It can be hard to keep track of all Andrea Davis does in her spare time: attending events, trying new restaurants, playing tennis or enjoying the outdoors, and she balances all of it with ease.
AZRE Magazine sat down with Davis, CCIM, CEO and designated broker of Andrea Davis CRE, at The Venue, a historically-rich property in Old Town Scottsdale that has been host to weddings, comedy stand-up nights, proms, business meetings and conferences, about the Scottsdale resident’s journey from New York to Arizona, how she spends her time outside of work with family, engaging in outdoor sports and participating in events around the Valley.
Davis came to Arizona in 1993 from New York. Her culturally-rich background includes cooking, print, showroom and runway modeling and acting in New York City; she is a graduate of the Culinary Institute of America and modeled for Halston and Levi’s.
What influenced her decision to leave New York’s 24/7 environment for sunny Arizona? “I kind of got burned out, so I came out to Arizona to chill and I thought, ‘what better way to do that?’ I can work in the evenings and I can sleep or play during the day.”
Davis found just that opportunity. While working at the Marco Polo Supper Club, she served a table with Canadian developers and after striking up a conversation, found they were looking for an executive assistant. After learning about the real estate industry as an executive assistant for three years, the company underwent changes and Davis had to choose the next steps in her career. She decided she wanted to be in brokerage, as she saw people who were successful in that niche; she worked at a small boutique firm then worked at Caven Commercial, Shea Commercial and NAI Horizon, established Andrea Davis CRE in 2012 and began branding and marketing her company in earnest in 2016.
“What brought me to my own boutique firm was because my 8-year-old came to me one day and said, ‘Mommy, I don’t see you anymore,’” and that broke my heart. So I said, ‘I’ve got to go,’ and that’s what I did, I gave a two-week notice and I opened my own firm.”
To say Davis keeps busy in her spare time is somewhat of an understatement. She not only belongs to two tennis leagues and does mixed doubles on the weekends, she also hikes, mountain bikes, rock climbs, does ATVing, attends events in the Valley with her family and enjoys helping her daughter with her cosplay costumes for Phoenix FanFest.
“There are quite a few things I do after work because I love life, I spend as much time with my daughter as I can, she’s 13 now and we do family activities,” Davis says. “I utilize my culinary experience by doing client appreciation dinners. I have about six to 10 individuals come over for dinner and I love putting on that event; that’s really a lot of fun.”
Her job also gives her flexibility to spend time with her daughter. “My daughter always comes first. I make sure she has breakfast on the table pretty much every morning before I leave the house, I like to be at school to pick her up. Being a mom is the best thing I’ve ever done, it just means we have to work at different times, I work a nine-10 hour day, but I’m still able to give my daughter as much time as I feel she wants and needs.”
Davis also wrote a book called “SimpLEASEity,” a guide to successful commercial real estate leasing which launched in September this year. Davis says the book was driven by her clients and broke down the complex process of real estate leasing into 11 simple steps that include defining terms, who to connect with and uses stories as examples.
When she’s not entertaining clients at appreciation dinners, playing tennis or enjoying one of many events in the Valley, Davis and her family also explore Arizona’s many breathtaking landscapes through various outdoor activities. “My family loves going to Greer, AZ in the White Mountains to unplug and ride fox trotters at our friends’ ranch, Hidden Meadow. We ride for hours in the middle of nowhere,” Davis says. “That’s great because as a mom, I always want my daughter to know what it is to unplug; to me, it’s well worth it because my daughter knows what nature is and I think every child should experience that firsthand.”
While Davis says her love of outdoor sports in Arizona is what originally drew her to the state, she enjoys the wide array of dining options and attending events such as the Renaissance Festival. “From water activities to hiking, mountain biking and rock climbing, I’ve done it all and do as much of it as I still can. We have a lot of wonderful dining choices with different cuisines, some of my favorites are Durant’s, Spiga Cucina Italiana and most Asian infusion restaurants. I love Scottsdale events such as Canal Convergence, I love the parades we have here, as much as I can we participate in all of it, whether it’s the culinary festivals, rodeos, Barrett-Jackson, The Phoenix Open, I mean, how can you say no to any of that?”
