Larisa Ortiz, Larisa OrtizAssociates
Name: Larisa Ortiz
Title: Principal
Company Name: Larisa Ortiz Associates
Email: [email protected]
Years in real estate: 19 years
Telephone: 917-696-1373
Year Founded: 2008
URL: www.larisaortizassociates.com
Twitter @cdavisor
How did you get your start in real estate?
I have always been interested in the built environment - as a senior at Wesleyan University, I interned with the Middletown Planning Department and helped them start a downtown revitalization program. The effort helped advance of a number of important real estate initiatives in the town, including a new movie theater, a new police station with ground floor retail, and a new hotel.
What real estate associations or organizations are you a member of?
International Council of Shopping Centers, Eastern Division Co-Chair; International Downtown Association, Board Member; American Planning Association, member
What recent project or transaction are you most proud of?
In 2014 our firm completed a Citywide Economic Market Study for the City of Trenton that is now guiding the new mayoral administration’s efforts to advance real estate investment in the City. The study emphasized the importance of adding density – including new residents – and encouraging market rate and affordable housing through a variety of strategies. These themes got picked up and are now the focus of a new non-profit organization called “Greater Trenton”, which shows great promise in its ability to bring together the public and private sectors to work towards the goal of supporting investment in downtown.
What recent honor, achievement or recognition has meant the most to you and why?
In 2014 I was appointed to the New York City Planning Commission by Mayor Bill Di Blasio. It is truly an honor to be given the opportunity to learn about and weigh in on the city’s most pressing planning and development issues.
What have been some of the benefits of being a mentor or having a mentor?
I have never been shy about reaching out to colleagues in my field. Early on, that meant asking to sit down with leading practitioners in the field. The insight and relationships that I formed over the years were invaluable to me as I found my professional footing. Now I try to repay the favor by frequently talking to young professionals. I also teach at Pratt Institute – where I’m regularly inspired by my students who come to the table with fresh insight and new ideas. Whenever I get a request to chat from a young professional, I try to fit in these conversations. I find that those who reach out and take initiative are the ones who will go quite far in their career, so talking to them is as helpful to them as it is to me! It is also rewarding to go to an event and have someone approach me and say they are excited to meet me in person because I talked to them years ago and they really appreciated the guidance.
Who or what has been the strongest influence on your career and why?
My desire to improve urban places began with my experience visiting my grandparents in Puerto Rico every summer. A once vibrant historic downtown, where I was allowed to walk by myself for ice cream at a young age, is now a veritable ghost town. As suburban communities spread out around the compact downtown, commercial shopping centers were built on the outskirts that further pulled consumer demand from downtown retailers. Improving places like that is why I do the work that I do.
What time management strategies do you find to be the most effective for you?
I have gotten much better about delegating and trying to always ensure that my time is being put to its highest and best use. When I sit down to perform a task I ask myself, is there someone else who can do what I’m doing, and will that free me up to do things that only I am able to do? If the answer is yes, I look around the office and ask for assistance.
What is the best advice you have received and who was it from?
A few years ago I served as director of the Coro Neighborhood Leadership Program, a leadership training program for commercial district practitioners. While I was the person responsible for professional content, I got to sit in on their leadership training sessions. As a busy small business owner I often put off doing things until things “slow down.” One day the facilitator offered the following insight, “if you are good at what you do, things will never slow down.” This helped me realize that I needed to build balance into my life, because it wasn’t ever going to come on its own.
When you launched your business what were some challenges that you experienced?
I have come to realize that “I don’t know what I don’t know”. When you run your own business, you are often faced with a set of tasks for which your professional training may or may not have prepared you. In the beginning I didn’t set out to run a business, I set out to do good work for clients in my field of expertise. But it took a while to overcome the belief that I could learn it all and do it all without help. I now don’t hesitate to turn to qualitied professionals to do things that I can’t– why spend valuable time reinventing the wheel when someone has already figured it out?
How did you overcome them?
I have learned to surround myself with people who are good at what I’m not good at, and then I set clear (and high) expectations for them.
What was a significant milestone or achievement for your company?
When we achieved a million dollars in sales my employees made a cute collage with my face pasted on top of the “Rosie the Riverter”. As we all know, she says “We Can Do It!” - and we did!
What advice would you give to a woman who is planning to launch her own business?
Your reputation is the key to your success, so remain consistent in delivering high quality work and you will be rewarded by great word of mouth marketing. Remain curious. This will give you the drive you need to continue reading, absorbing and listening in ways that will result in consistent improvements to your knowledge base. Those improvements will pay dividends as your reputation for excellence grows.
How do you empower other women in your workplace?
As a mother, I try to be supportive of work/life balance. This means allowing for flexibility in when work gets done, as long as it gets done. I also do my best to let my staff “own” the work they are doing, with limited micro-management. Within this framework, I am always available for a quick check in for feedback. At yearly reviews, we also establish annual professional development goals where we discuss training and professional education opportunities that will be explored during the year.
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