2017 Women in Building Services: Erin Anthony, AKF Group

Name: Erin Anthony, PE

Title: Senior Electrical Engineer

Company Name: AKF Group 

Years in real estate: 16

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

How have you navigated obstacles to achieve success in your career?

I was told early in my career that I would never have trouble getting a job, not because of my ability, but due to firms meeting diversity requirements. I never wanted to be acknowledged for doing my job well “for a woman.” I also noticed early in my career that women sometimes had the tendency to feel threatened by other women and would diminish their accomplishments. I have found that being well prepared, having a deep understanding of the work that I do, and developing the next generation of engineers have aided in my success.

How do you play your strengths to your advantage in your career?

Our work is conducted in teams, and projects are successful when the members of the team work for a common goal. I believe that my strengths include involving the appropriate staff at each phase of a project, listening and understanding what various team members’ motivations are in regards to their perspective of a successful project, and being knowledgeable about the project specifics and technical aptitude in the services that my company is hired to perform. 

What trends are you seeing so far this year?

Landlords have been evaluating capital infrastructure improvement projects and benchmarking the existing conditions of their properties. Within office tenant projects, bench style or hoteling type workstations have been popular, and commercial tenants are looking at properties in Brooklyn and Queens. Landlords are attracting food halls as an extension of the popularity of food trucks and high-end restaurants to their retail spaces throughout New York City.

What do you do for fun?

During the past year I have been renovating my 140 year-old house in Northern Westchester. I also enjoy making pottery.