Tag Archives: inclusion

NAIOP Massachusetts Honors Members for Extraordinary Leadership

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Tad Heuer of Foley Hoag LLP, Amanda Strong of MIT Management Company and Taidgh McClory of T.H. McClory LLC to be Honored at Annual Meeting

Today, NAIOP Massachusetts, The Commercial Real Estate Development Association, announced the recipients of the Chapter’s 2020 Government Affairs Champion Award and the 2020 President’s Award. The awards will be presented at the Chapter’s Annual Meeting, preceding NAIOP’s Virtual Impact Awards Celebration on December 2nd.  

The NAIOP President’s Award will be presented to Amanda Strong of MIT Investment Management Company and Taidgh McClory of T.H. McClory LLC in recognition of their exceptional leadership, strategic direction and vision for NAIOP’s diversity, equity and inclusion efforts. With their support, NAIOP has been able to strengthen industry DEI efforts through programming, expanding opportunities for minority and women owned businesses in CRE, launching a DEI strategic plan, and continuing to expand the talent pipeline through the CREST and REEX programs.  

“While diversity, equity and inclusion were brought to the forefront of every conversation in 2020, Amanda and Taidgh have been leaders for NAIOP on these important issues much longer. It is a privilege each year to acknowledge the members who have made significant contributions to benefit our industry, but this is especially meaningful, ” said Leslie Cohen, COO at Samuels & Associates and NAIOP’s 2020 President. “All of us at NAIOP are so grateful to Amanda and Taidgh for their hard work, leadership, and valuable support.”

Tad Heuer of Foley Hoag LLP, will receive this year’s Government Affairs Champion Award in honor of his tremendous contributions to NAIOP’s advocacy, providing comments and analysis on NAIOP’s legislative, judicial, and regulatory advocacy. NAIOP is grateful for Tad’s commitment and tireless advocacy efforts on behalf of the commercial real estate industry.  

“Year after year our members have benefited from Tad’s expertise, but when this pandemic began, Tad went above and beyond,” said Tamara Small, CEO of NAIOP Massachusetts. “This year, he has provided critical analyses and feedback that ensured myriad pieces of legislation and emergency orders were implemented in a thoughtful, practical way under extraordinary circumstances. This recognition is a small token of our gratitude for his ongoing work on behalf of NAIOP.”  

To learn more about NAIOP’s Annual Meeting and Virtual Impact Awards, or to register to attend, visit www.naiopimpact.com.

CRE Must Do More to Ensure Diversity, Equity and Inclusion: Now Is the Time to Listen, Learn – and Act

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The below op-ed was originally published in Banker and Tradesman on June 28, 2020

Now is a pivotal moment in history where society’s attention is finally focused on what we have collectively ignored for far too long – hundreds of years of brutality, racism and inequity throughout the United States of America. While COVID-19 has pushed us into unusual and unprecedented times, the systemic issues being protested were with us long before the pandemic.  

As an industry, commercial real estate is predominantly white and male. While steps have been made in recent years to begin to address this, more must be done. The collective voice of our industry is strong – and must be used to amplify voices that are not heard. It is incumbent upon industry leaders to bring attention to these injustices and to commit to real change for this critical sector of the economy.  

NAIOP Massachusetts, The Commercial Real Estate Development Association, applauds the peaceful protests that have occurred around the country and here in the commonwealth. Diversity, equity and inclusion are a priority for our organization and our leadership, but we recognize that we can and will do more to advance change across the industry.  

Small incremental change is no longer enough. Real change will happen when all companies – and senior leadership – commit to creating a more diverse and inclusive industry. It will not happen overnight, but the industry must be unified in making diversity, equity and inclusion a priority. 

What Must Be Done 

NAIOP urges the professionals and companies in the commercial real estate industry to start with the following action steps. 

Listen and learn. Business leaders like to think they have all the answers. However, now is a time to listen, learn and acknowledge how deeply embedded racism is in the United States. This does not mean asking the Black, Indigenous and People of Color (BIPOC) in your company for their advice – seek out professionals who specialize in this space and commit to being an active part of any company dialogue. Internalize what you learn and address it in your professional and personal interactions. 

Engage leadership. Change must come from the top. While human resources professionals are an important piece of this work, hiring BIPOC is just one piece of the puzzle. In order for the industry to diversify itself from entry-level positions to the C-suite, and change the culture, company leadership must be at the table, advocating for BIPOC employee success and committing to long term change. 

Support MWBE businesses and the organizations that empower them. After too many years of hearing that there were no people of color in commercial real estate, Dave Madan created the Builders of Color Coalition (BCC). It convenes minority real estate professionals in Greater Boston’s building sector to leverage access to development projects. Its 500 members include developers, investors, architects, attorneys, bankers, contractors and brokers working across a wide range of firms, from family-owned enterprises to multinational companies. The Black Economic Council of Massachusetts, also known as BECMA, led by Segun Idowu works to advance the economic well-being of Black businesses, organizations that serve the Black community and Black residents of Massachusetts. These organizations are critical to the success of businesses of color and will help the commercial real estate industry to create more diverse teams.  

These are just two examples of organizations that are working to address serious inequities in companies across Massachusetts. Seek out organizations, community groups and change-makers who have been working in this space for years and invite them to the table as you begin these conversations.  

Hold Yourself Accountable 

Create a career pathway for diverse talent. Talent recruitment programs designed to introduce high school and college students of color to commercial real estate are essential. The Commercial Real Estate Success Training (CREST) Program is a comprehensive initiative to support commercial real estate companies in their commitment to attract underrepresented college students of color and women to the industry through summer internships. The program, now in its fourth year, has placed close to one hundred students in internships and led to career placements in the industry.  

With broader industry support, more students can be placed in these internships. NAIOP is encouraging its members to support CREST by hosting an intern or committing to a financial contribution that will allow the program to expand. The Real Estate Exchange (REEX) Summer Program, sponsored by REEC, is a unique 10-day, academic-intensive experience for high school students created to expose teens of color to top-tier universities and career opportunities in business, entrepreneurship and commercial real estate. NAIOP is proud to support REEX and CREST and we will continue to urge members to seek out programs that target equity and inclusion and implement them. 

Be accountable. You can’t manage what you don’t measure. Create diversity metrics, set hiring goals and update them regularly. While numbers are important, they do not matter if the culture is not inclusive and supportive. Make both a priority – and hold yourself accountable for their success. 

This is by no means a comprehensive list of action items for the industry. These are simply near-term steps that should be the minimum requirement for all commercial real estate firms. In the coming months, NAIOP will be working with a subcommittee of its board of directors and a coalition of real estate trade groups to identify and advance further opportunities for change. We do not have all the answers, but we are committed to learning, listening and acting to create a more diverse, equitable and inclusive industry. 

Tamara Small is CEO and Reesa Fischer is executive director of NAIOP Massachusetts – The Commercial Real Estate Development Association. 

Changing the CRE Industry Requires Action – Support the CREST Internship Program

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Dear NAIOP Members & Friends,

Diversity, equity & inclusion are a priority for NAIOP Massachusetts and our leadership, but we recognize that we must do more to advance change across the industry. Small incremental change is no longer enough. Real change will happen when all companies – and senior leadership – commit to creating a more diverse and inclusive industry.

Talent recruitment programs designed to introduce college students of color to commercial real estate are essential. NAIOP is proud to be a supporter of the Commercial Real Estate Success Training (CREST) Program, a comprehensive initiative to support commercial real estate companies in their commitment to attract underrepresented college students of color and women to the industry through summer internships. With broader industry support, more students can be placed in these internships. Please see the request below from NAIOP Members Tom O’Brien and Dick Galvin on one simple step your firm can take right now to change the industry for the better. 

CREST and the future of this industry need your support. To sign up today, please contact Milton Benjamin at mbenjamin@kagegrowth.com or by phone at (617) 930-3402.

Tamara Small & Reesa Fischer

Dear Friends in NAIOP, 

We certainly hope that all of you and your families, employees, and partners, are staying healthy and safe during this incredibly challenging time for all of us. We are especially mindful of all of the frontline workers in our industry, whether in construction, building management, hospitality staff, or any position that is potentially in harms way, we want to salute them.

We write this letter on the eve of the NAIOP sponsored CRE Summit on Equity, Inclusion and Diversity, set for June 24th. As events have unfolded since the tragic death of George Floyd, and a national conversation about racism and its effects has emerged that has been long overdue, our industry must continue to engage on these issues, and find concrete solutions that create real change going forward. 

We continue to believe that a key component of those solutions is the ongoing commitment and support of the CREST program. Under Milton Benjamin’s incredible leadership, CREST has continued to grow, and offer the kind of internship opportunities to young women and students of color that simply would not be there without this focused effort. This summer in particular was poised to be the best yet, with 40 students selected and ready to go, and participation from a wide range of companies and organizations big and small. Then COVID-19 hit and the world turned upside down. 

The commitments for many of these kids dried up, and the internship program changed dramatically, both in size and execution. Right now we have only nine interns placed, a huge reduction in both participation and support for the program. We recognize that all of us have taken huge hits to our budgets, including painful decisions about layoffs, salary reductions, and other draconian measures. But we also recognize, and hope you do too, that now is the exact moment to continue our commitment to CREST, and ramp it up even further. As our friend Kirk Sykes likes to say, “diversity is being invited to the party, inclusion is being asked to dance.” 

We ask two things of this group. First, if you had considered an intern before, but decided to back out, please reconsider, if possible. We know it’s late in the game, but for many of these kids, even a short term opportunity is meaningful. More importantly, we need to recognize that CREST needs long term support and commitment, both in intern support, and sponsorship. As we move to a more open business environment, and your business opens up, please think about how you might participate in this important program. We want to have these discussions later this summer and fall, and we want to ensure that CREST is positioned for greater success next summer, and beyond. 

We know that this group is filled with passionate, supportive people and companies who are ready to take this moment, and the discussions we’re having, and convert them to action that can change people’s lives, and change the Boston CRE industry for the positive. We must accept the challenge, and continue to what is now necessary to make this change happen. 

Sincerely,

Tom O’Brien, The HYM Investment Group, LLC

Dick Galvin, Accordia Partners