GlobeSt.com: What have been some of the key turning points in your career?

Williams: The most significant turning point in my career really started when I joined KeyBank. I had found my niche on the finance side of commercial real estate and had been working in Denver, CO, when I was presented with an opportunity to work at KeyBank's headquarters in Cleveland, OH.

The decision to relocate was a very personal one. After a lot of soul searching and consideration for what I wanted out of my career, I realized this opportunity would allow me to better establish myself in the commercial real estate industry. The ability to work at Key headquarters provided me with the opportunity to learn directly from the people who were running commercial real estate and surround myself with great mentors who would have significant influence on my career.

GlobeSt.com: What was the biggest challenge you've had to navigate in the commercial real estate industry?

Williams: Six months into my tenure at Key was the 2008 financial crisis, where we saw an almost complete collapse of the industry—and it wasn't just Key feeling the effects, it was everywhere. For me, it was particularly challenging as I was just beginning to gain traction with clients when our business essentially shutdown.

Since it was an industry-wide problem, there was no simple solution. Still being relatively early in my commercial real estate career, the question then became, “Do I need to leave the industry?” It was both a personal and professional struggle, dealing with the unknown of when the market would bounce back and the uncertainty of what the commercial real estate industry would look like once it did.

GlobeSt.com: How did you get through that challenge?

Williams: I really took a step back and looked at the financial crisis as a learning opportunity. Fortunately, I was able to turn to mentors who had been through previous market downturns in the late '80s and early '90s. They helped me realize that if I wanted to continue my career in commercial real estate and at Key, I needed to look for new ways in which I could provide value.

I spent time with Key's senior leaders, who were not only trying to navigate through the crisis, but also shape what the bank would look like once we emerged from the downturn. There needed to be a fundamental shift in the types of clients we worked with and the financing solutions we provided.

Based on that vision, I decided to use my experience from the balance sheet side of the business to transition into capital markets and help the bank fully integrate its commercial real estate platform. The resulting new business model helped shape our existing integrated platform.

Bankers have interesting stories. Here's what one banker learned from natural disasters.

ATLANTA—Charlie Williams, senior vice president and southeast regional manager of multifamily production at KeyBank Real Estate Capital, has seen plenty of twists and turns in his commercial real estate career. Indeed, he's seen plenty of ups and downs along the way. GlobeSt.com caught up with Williams to discuss the high and low points of his journey in part one of this exclusive interview.

GlobeSt.com: How did you get your start in commercial real estate?

Williams: Real estate has always been an interest of mine. I started working in residential real estate right out of college before settling into private client services.

However, following the financial downturn of the early 2000s, I moved over to the brokerage side and was later able to leverage the connections I had made early in my career to secure a position with one of the top commercial real estate brokers in New York City. I've now been working in commercial real estate for 17 years.

GlobeSt.com: What have been some of the key turning points in your career?

Williams: The most significant turning point in my career really started when I joined KeyBank. I had found my niche on the finance side of commercial real estate and had been working in Denver, CO, when I was presented with an opportunity to work at KeyBank's headquarters in Cleveland, OH.

The decision to relocate was a very personal one. After a lot of soul searching and consideration for what I wanted out of my career, I realized this opportunity would allow me to better establish myself in the commercial real estate industry. The ability to work at Key headquarters provided me with the opportunity to learn directly from the people who were running commercial real estate and surround myself with great mentors who would have significant influence on my career.

GlobeSt.com: What was the biggest challenge you've had to navigate in the commercial real estate industry?

Williams: Six months into my tenure at Key was the 2008 financial crisis, where we saw an almost complete collapse of the industry—and it wasn't just Key feeling the effects, it was everywhere. For me, it was particularly challenging as I was just beginning to gain traction with clients when our business essentially shutdown.

Since it was an industry-wide problem, there was no simple solution. Still being relatively early in my commercial real estate career, the question then became, “Do I need to leave the industry?” It was both a personal and professional struggle, dealing with the unknown of when the market would bounce back and the uncertainty of what the commercial real estate industry would look like once it did.

GlobeSt.com: How did you get through that challenge?

Williams: I really took a step back and looked at the financial crisis as a learning opportunity. Fortunately, I was able to turn to mentors who had been through previous market downturns in the late '80s and early '90s. They helped me realize that if I wanted to continue my career in commercial real estate and at Key, I needed to look for new ways in which I could provide value.

I spent time with Key's senior leaders, who were not only trying to navigate through the crisis, but also shape what the bank would look like once we emerged from the downturn. There needed to be a fundamental shift in the types of clients we worked with and the financing solutions we provided.

Based on that vision, I decided to use my experience from the balance sheet side of the business to transition into capital markets and help the bank fully integrate its commercial real estate platform. The resulting new business model helped shape our existing integrated platform.

Bankers have interesting stories. Here's what one banker learned from natural disasters.