2016 Women in Real Estate: Jennifer Carey

Jennifer Carey, JLC Environmental Consultants, Inc.

Name: Jennifer Carey

Title: CEO

Company Name: JLC Environmental Consultants, Inc.

Email: [email protected]  

Years in real estate: 29

Year Founded: 1987 

URL: www.jlcenvironmental.com

Twitter jennifercarey@jencarey2009 and jenniferCarey@envirogirl1000

Telephone: 212.420.8119

How did you get your start in real estate?

My first job in real estate was as part of the environmental consulting team hired to conduct oversight of a rehabilitation project with a large hazardous materials component at a high school just outside of Syracuse, NY. The job was a success and lead to my next opportunity.

What real estate associations or organizations are you a member of?

I am a member of the Commercial Real Estate Women (CREW) Network, Women Builders Council and Long Island Real Estate Group (LIREG).

What recent project or transaction are you most proud of?

We are very proud that our firm was chosen as the environmental consultant on The Women’s Building project. The NOVO Foundation and the Goren Group were awarded the rights to restore and redevelop the former Bayview Correctional Facility into the Women’s Building by the NYS ESD. The former medium security prison will be redesigned into a space that houses women’s rights groups who help women and girls get the support and resources they need to thrive. This gut rehabilitation of the 130,000 s/f building will create a place where these organizations can pool resources, share ideas, and in the words of NOVO co-president Jennifer Buffett “…could be a model for the world.”

What recent honor, achievement or recognition has meant the most to you and why?

The most recent recognition that means a great deal to me is being elected to the Board of Directors for the Commercial Real Estate Women (CREW) Network. CREW Network board services offers a unique opportunity to work with other innovative, accomplished women professionals who are leaders in commercial real estate. CREW Network has almost 10,000 members throughout North America and we are slated to open chapters in Europe and Asia in the near future. It is a great honor to have been selected by my peers and to represent them on the board where we oversee the direction, policies and priorities of CREW. I really enjoy the work involved with leading governance sessions, working with various committees and task forces and traveling to chapters during the year to make presentations to our members, meet with local chapter leaders and share ideas.

What was a significant milestone or achievement for your company?

When JLC was selected as the environmental consultant for Tishman Construction on the $100 million dollar renovation of the St. Regis Hotel project on Fifth Ave., it proved to be a very important project for us and lead to our continued success. When we completed the work in 1991, the economy was coming out on the other side of a real estate recession similar to the one we recently experienced (that started in 2007). Getting that award in 1988, at the very start of our company, was instrumental in keeping us working during a major economic downturn. A change in the scope of work when the project was in full swing ended up keeping us on the building for a total of 3 years. I just had a chance to personally thank Daniel Tishman again for that opportunity when we met recently at the Women Builders Council 2016 Annual Champion Awards Dinner.

How do you empower other women in your workplace?

We give women in our company the same opportunities as men. We pay our employees the same base salaries for the same positions because doing so creates economic parity within the firm. We give both genders the chance to advance themselves by taking professional development classes and by giving them both opportunities to take on high visibility projects. We help level the playing field by building flexibility into some positions that can take advantage of technology. (e.g. one of the male employees works from home two days a week to be with his infant child and another female employee created a flexible schedule for herself in order to care for her older children when her family caregiver was unexpectedly called away for several weeks.) We encourage our people to strive for excellence in both their personnel and professional lives and I believe that truly makes our company a great place to work.