Women In Commercial Real Estate
BY ALIYAH ROSS
CONTENT MARKETING COORDINATOR
More than 63 percent of real estate agents are women; however, the number of women in the commercial real estate industry is exceedingly lower (less than 40 percent). Insight magazine caught up with a few NC REALTORS® to learn about their journey in commercial real estate—what got them started, where they found challenges as a woman in the field, where they received support and what motivates them now. Cindy Chandler – The Shero Cindy Chandler spent her early years in real estate brokering in Florida and South Carolina. She is now a commercial real estate superwoman in Charlotte, where she is CEO of her brokerage, The Chandler Group. Her story in the commercial real estate industry began over 30 years ago. Chandler spent part of her career with a company that did apartment development and was looking to expand and add a commercial division. She had been working as a property manager at the time, but knew with some training she could launch into the commercial sector. The rest is history. She has now worked for numerous organizations in the areas of investment real estate, strategic planning, management and marketing. Her career was not short of challenges. Chandler recalls missing out on many social and networking activities due to being the only woman among the guys and not wanting to “ruin it for everyone.” As a woman in commercial, it was not easy being a part of the social scene. However, despite many challenges, Chandler did have men that were advocates for her. “I had men behind me who made sure I had a seat at the table and made a point to make sure everyone knew that I was their representative and person, not their gal,” she says. This support was crucial to her moving up throughout her career and helped her open many closed doors. Chandler now serves as an inspiration to many in the field, offering her wisdom to the up-andcoming generation of women in the commercial industry.
Kelley Ireland – Jill of All Trades Kelley Ireland of Morrisville does it all. She is not only killing it in commercial real estate, but she also does business in residential real estate and property management. Ireland began her career as an investor doing residential and commercial planning. After 14 years as an investor, she decided to get her broker’s license in 2006 so she could share her knowledge of planning, buying and building properties with others. Early on in her commercial career, Ireland experienced resistance from men thinking women didn’t have a place in the industry, but that only motivated her even more to succeed. While there were naysayers, Ireland notes that she also had many supportive cheerleaders to help her get past those barriers. This has impacted her to inspire other women who are looking to find their place in the commercial real estate industry. 14 INSIGHT • May 2020
