They are called lazy, narcissistic, entitled. Nevertheless, Millennials are the largest and most educated generation in the United States today and they are impacting and driving every sector of Arizona’s business community. Here are 10 Millennials who are not just the future leaders of tomorrow, they are the movers and shakers in today’s commercial real estate industry.
Michelle Alarid
Associate
Fennemore Craig
Age: 33
Alarid practices in the area of real estate transactions, including the acquisition and sale of property, leasing of retail and office space and negotiating easements and other land use agreements. She is a member of Valley Partnership’s Advocates Class of 2015, a program created exclusively for a select number of Valley Partnership partners under the age of 35. She is also an executive committee member of Gabriel’s Angels Board of Young Professionals.
Value of youth: “It’s given me the fresh perspective to quickly identify issues and analyze courses of action to create positive outcomes for my clients—and the energy to put in some good old-fashioned hard work.”
Impact of Millennials: “Every new generation brings a new perspective to the business arena. Millennials, who are so based in technological innovation, will continue to implement innovations.”
Tina Bark-Roy
Director of client development
Johnson-Carlier
Age: 35
Bark-Roy has a B.A. from American University of Paris in France and is fluent in English, Spanish and French. As a former small business owner, she was responsible for customer sales and management, branding and client retention activities.
Value of youth: “I am in an unique place because I am an older Millennial. I believe this gives me an advantage when it comes to instigating change in my company and industry because I am old enough that people (sometimes) listen to me, but still young enough to speak with the voice of a generation that has been completely revolutionized by technology and has experienced the change in social and work environment norms.”
Impact of Millennials: “We won’t even have to wait a decade to see the changes brought on by the surge of millennials into the work force in Arizona. It’s already happening! Just look at Skysong if you want a taste of what the future business landscape will look like.”
Dan Clevenger
Associate Principal
Westlake Reed Leskosky
Age: 36
Clevenger is an associate principal at the award-winning design firm Westlake Reed Leskosky. Clevenger serves on the Phoenix Metro Advisory Council, state board of directors for the American Institute of Architects and serves on the board of directors for Artlink, Inc. In recognition of his professional achievements and service to the profession of architecture, Clevenger was recognized with the AIA Arizona AIA10 award in 2015.
Value of youth: “I am driven by a desire and passion to be involved in decisions that shape our city. I believe our generation will have far more impact collaboratively than individually. My involvement and leadership professionally at Westlake Reed Leskosky and through organizations such as the AIA and Artlink, Inc. supports this collective mindset.”
Impact of Millennials: “Millennials, many of whom entered the workforce during the recession, have had to define their own career path and, in many cases start their own businesses and have done so collaboratively – in support of one another. As local entrepreneurs continue to build their businesses, there will be more focus on a locally based economy – people and businesses that are invested in Arizona.”
Krystal Dill
Brokerage services
CBRE
Age: 29
Dill partners with Bryan Taute and Charlie von Arentschildt at CBRE to provide leasing and investment sale services to agency clients. Prior to CBRE, Dill assisted in marketing and leasing Lincoln Property Company’s entire 8 million-square-foot portfolio across Arizona. An active industry member, she serves on the board of AZCREW and is chair of its PR/Outreach Committee. She is also a member of NAIOP and is a part of its Education Committee.
Value of youth: “The Arizona business community has seen an influx of companies led by young, innovative executives. As a professional of the same generation, I can relate to the Millennial C-suite in a different way than the previous generation.”
Impact of Millennials: “The entrepreneurial and start-up communities are driving business trends. TAMI (technology, advertising, media and information) companies are becoming a critical component of our business landscape. I think my generation is going to be credited with the diversification and strengthening of the Arizona economy. Also, looking further ahead, consider Gen-Z, they have never known a world without screen time. We are going to be responsible for the full integration of technology into how business is done.”
Brent Mallonee
Vice president, Retail Services Group
Cushman & Wakefield
Age: 34
Mallonee is a top producer with Cushman & Wakefield’s Retail Group, completing more than 6.17 million square feet of transactions with a total consideration of more than $232.6 million. Mallonee is part of a three-person team that brings a broader prospective and knowledgeable to all facets of retail real estate having worked on project leasing and tenant representation assignments, specializing in ground up development and redevelopment projects.
Value of youth: “Embracing the positive impact that collaboration and technology have on the real estate industry has helped me quickly increase productivity and bring value to clients.”
Impact of Millennials: “The expectation for thorough analysis, supported by factual data communicated in a very rapid fashion, will be the standard for our industry. Connectivity on all levels will continue to be a dominant trend across successful business landscapes from the most local to increasingly global levels.”
Cameron Miller
Development manager
Evergreen Development
Age: 26
Miller has been a development manager with Evergreen, a national retail and multifamily developer, since 2012. He specializes in site due-diligence, entitlements, design, permitting and construction management for single-tenant and retail centers. Miller is an active member of the Valley Partnership Advocates Program, ICSC Phoenix NextGen Committee and ULI.
Value of youth: “My youth has allowed me to approach the municipal staffs and industry leaders I’ve worked with as mentors, which has helped me to learn best practices in completing developments.”
Impact of Millennials: “We’re early adopters of disruptive technologies, which will continue to produce new companies, new industries, and the associated urban landscapes that cater to a live/work/play lifestyle.”
Dan Noma, Jr.
Designated broker
Venture Real Estate & Investment
Age: 34
Noma is the designated broker of Venture REI, a full-service real estate brokerage firm that specializes in commercial and residential investment properties. The son of a builder and developer, real estate runs in Noma’s blood and he is recognized as one of the state’s leading real estate brokers.
Value of youth: “For me, it’s been about having the time to dedicate to my business. My wife and I don’t have any children yet, so I have been able to be nimble with time and able to focus my efforts on growth without any constraints. We are expecting triplets in January, so things may change then.”
Impact of Millennials: “We are so accustomed to having access to instant information and making information readily available that we can speed up just about any business process. I anticipate things will only speed up over time and business transactions like the due diligence in evaluating a project will be completed in a matter of days instead of months.”
Jennifer Schrader
Co-founder and chief operating officer
Caliber Companies
Age: 34
Schrader sets the asset investment standard for Caliber’s Wealth Development acquisition strategy. She ensures the $150 million worth of commercial office buildings, hotels, single-family and multi-family properties are performing with a maximum positive outcome. She oversees management of the company’s day-to-day operations, critical to generating revenue and accomplishing business goals. Her thought leadership in architecture and design assists Caliber with award-winning projects that provide great returns to its wealth development clients.
Value of youth: “When starting Caliber, my partners and I (all three Millenials) started Caliber amidst the chaos and collapse of Arizona’s real estate market. Forging ahead with no playbook or backing from financial institutions, we made a conscious effort to stand out from the crowd and do things differently. While others chose the short-term approach and focused on one area of the market, we didn’t get caught in the hype. We chose to diversify, offering a single-sourced, integrated approach (and) infusing technology in brokerage, construction, property management and wealth development — all in-house.
Impact of Millennials: “I believe a shift will occur with business owners collaborating together on programs and initiatives, currently not in place, that target and help those less fortunate. Close to my heart are those less fortunate including people in our community, animals and veterans around the U.S.”
Josh Simon
President
SimonCRE
Age: 30
Simon has developed more than 2 million square feet during his career and will develop more than $140 million in retail projects across 10 states in 2016 for SimonCRE, which specializes in retail ground up development, redevelopment, single tenant build-to-suits and multi-tenant retail projects throughout the country in primary, secondary, and tertiary markets.
Value of youth: “Being a Millennial and business owner, I thrive on the use of new technology and being adaptive to change, which has allowed us to challenge the status quo.”
Impact of Millennials: “Millennials, with the help of our state leadership, will attract a new diverse economy not so dependent on tourism and construction to keep Arizona strong for decades ahead.”
Hayley Smith
Banking officer – Phoenix Metro
FirstBank
Age: 25
Smith joined FirstBank after graduating from Colorado State University in 2013, and soon transferred to Arizona. She is now a banking officer in the Phoenix Metro office. Smith is active with several professional groups including Valley Partnership, AZ Crew and GET Phoenix Young Professionals.
Value of youth: “With the advances in today’s technology and the amount of resources available, Millennials are generating innovative ideas while being adaptable to the ever-changing business environment.”
Impact of Millennials: “Millennials are building a strong foundation of leaders across Arizona. We can inspire everyone to share their successes with future generations, creating a better tomorrow.”
