AUSTIN-Kristi Simmons and Jessica Ochoa are two of 20 young commercial real estate professionals nationwide who have already made a mark in the industry, though they might not have a long track record. This is an an HTML version of an article that ran in the July/August 2013 issue of Real Estate Forum. To see the original story and other Women of Influence, click here.
Kristi Simmons, Broker; Aquila -- Austin
Currently a broker in Aquila's corporate services division, Kristi Simmons has worked for Hart Land Real Estate and Staubach and Co. during her 12-year career.
She achieved her personal best revenue at year-end 2012 and became part of SIOR. She was involved in a 49,000-square-foot lease with RGM Advisors and Qualcomm's 54,000-foot Northwest Austin renewal and expansion, among other notable deals.
In terms of women in the industry, Simmons says, “It's very valuable to have a team consisting of both men and women. It was not long ago that women in CRE served in an administrative or research role. Today, they're leading brokerage offices and taking the lead on complex assignments.”
Jessica Ochoa, President; CBRE Group Inc. -- Houston
Jessica Ochoa has had considerable success over the past six years, significantly contributing to CBRE by winning more than 6.2 million square feet of assignments. Handling property marketing, market and financial analysis and lease negotiation for owners, Ochoa has closed on 41 leases totaling 448,623 square feet in the past year alone.
She started her real estate career at CBRE in 2003 in an administrative position. During the following three years, while working full time and having responsibilities of a single mother, Ochoa went to the University of Houston at night and graduated with a bachelor's degree in business administration.
Ochoa invests her free time in mentoring undergraduate business students and Hispanic students at the U of Houston's Bauer College of Business.
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