Women are rising in every industry and demonstrating their leadership qualities by simplifying the complex challenges a company faces within four walls. They are gaining recognition in their business sphere at the international level by working hard every day to manage teams at work and represent their company.
In the real estate industry, few women have mastered the skill of property sales and become household names. Karen Simon (President and Managing Partner of Emersons Commercial Real Estate ) is one of those female leaders who have established herself as a powerhouse in the real estate market by delivering remarkable results consistently. She has set new standards of excellence and Enterprise Wired is honored to represent her journey as one of “The Most Inspiring Women Leaders In Business, 2024.”
Mastering the Art of Innovation
Established in 2004, by real estate professional & banker Richard Webb and CPA & broker Matthew Price, Emersons Commercial Real Estate is redefining the real estate market. It is a leading national full-service real estate company that specializes in property management, leasing, and sales of property.
Since its incorporation, it has leased and managed 7 million sq. ft. in the Dallas region. The company is committed to ensuring minimum capital expenditures by managing proactive assets and benefitting key insights. Today, Emersons has mastered the art of moderating its expenses and improving tenant turnover to boost revenue along with tenant retention figures for its customers.
Legacy of Leadership and Empowerment
Being the President and Managing Partner of Emersons Commercial Real Estate, Karen Simon heads the Fort Worth, Tarrant County office. Distinguished as one of the first females in the commercial real estate industry of Dallas, she was brought on board to open the Fort Worth office of the company.
Karen, the teacher-turned-real estate star, had an impressive career in commercial real estate before she joined Emersons. She started her journey in 1983 and became the first woman to practice industrial real estate. Karen had a momentous beginning in her career as she worked hard for the largest real estate firm at that time in Texas- Henry S. Miller. After being named the highest industrial producer in the DFW area, Karen went on to helm the role of Managing Partner at the Bradford Company and TIG.
Karen specializes in leasing and sales in the retail, office, industrial and land sectors. She has finished over 900 transactions encompassing over six million sq. ft. of property. Currently, she is responsible for the Tarrant County division of Emersons Commercial Real Estate business development. She utilizes over 30 years of hands-on experience in the commercial real estate market and leads Emersons with unmatched tenacity and zeal along with enduring determination.
“In addition to managing operations, one of my responsibilities at Emerson is to ensure that the organization remains viable for its committed workforce,” she adds.
Celebrating Excellence
Thanks to her efforts in Commercial Real Estate, Karen has been honored on various platforms with several accolades. These include being named ‘Business Woman of the Year’ by the Texas Women’s Chamber of Commerce in 2007, the ‘Most Influential Woman in Texas’, and ‘One of the Greatest Women of Texas’. Top 100 magazine’s list of the Top 100 People in Real Estate covered Karen’s inspiring story and journey through a male-dominated industry.
She was featured on the Marquis Who’s Who of Top Executive List. Besides fulfilling her duties at work, Karen likes to invest her time in mentoring colleagues, and teaching them the core values of becoming a genius in real estate. She is a woman of many virtues and has been a member of the Advisory Board at the Adrian College of TCU and a custom jewelry designer.
Guidance from Experienced Ones
Rental income from commercial properties is usually more expensive than from residential properties, hence some business ventures find investing in commercial real estate lucrative. However, commercial real estate investment requires a significant amount of capital and expertise. It involves larger deals, more complex legal agreements, and greater risk.
Values of commercial real estate are influenced by many factors such as the health of the economy, the supply and demand for space, interest rates, and local regulations. Innovations and transformations in these factors impact the rates and commercial value of these real estate properties. Thus, to step ahead and venture into this field successfully, Karen mentions that it is important to take guidance from someone more experienced who can command the expertise needed to navigate these rough waters.
Competitive Edge in Real Estate
Once considered a niche, the field of commercial real estate (CRE) is now saturated with companies vying for market dominance. However, due to its hallmark offerings and dedicated approach to customer services and customized solutions, Emersons is differentiated from its competitors in the market. Hailed as the CRE expert, the company uses market studies to tap into the pulse of the industry. The company is furnished with the latest market knowledge and cutting-edge tech tools. To make data-based decisions and enjoy the privileges of enhanced efficiency, Emersons offers unparalleled competitive advantage to its clients.
Emersons is unquestionably one of the CRE firms listed on the market that fulfills both these criteria. It is a leading full-service commercial real estate company that specializes in the arena of property management, leasing sales, and investment services across 40 states in the US. Moreover, the company with its sister company 1045 provides best-in-class in-house real estate management services without costly overheads. All the services offered by Emersons are geared towards value generation for the client. Having a network of contacts in the industry along with brokers, lenders, and investors, Emersons can leverage them to help clients find better properties, secure financing, and negotiate successful deals.
The Four Pillars of Emersons
Prioritizing value creation and sustenance in the industry, the Emersons Commercial Real Estate empire rests on the four proven cornerstones: Expertise, Technology, Flexibility, and Reach.
1. Expertise
- Experience: Over 100 years of collective working experience in the real estate sector.
- Insights: Bring valuable insights to the table through extensive industry knowledge.
- Skill Utilization: Employs skilled professionals in diverse real estate verticals, including: Finance Accounting, Leasing, Development, Property, Management, and Construction Management.
- Client Value: Delivers unparalleled value to clients through a comprehensive range of expertise.
2. Technology
Client-Friendly Tech Services
- Technology Infrastructure: Operations are supported by proprietary and customized software.
- Real-Time Access: Provides real-time access to essential details, tenant information, and other crucial data.
- Client-Friendly Services: Tailored tech solutions designed to enhance the client experience.
3. Flexibility
Flexible Operations and Market Excellence
- Adaptable Approach: Firm commitment to maintaining flexible operations.
- Versatility: Well-suited to handle a diverse range of real estate challenges.
- Cost Efficiency: Guarantees cost reductions through its adaptable business model.
- Excellent Results: Demonstrates a track record of delivering excellent results.
- Wide Market Coverage: Specific attributes contribute to the brand’s hallmark of extensive market coverage.
4. Reach
Extensive Market Presence
- Geographic Reach: Offices established in 14 regions, though its partnership with 1045.
- Property Portfolio: Manages a vast portfolio of 2900 properties.National Coverage: Presence in 40 states across the United States.
- Market Bandwidth: Commands a wide and comprehensive market bandwidth.
- Strategic Partnerships: Clients benefit from strategic partnerships contributing to enhanced services.
- Nationwide Influence: Leverages a nationwide sphere of influence for client advantage.Top of Form
Cutting-edge Approach to Client Satisfaction
To cover every aspect of the real estate industry, Emersons provides a broad spectrum of commercial services that ensure customer satisfaction. It helps the company to avoid resistance from clients in the future. Emersons delivers the following services to its clients:
- Property Management: Emersons incorporates capital improvements, leasing, and upkeep by utilizing the newest technological tools. At the same time, it emphasizes sustaining positive tenant relations. These integrations aim to provide clients with chances for data-driven planning that will boost the value of their assets.
- Full-Service Customised Accounting: The exclusive service offerings of Emersons include “Full-service accounting services” in its portfolio. It provides clients with alternatives to choose to use them en-masse or supplement their own accounting team’s expertise.
- Asset Management: Emersons’ asset management strategy mentions prioritizing the client’s objectives and goals. Moreover, the company, along with 1045, ensures compliance with state laws and builds strategies that can focus on coordinating activities. These activities can contribute towards tenant retention and maximizing NOI.
- Investment Sales: Emersons has a wide network of individual and institutional investors which encourages broad investment in sales. Moreover, having a proven record of success impresses clients to invest in the company. Whether they are selling or listing any property, Emersons serves them well.
- Construction Management: Some real estate companies in the industry find constructing new property from scratch difficult. On the other hand, Emersons simplifies the process and supervises it every step of the way from start to end.
Lease with Ease
In addition to property and asset management, Emersons Commercial Real Estate specializes in leasing. Due to its broad geographic reach, Emersons is ideally positioned to provide outstanding leasing support. Moreover, it commands diverse asset classes and consists of a wealth of knowledge in the commercial real estate industry. Either directly or through the network of leasing partners, the company is delivering ample amounts of leasing services. It guarantees that value enhancement and tenant retention are maximized for the customer by concentrating on an integrated marketing strategy.
Emersons controls every aspect of leasing under the Speciality Leasing Program so that clients don’t have to worry about anything. To promote the properties or portfolios of clients, its team collaborates with all parties involved and handles everything from lease paperwork and legal obstacles. Its leasing services guarantee the best outcomes for the client. The team coordinates with all stakeholders and ensures optimum results by taking care of everything from marketing the portfolio to managing the leasing documentation and legal hurdles.
Crafting Customized Success
To meet the unique needs of customers, Emersons has carved out its position in the market to make its services customized and has secured its niche in the market. Its team prioritizes client satisfaction and modifies each of the aforementioned services to accommodate the client’s preferred level of involvement or detachment. Furthermore, the company creates management plans that satisfy the business requirements of clients.
“For us at Emersons, clients are our partners. We sit down with them to understand their goals -both long and short-term ones. This allows us to curate investment strategies that work best with their vision”
Karen Simon
Along with St. Louis-based Priority Properties, the Emersons team established 1045 in collaboration in the year 2019. 1045 is a management company that oversees and manages Kroger’s nationwide holdings. This endeavor resulted in managing approximately 80 million square feet of Kroger’s real estate.
Emersons made a big move with this new enterprise, greatly expanding its reach. Today, the company’s focus remains mainly on integration of the state-of-the-art tech tools and untangling its further operations to return the best value to clients. Emersons Commercial Real Estate continues to grow and prosper as its team focuses on unraveling novel tools to cut the costs in furniture, improve efficiency, and get tangible data-driven strategies to its clients.
