Tell us about your journey into CRE. What initially drew you to the industry?

I graduated from Florida State University with a degree in real estate and figured if I was going to work for a living, it might as well be in something I understood. I sort of bumbled into brokerage, but once I saw the entrepreneurial spirit and the “eat what you kill” nature of the business, I was all in. I started in multifamily investment sales, which quickly made sense to me as an investment vehicle. It was a great introduction to the asset class and to how capital actually works in commercial real estate.

As President of Matthews™, what are your primary responsibilities, and how do they contribute to the firm’s overall success?

At a fast-growing company, you wear a lot of hats. My core focus is making sure our growth is intentional and that we protect our culture while scaling. I work directly with leaders across the firm to grow our market share in investment sales, leasing, and debt origination. I also lead a strategy for expanding into new service lines that will create diversified and sustainable revenue for the firm.

Creating strong personal habits often leads to success inside and outside of work. Can you walk us through some of your own practices that you follow to stay productive and focused?

We are constantly navigating the difference between what is important and what is urgent. If you do not deliberately carve out time to be on offense, you end up stuck reacting to everything. I build my days and weeks in advance with discipline. That planning helps me push long-term initiatives forward. Then it comes down to execution and regularly reviewing how I am spending my time to make sure I stay efficient and effective.

You joined Matthews™ in 2016, during its formative years. What has been your favorite part about seeing the company grow?

It has been seeing Matthews™ become a top 10 commercial real estate brokerage by transaction volume. That kind of growth does not happen by accident. It is the result of the culture we built and the real value we continue delivering to clients and agents.

What piece of advice would you give to agents that want to establish a career in CRE?

Understand the opportunity and also the challenges that come with building your own business. The foundation is always relationships, and the way you earn relationships is by consistently adding value. To do that, you need to develop deep expertise in your asset class. Use that knowledge to create an edge that helps you start meaningful conversations with active investors. If you stay focused on that long enough, the relationships and results will follow. Also, do not quit.

How do you see the CRE industry performing throughout the rest of this year?

Uncertainty is a constant in this business, but the past few years have been especially volatile. With ongoing tariff discussions and broader questions about the economy, there is still some hesitation in the market. That said, I expect commercial real estate transaction volume to increase compared to last year. Agents who stay focused and keep building relationships are going to ride a much stronger wave in the second half of 2025 and into 2026.

Read the full article here.