drisdale joined her local IREM chapter in December of last year and is now a property management associate at Brookfield’s First Colony Mall in the Houston suburb of Sugar Land, Texas.
It was a perfect fit for someone who “was always passionate about retail. I mean who doesn’t love to shop and dine out? And in addition to the administrative responsibilities, the rent collections and monitoring tenant sales, I’m able to exercise my passion for people. I can reach out and touch 130-plus tenants.” She cites recent guidance to a visitor who couldn’t find the mall’s Apple store as one small example of this outreach at work.
That little story also symbolizes why property management is a fit for Drisdale. “Property management puts a face on what the consumer sees–the walls, the floors, the ceilings,” she says. “It gives it personality and character.”
But there’s also a hard-core side to this softer consideration. “We’re the face of the property, but we’re also responsible for the bottom line. We’re in charge of value. We’re the ones who marry the ‘people side’ with the overarching goals of the clients we work for.”
Drisdale’s collective passions extend far beyond the fortunes of the mall she manages. Named one of IREM Houston chapter’s 2022 Future Leaders, she’s also involved in its Community Outreach program, which is working with local groups and individuals on issues such as poverty, advancement for veterans, and COVID relief.
“I grew up in the inner city of Houston,” she says, “and my heart will always be there. It’s cool to work in a more affluent part of the city because I can take that experience and help bring inspiration for business growth to my local area.”
So new is Drisdale to the profession that future growth and a career trajectory is still not fully formed. But it’s starting to take shape. She sees herself in a leadership position, eventually. And she sees community outreach as part of whatever path she takes.
“I would love one day to reach out to the high school I attended to serve as a voice of inspiration and challenge to students,” she says, adding that her role as a property manager can help her achieve that vision. “Now that I finally have my foot in the door, there’s no telling where it can take me.”