In keeping with the theme of the “paper” this month, “2018 Women in Real Estate Spotlight,” I’ve been thinking about young women I truly admire in our industry. So many women in our industry are well accomplished yet not all are honest, friendly, kind-hearted AND successful, so I’d like to write about some of these kind-hearted souls that have a passion for retail real estate but also live by the golden rule, something I think we can all admire, appreciate and emulate. 

Sarah Malcolm – COO at The Content Funnel, NYC – Sarah has been called “the social queen of our industry,” and I’d have to agree. She is one of the most well-connected people I know, building her network tweet by tweet, blog by blog and she holds a monthly marketing call, bringing all of the industry’s top marketers together to share ideas. 

From Macy’s to Saks, to head of digital strategy for all of ICSC to now, Sarah has always been at the top of her game as a digital innovator. She truly has shaken up retail real estate, creatively writing about how to harness and embrace what’s going on in CRE. Sarah is also founder of her own App, Bundle of Emojoy, inspired by her three little boys. One of my favorite things about her is that she has the biggest smile out of anyone I know, which is most always painted a perfect MAC Ruby Woo, but also that she is simply brilliant. 

Christina Attaway – Manager of social media and marketing for Urban Mertiage/Avantage Newbury, Boston – Christina can be found on Newbury Street, networking with one of her many tenants including Roots, Allsaints, Caffe Nero, Castanet and others. She fully embodies the phrase, “a jack of all trades” (Jill?!) as she builds out her company’s social media strategy, markets their retailers, blogs, plans events, creates window displays, is a tradeshow magician, manages the office and side note, is a boomerang master. She most recently spent ample time organizing items for Make-A-Wish Foundation for their Wine and Wishes event, truly emulating her passion to give back. She is a yes person, meaning she is always going out of her way to help people out even it if means more work for her. She’s open minded, outgoing, fun, and just a down right sweetheart. 

Nikki Crugnale – Owner of Gräem Nuts and Chocolate, Concord, Mass. – Nikki, inspired by her European travels opens her first retail shop the end of September. Gräem will specialize in nuts, chocolate and dried fruits sourced from small farms and producers around the world. Nikki has officially jumped on the superfoods train and I’m so excited to see how things go for her. Opening a retail shop in your 20’s is no easy task but Nikki hasn’t blinked an eye; she’s confident, curious and courageous. She’s one of the most respectful, polite and genuine people I’ve met in retail real estate. 

Julia Brutto – Graphic designer & marketing associate for Linear Retail, Burlington, Mass. – Julia is one of the best graphic designers I’ve seen in the industry. She is known for her hand drawings, Linear’s monthly comics and outstanding collateral, logo design and advertisements. She has a fresh new take on design in retail real estate even though she’s now been in the industry six years. Her and her work is simply a breath of fresh air. She’s often the first one at the office in the morning and works side-by-side with you until the late evening on various projects until the job is done. She’s insanely clever, creative and overall is an absolute joy to work with on a daily basis, truly sunshine on a rainy day. 

Fun Fact: It pays to be kind: Those who are compassionate and better in-tune with other people’s emotions may be more successful at work. “People trust you more, they have better interactions with you, you even get paid better,” Dacher Keltner, a professor at the University of California-Berkeley and co-director of the Greater Good Science Center, told ABC News. 

Diana Perry is VP - marketing and social media at Linear Retail Properties, Burlington, Mass.