As a new empty nester with my freshman daughter away at college, I often find myself reflecting back on the 18 years that I spent as a working mom. I am grateful for my family’s support, amazing employers and fellow moms that have provided valuable advice as I raised my daughter. Through it all, I learned many lessons.  Here are my top 5:

People often think that working from home requires nothing more than a computer and a dining room table.  I beg to differ.  Successful remote employment takes much, much more.  During my thirteen years of working from home for Phillips Edison & Company, the organization has grown, technology has exploded and my role has evolved.  Looking back at all of the changes that the years have brought, I’ve noticed a few consistencies that I believe have allowed me to continue to be a productive and engaged member of the team.  Here are my top four recommendations for successful remote w

One of my recent posts talked about networking at RECon Vegas, the retail real estate industry’s biggest conference of the year, and the ultimate networking opportunity. As we start gearing up for the busy fall season, filled with another round of conferences, it’s the perfect time to revisit the art of following up. At the end of a conference, attendees often return home with a stack of business cards and notes.  This is when the real work of networking – actual relationship building – truly begins. 
 

When I was a young marketing director at Horton Plaza shopping center in downtown San Diego, the property was a top visitor attraction in a downtown area experiencing a substantial growth spurt.  A high performer in our company’s portfolio, the center required significant focus and team collaboration.  Fortunately, I had the pleasure of working with Craig Pettitt, the property’s general manager at the time.  We spent countless hours, including many 80-hour work weeks, late nights, early mornings and meals together working on the ‘jewel’ project.  It was a fun and exciting time to be involve

“Think big and act small.”  “Do the right thing.”  These are two of Phillips Edison & Company’s four core values.  Developed with input from PECO associates, these simple statements reflect PECO’s culture and guide our team as we make decisions and operate the company.  We believe in working together, acting with a small company mentality and accomplishing big things.  We also believe in doing what’s right, and part of that philosophy is giving back to the community. A natural result of these closely-held values is our PECO Community Partnership Program.
 

“A little perspective, like a little humor, goes a long way.” – Allen Klein, author

We all have read recently about how enclosed Class-B malls are struggling as retailers such as JC Penney and Sears continue to close stores leaving large anchor vacancies. Mall owners are scrambling to find creative ways to breathe life back into their properties.  Most recently, they’ve begun recognizing the benefits of necessity-based retail and are trying to bring that into the mall sector.

As one of the nation’s largest owners and operators of grocery-anchored shopping centers, Phillips Edison has always had a long-standing commitment to sustainability initiatives, based on a mission that is two-fold: be good stewards of the environment and do so in a way that makes business sense and adds value to our centers.
 

Aside from the normal business conversations at the annual ICSC RECon, it seems like the two most asked questions during the conference are “Where are you staying?” and “Where did you go  dinner?” This second question is the most important to me because I love hearing food ‘stories’. To help me plan my one “escape meal” during RECon, I asked some of my foodie friends about their favorites.

With ICSC RECon, our industry’s Super Bowl, quickly approaching, we are encouraging our team to maximize the networking opportunities at the show.  I remind them to use every minute wisely – whether it’s in meetings or on the bus. Every minute counts and every interaction is a potential contact.  The most valuable advice I feel that I can give the team is to “be intentional” in everything that they do before, during and after the event.