Executive of the Month: Question and answer session with Walker, an associate principal at Outsource Consultants

August 15, 2017 - Front Section

New York, NY The New York Real Estate Journal recently sat down with Scott Walker, associate principal of Outsource Consultants for a question and answer session.

NYREJ: Where did you grow up? 

Walker: I grew up in Bayside and Flushing in Queens, New York. I have lived in this area all my life, and I love it! 

NYREJ: What did you want to be when you grew up? 

Walker: I wanted to be an artist, and I still do. 

NYREJ: What pointed you down this career path? 

Walker: I worked in the alarm monitoring business in the early 90’s. I left the field after six years because of the lack of competition in the industry. It made me feel like opportunities for growth would be limited. 

NYREJ: Any early connections? 

Walker: My uncle grew up with Tony Roselli, a partner at Outsource Consultants, made the introduction and here I am 19 years later.

NYREJ: How did you get started in the business?

Walker: My initial role was as a filing representative. However, I’ve always been a go-getter, and after a few months one of the partners took notice. He suggested I start learning the business of construction permit consulting, and client relations. The rest is history! 

NYREJ: What are the many roles you have worked in throughout your career – how has that impacted the way you think about the company now? 

Walker: Over the years I have worn many hats here at Outsource, and each one has taught me a valuable lesson. It has helped shape my awareness and understanding of what is most important to our clients. At the forefront of my mind is continually improving their experience and providing the best services on every opportunity they provide us with.

NYREJ: What about your daily work interests you?

Walker: The amazing projects that come across my desk! I love working and collaborating with the super smart people we have here at Outsource on all of them! 

NYREJ: Why this industry? 

Walker: Competition. As a young man, getting into and succeeding in a competitive field was very important to me. This was the best way I could think of to keep my career on an upward trajectory. It worked. 

NYREJ: Of all the roles you’ve played, what’s been the most interactive? 

Walker: Client relations. I have learned a lot from my experiences and interactions over the years, namely the importance of listening. 

NYREJ: What was your favorite? 

Walker: Mentoring and selecting many of our key people and watching them grow and evolve in their various roles. 

NYREJ: What are some of the most important lessons that you’ve learned from the people that came before you? 

Walker: To never stop learning, and challenging yourself. 

NYREJ: Who were some of your role models? 

Walker: My role models and mentors here at Outsource are the brain trust of our compliance team, Mithun Islam and Kim Vauss. They have helped me grow both professionally and personally, and I will forever be in their debt. I have learned how to approach and develop solutions for our client’s compliance challenges because of them. 

NYREJ: What was the biggest challenge you faced working your way up? 

Walker: Change. The business and the building codes we use to review plans and guide our clients have evolved. This has been both very challenging and rewarding. 

NYREJ: What is your plan for the next year, five years and ten? 

Walker: My new role will require me to focus more on client relations. My plan for the next five years is to continue to help Outsource grow with a focus on better engagement and communication with our clients. 

NYREJ: What are the main industries you service? 

Walker: We serve the real estate development, management community, as well as design, construction management professionals. 

NYREJ: Who do you feel would benefit the most from your services? 

Walker: Anyone who needs assistance securing building approvals and permits that appreciates quality communication, attention to detail, effective compliance strategy acumen grounded in integrity and experience. 

NYREJ: Tell us a little about some of the projects you work on. 

120 Park Avenue - Manhattan, NY

Walker: One is Bloomberg LP – when they acquired 10 floors at 120 Park Ave., the gut renovations took place in an eight phase process encompassing 23 floors. We provided code consultation, filed multiple applications and pulled all required permits. Additionally we were able to secure a compliance solution for the building’s unique seven-floor open stair.

Another project is Colgate-Palmolive. They recently completed a restacking program and we developed a filing strategy designed to correspond to the clients re-organizational goals. This multi-phase renovation required several interior demolition and interior fit out filing packages be submitted to meet the needs of their schedule.

NYREJ: What does the future of our industry look like? Any predictions or insights? 

Walker: Virtualization. The Department of Buildings, as well as other city agencies we engage with on a daily basis for our clients, have been on a steady march towards achieving a virtualized filing experience. The city is three to five years away from achieving their goal of a fully digital filing experience. The industry will become more ‘compliance guidance’ focused. Additionally, we are steps away from the launch of some very exciting proprietary technology platforms of our own which will improve our clients experiences in an expediential fashion.

NYREJ: Looking back on your tenure at Outsource, how has the company changed since you started? 

Walker: Technology. We have invested heavily in our ability to track, plan and service our clients’ needs by building proprietary technologies and software tools. 

NYREJ: How about the industry as a whole? 

Walker: More competitive and more complex. When I first started in this business, the process was simpler, and more straightforward. The city has steadily added more in terms of compliance requirements and what they expect to see on plans before they will green light construction in the city. 

NYREJ: As a now associate principal of Outsource, what makes you the most proud today, tomorrow and looking forward. 

Walker: Seeing my hard work pay off. I am proud to have the confidence of the founding partners. It also makes me extremely proud of the Outsource team members I have mentored. Nothing brings me greater pleasure than watching people achieve their full potential. It makes me look to the future with pride and certainty that Outsource will continue to evolve and remain at the top of our game.

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