Team Work, Diversity, and Authenticity in Commercial Real Estate

Brandon Clarke: This is a very monochromatic industry. It’s very much the same. You tend to get the same ties, the same suits, and I think we offer something different.

Kendall Hughes: This industry, specifically, is really oriented towards men, whether that’s because we’re meeting with decision-makers of other companies who also happen to be men, whether that’s just because that’s what the industry has grown to be. What’s been awesome for me is that no one on this team has let my job title be a sealing cap for my opportunities to grow. It’s been really awesome to not be held back by what they thought my capabilities might’ve been when I showed up based on my degree or my lack of experience, to be frank, but rather just to have had opportunities put in front of me and given the opportunity to sink or float. And so it’s been really incredible to be believed in, honestly, for no reason, but it worked. It’s been awesome to be a part of it.

Rachel Hinton: Yeah, okay. One of the things I love about our team is the team culture is just filled with care. And we care for one another, we care about the work that we do, which means we’re giving our clients the highest form of care that we have, and I think that that’s really important. I think that’s our ultimate goal.

James Robertson: When systems work well, everyone plays their role. Everyone has their parts and we can maximize that synergy together. So, I’m really excited about the opportunities on this team and I think that that’s one of the value adds of my participation here. It’s not the color of my skin, it’s not a checkbox. To be honest with you, this unity that we’ve had has been going on before it was a thing, before there was a push for diversity, before there was a cry from the community to prove to us that you are authentic and that you embraced this diversity movement. We were doing deals together as a minority firm and as a global entity for years. I’ve worked on public entities. I’ve worked on fortune 500 companies. Together with this team, I have been able to do some of the biggest deals in my life because I’ve worked with this team together and it’s because it was an organic relationship.

Brandon Clarke: And I’m reminded of some of my favorite, call them words of wisdom. And it talks about this great multitude of people coming together from every tribe, nation, and tongue. And I think what’s really important about that is that we want to be a reflection of society. We are here in Houston, the most diverse city in the nation, and yet this industry has failed to look like the city in which it represents. It’s time for change, it’s time for us to look different and to be different. It’s time for us to no longer think about individual production, but to think about production as a team and how do we elevate the next leaders in our team.

I think there’s a sincere interest in our team to promote the next generation of leaders that may not look like us, that may have different backgrounds, and come from different cultures. But man, if we can just be back to that one body with many parts or that great multitude from every tribe, nation, and tongue, I think our clients will benefit profoundly from seeing that unfold in the way that we represent them.