2020 Year in Review: Mason Sandell, Charter Development Company, LLC

What was the most difficult part of working during the pandemic of 2020? Not getting to see and interact with as many co-workers every day – and missing out on those casual social interactions that really form the cultural fabric of a business. Similarly, I missed the lack of face-to-face meetings with project partners and clients. Living in Zoom world is efficient, but just not the same thing from a personal perspective.

What aspects of working from home have you enjoyed most? Gaining back several hours of commuting time a week was a real boon. Even though most of those hours ended up being spent working, eliminating car time was a stress-reducer and delivered lots of other positive benefits.

What are your predictions for commercial real estate in 2021? It feels like next year could be a tale of two halves. A painful front half, as defaults increase, but hopefully a return to stability in the back half. There’s certainly a lot riding on the COVID-19 vaccination program and how quickly we can get back to “normal.” 

whatever that will look like.  

What is the best advice you have received, and who was it from? Theodore Roosevelt’s quote “Comparison is the thief of joy,” has always resonated with me. 

What was your greatest professional accomplishment or most notable project, deal, or transaction in 2020? In July we completed a land transfer with National Grid, acquiring 15 acres of waterfront property in Lynn., MA. This completed a 30-acre assemblage that we are now working with the city and state to redevelop into a signature waterfront park as the centerpiece of Lynn’s Open Space Master Plan. It’s a unique opportunity to deliver a true triple-bottom-line project: catalyzing economic growth, but also delivering important environmental and economic justice benefits citizens.