2018 Women in Real Estate and Construction Services: Christine Belson, KM Associates of New York

Name: Christine Belson

Title: Chief Operating Officer

Company Name: KM Associates of New York

Years in your current field: 21

What professional organizations or associations are you a member of? Society of Human Resource Management

What was your greatest professional accomplishment in 2017?

I have been presented with many challenges over my 21 years in the building services industry. Most have been centered around how to get things done within the constraints of an autocratic business model, wherein I was the minority in believing that business culture and a focus on why we do things instead of a focus on what we do was a wise investment for the future of a company in lieu of the everyday battle to fire drill the missed deadlines and push to say yes to any project that added to the bottom line. 

Last year, I was lucky enough to have chosen a placement to manage operations for a company who, after 20 years of doing business in the industry, realized there was a much broader focus than individual deadlines and a constant flow of business. They understood they were the experts at what the business does and wanted to build a team of people who could support the “why” the business does it and become the framework for the future of the company. “Moving projects forward” means more to them then just getting the projects out the door. Building a quality team where the leaders are able to stay involved with their clients because they have built an empowered, dedicated and talented team to support them and strengthen the level of services produced is the only way the company establishes consistency in their work and stands out from the competition. 

Business policy is built around providing for continued learning and growth in the field and building a culture of trust and teamwork. When your team has faith in the product and trust they are supported by their leadership and fellow team members, the “move forward” happens in a more efficient and productive way. We collectively offer so much more than each of us individually can offer and when we make that the focus it strengthens us at the core. It is such a pleasure working with this group of people and sharing in their continued growth.