Nareit’s REITalent series shines a spotlight on talent in the REIT industry, highlighting various roles within Nareit member companies and the unique career paths individuals have taken. Most recently, Nareit spoke with Geraldine Peña, senior designer at Public Storage (NYSE: PSA). You can find current job opportunities available with Public Storage here.
How did you find your job at Public Storage?
One day I got a phone call from a recruiter who found me on LinkedIn. He told me more about the opportunity, and I was very excited. I was intrigued by how a big corporation had the in-house architectural team, the construction team, all together within the real estate development group.
Tell us a little bit about what you do in your position as a senior designer at Public Storage.
The primary responsibility of senior designer is to support the construction team. So that can involve preparing (and keeping up-to-date) the master specs, prototypical drawings, and details. We also prepare conceptual drawings for internal leadership to approve, review design drawings, and—once projects are complete—do site visits.
Do you have any advice that you would give someone who's looking for a job similar to yours right now?
I would say to learn new things. There’s always new technologies and even new materials available in construction. Online courses where you can achieve certification can also be helpful. For example, LEED certifications are very important right now. Just use your free time to continue to learn and become the best version of yourself.
What would you tell someone who asked why they should be looking for a career in commercial real estate or, more specifically, in a REIT?
There’s so much to learn from working at a REIT. Coming from my previous job as a design builder, I knew a lot about construction documents and construction administration, but I was not involved much on the financial side of the business.
Since working at Public Storage, I’ve learned how to develop a return [on investment] and how to follow a plan to get there. Seeing Public Storage’s portfolio growth in the last five years that I have been with the company is a very satisfying and fulfilling experience for me.
Can you describe a challenge that you've faced in your current position and how you overcame it?
I would have to say my communication skills. I was born and raised in Cuba, so I have an accent. I quickly learned that clear direction and communication is key to success, and making sure I communicated effectively was very important to me.
Now, I always make sure documents have clear notes attached so we can see why we made a decision in the past. In my field, it’s very important to keep track of everything. I also learned that recapping at the end of a meeting is a very helpful because you get to see if everybody's on the same page, including me.
What would you describe as your greatest accomplishment to date?
I would have to say to pass all my examinations to become licensed in architecture. My determination to pass them required discipline and perseverance, but it was very important to me. I'm always looking to become the best version of myself.
My team at Public Storage was very supportive and helped answer my questions while I was studying for the exam. I feel lucky to work with a lot of VPs of Construction.
What do you think senior executives could learn from people who are earlier in their careers?
This is a hard question, but I would say to be open to technology. There is lots of new software out there, and a junior designer is more likely to know how (or feel comfortable learning how) to use these technologies. And often, they love teaching these skills to peers!
Second, I would say to embrace diversity—but not in the traditional way. I'm talking about diversity in terms of career background. People who are early in their careers could have a nontraditional career background or skillset, but they can bring a different perspective to the table. Having a big umbrella of different careers backgrounds could be a learning experience for them. I think it’s valuable to have different thought processes and perspectives in one place.
Please note: this interview has been edited for clarity.