DALLAS—Granite Properties, a commercial real estate investment and management company headquartered in Dallas, has a flexible work environment, female executives and a sense of community/family. In this exclusive, Melissa Labor, senior director of human resources and culture, recently discussed the evolving role of women in CRE, the advantages of female input and the challenges women face in this industry.

GlobeSt.com: How have women's roles evolved in CRE in recent years?

Labor: Commercial real estate is experiencing all types of changes and disruption, not the least of which is the changing roles of women in the industry. There is still more work to do in increasing the numbers of women in CRE. But, we are moving in on the gap. We see more women rising to higher levels and are taking on what have been considered more traditional roles like development/construction project management, investment and leadership. For instance at Granite, 24% of women have executive positions and 41% are in mid-level managerial positions; this has been an incremental increase.

GlobeSt.com: What do women bring to the CRE table in terms of professional advantage?

Labor: The changing landscape of the industry is in part what precipitates the need for more diversity more than ever. This is a significant opportunity for more women to demonstrate their expertise and professional advantage in providing perspectives and value that have not traditionally been a part of decision-making strategies in our industry.

As discussed at our recent strategic planning session, our leadership team recognizes that we are going to have to be more innovative and adaptable going forward. Diverse perspectives help facilitate new ideas and creativity. We believe that our people are our advantage to the successful evolution of our organization and our female leaders are helping shape what the future of Granite looks like.

GlobeSt.com: What do women face in terms of challenges in a male-dominated industry?

Labor: One of the challenges women have faced in the industry is just the opportunity to be in a position to learn. Women have had to find opportunities for growth and mentorship outside of their organizations and through professional industry group involvement. At Granite, many of our female senior leaders have held leadership positions in professional organizations and are providing mentorship for other women in our industry and our organization.

GlobeSt.com: How do you create a great workplace for women?

Labor: A flexible work environment, direct involvement in decision making and opportunity for female mentorship are three good ways to create a great workplace for women. This year, Granite implemented a policy that makes where and when our employees work much more flexible. Being able to integrate personal and professional lives empowers our female employees. We also have a good number of female executives who have a seat at the table and are part of the decision-making process. Granite's culture of collaboration and transparency supports inclusion and there is a lot of opportunity for women to lead large company initiatives. Seeing women in a position of power fosters the development and growth of other women. Our female executives are providing mentorship to other women, and in general, Granite encourages leadership development internally and at external organizations.