Building Engineering, Soft Skills/Interpersonal
How I Got Started...
A Look into Building Engineers’ Paths to Success Chris Lelle Chief Portfolio Engineer Lincoln Property Company
As with most people, I had never heard of the commercial real-estate industry until life happened, and I found a home in the industry. I grew up working in a family-run restaurant that was known for award-winning BBQ. From a young age I was exposed to all levels of the business and participated in numerous BBQ cook-offs. This was a great experience as it exposed me to business processes, the value of hard work, and the joy of competition. As I reached college age, I found myself seeking to pave my own way in life. I left the BBQ world and headed off to college. I soon realized that was not right for me at that point in my life. As I thought about the next step for me, I remembered that my family has a long line of military service. That led to my decision to join the Navy. This would turn out to be one of the greatest learning experiences of my life. I was trained as a Machinist’s Mate in the nuclear field and received additional training in chemistry and radiological controls. The nuclear field provided a lot of engineering theoretical training which was put to use while operating the engine rooms. The training program also required theoretical training in disciplines outside of my daily operating requirements. As my time in service ended, I spoke to several people about job possibilities in the civilian workforce and realized that I had no idea what I was going to do. Fortunately, a recruiting firm that works with veterans reached out to me and signed me up for a “hiring conference.” This allowed for me to meet with multiple companies that had been hand selected for me to interview with based on the skills that I had obtained in the Navy.
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Insight • Issue 4, 2021
One of the companies I interviewed with is a leading commercial real-estate company. They had a thorough interview process which required personality and aptitude tests along with the in-person interviews. This process was really engaging and helped me make the decision to join the firm. I hadn’t worked in commercial real estate previously, but I was quickly able to see that the theoretical training in the Navy coupled with the experience of operating equipment on the ship was a great benefit to the commercial realestate world.
Words of advice for future engineers Never stop learning. Take the time to learn the details of how all systems and equipment work. This will help in learning how everything ties together. This leads to improved system efficiency, better tenant comfort, utility savings, lower repair costs, and better job satisfaction.
Ensure you focus on your core competencies. You must learn and master the basics of engineering. This will help in you fully developing your potential. Think outside of the box to find more efficient ways of operating. This will allow you to drive the industry to new heights. If you do the same things as everyone else, you will be the same as everyone else. Find what sets you apart and become a master at it.
About the Author Chris Lelle is a portfolio chief engineer at Lincoln Property Company. In this role, he manages the MEP operations of 2.55MM rsf across a 32 building portfolio. Chris enjoys the challenges of energy savings while improving the tenant experience in the office environment. He has been involved with several buildings where greater than 20 percent energy savings were realized through a variety of operational and capital improvements. Outside of work, Chris loves spend time with his family, homesteading, beekeeping, and brewing beer.
