2022 Women in Commercial Real Estate: Shelby Procopio, The Procopio Companies

What advice would you offer to women getting into the CRE industry?
Like any industry, commercial real estate can benefit from the perspectives that women have to offer. I believe woman are uniquely gifted to thrive in challenging circumstances and possess traits that add tremendous value to the workforce. Couple that perspective with a passion for the industry and your role and you could be unstoppable!

What has been your biggest challenge and how have you faced it?
There are many challenges that come with trying to build a positive corporate culture and lead organizational human resource functions in the CRE industry. Taking lessons from other industries on the forefront of HR, with unique thinking on building corporate culture and creating support systems that make employees successful, has helped to prioritize corporate culture and make employees feel valued and supported. Introducing a holistic approach to culture building, a newer concept in the CRE industry, is one of the biggest challenges I have faced and continue to refine with the feedback of my team.

What trends will dominate your industry in the coming months?
I believe that in the coming months we are likely to see the pendulum shift in a variety of forms, giving employers more leverage. A return to office may likely be the first adjustment, as productivity, culture and a sense of connection have a high value for many employers, and this can be fostered more easily in the workplace. Employers have also struggled to retain top talent and recruit new talent at reasonable salary rates, causing friction with internal compensation structures. I believe this will be another shift that we’ll see in coming months as employers obtain greater leverage.