“Likewise, we are seeing what are often referred to as minority populations growing quickly, and with that growth comes increased demand for goods and services,” Ringsdorf says. “Similar to the phenomenon discussed above with respect to gender, many minority business owners prefer, subconsciously or otherwise, to conduct business with other minorities, thus creating a demand for more minorities within the commercial real estate industry. Aside from demand, today's business leaders are increasingly recognizing that being diverse is the 'right thing to do.'”

ATLANTA—The commercial real estate industry is growing ever more diverse. Still, many say it's not diverse enough.

The Commercial Real Estate Diversity Report reveals the industry is 39.5% white women, 36.7% white men, and 23.8% black, Asian, or Hispanic men and women. Not surprisingly, white men hold most of the jobs in every category, from senior executives down to technicians. Minorities—women and various ethnic groups—held the most clerical jobs in the commercial real estate industry. But that is changing.

“As our country's population continues to grow and become more diverse, so does the workforce as well as the consumer and client base,” Amy Ringsdorf, ReeceNichols corporate counsel, tells GlobeSt.com. “For years the residential real estate workforce has been predominantly female while the commercial real estate workforce has been predominantly male. We're now seeing more women enter into commercial real estate fields.”

As Ringsdorf sees it, this is not only a function of more women entering the workplace, it reflects the fact that today there are more women-owned businesses and women in leadership positions within companies that have commercial real estate needs. As humans, she says, we often subconsciously gravitate toward others like us—so these women-owned businesses are creating more demand for women in the commercial real estate industry.

“Likewise, we are seeing what are often referred to as minority populations growing quickly, and with that growth comes increased demand for goods and services,” Ringsdorf says. “Similar to the phenomenon discussed above with respect to gender, many minority business owners prefer, subconsciously or otherwise, to conduct business with other minorities, thus creating a demand for more minorities within the commercial real estate industry. Aside from demand, today's business leaders are increasingly recognizing that being diverse is the 'right thing to do.'”