CHICAGO-News flash: Commercial real estate is a competitive business. Not only for warring firms but also for those “teams” supposedly working the same side of the fence. Christine Choi, a vice president at the local office of Avison Young's global supply chain practice, swears that competitiveness and camaraderie aren't mutually exclusive.

Thirty-two-year-old Choi describes herself as a “proud Wildcat” because of her Northwestern University background. She graduated from the school in 2003 with a major in organizational change and a minor in Poly Sci.

A stint in merchandising for Target straight out of school gave way to real estate when she took a job at First Industrial, where she stayed from 2006 to 2008. “It was the boom years,” she laughs. She flipped to brokerage when she came to Avison in 2010 and currently reports to managing director Mike McKiernan.

Avison has an industrial-strength focus on nurturing talent through its Young Guns program and provides an environment to help up-and-comers over the early lean years, and “those first few years are tough,” Choi says. “They make a commitment to support the young brokers that are entering our industry and our company and help grow them.”

The firm's principal-owned organizational structure also puts a different spin on the nature of competition, and Choi explains that collaboration is key. “It's safe to collaborate here,” she says. “When there's a conflict, it all comes down to what's best for the client.”

And while any brokerage will say that, the org chart here comes into practice. “The path to principal-ship is a clear roadmap for younger brokers,” she explains. “We are all vested or want to become vested.” Embracing a collaborative attitude benefits Young Guns and their elders equally, she explains. “The shared goal is to pursue business.”

Still, a broker without a competitive edge is an empty pistol, and Choi urges young professionals to differentiate themselves and, as she says, “make yourself a value-add internally.”

But how does an upstart add value to a Mike McKiernan? “Define your niche,” she says. “Identify your area of expertise, whether it's a geographic niche or a vertical. Mine is logistics.” Once you pick a direction, she adds, work to own it, track it, know the deals and the players and the needs.

But knowing isn't enough. “You've got to communicate this focus to your team and management,” she says. “Mike and I have candid conversations about assessing and re-assessing the direction. But he can't come to me about information if I can't convey any of my knowledge to him. Work to become the go-to person both inside and outside your organization.”

Finally, develop yourself as a leader and establish what Choi calls your “reputation capital. That means be strategic in how you invest your time and when you step up and volunteer.”

Choi clearly puts her money where her mouth is in this case. She recently won the Frank Mahoney Award of Excellence from the Association of Industrial Real Estate Brokers. The award “is given each year to one entrepreneurial AIRE member to recognize the positive impact she or he has had in the industry and the community. The award considers transaction volume, but has been rededicated to focus on giving back to the community, supporting the industry and serving the needs of clients.”

Such leadership is “important both within our industry and our community,” she says. “That way people will see how you work and what you stand for. Yes, we're noticed by our transactions. But you're also noticed by the way you conduct business and how you conduct yourself.”

In short, you are your brand.