2024 Women in CRE: Sarah Berman, The Berman Group

What recent project, transaction, or accomplishment are you most proud of? 

Our firm has grown tremendously over the past two years. We have taken on more national and international work and we are currently representing a large number of clients who are paving the way for diversity and inclusion in real estate. We helped organize a statewide conference for MWBE firms for governor Hochul and Empire State Development Corp. last year that I am very proud of, and we are looking for more opportunities to celebrate and promote women and minorities in real estate and development.

What are the most important factors young women should consider when choosing a firm to build their career with?

Women should seek out firms where hard work is rewarded and where women as well as men can stand out when they work hard. I know my own success was based on working hard and not much else mattered. When I started in real estate and construction, I knew I was a woman in a very male dominated field but I have always found that our male (and female) clients respect my work ethic. 

Who inspires you most? What qualities do they possess that inspire you? 

I have several clients who inspire me not only because of who they are, but because they focus on raising up those around them. We have several clients with formal mentoring programs, and we recently started working with the National Association of Minority Contractors which is a wonderful organization to help create more support, and specifically business opportunities, for women and minorities in our field.

Which professional organization(s) would you recommend to women just starting out in your industry:

I would recommend any woman in our field to form connections with industry groups and get as involved as they can – this is how you form relationships and really find your tribe in a large and complex sector. There are so many acronyms which is the first challenge to learning our field - but join one or more, and you cannot go wrong. CREW, NEW, WX, RELA, ULI, CORENET – there are so many quality organizations and we are blessed to be involved and supporting so many of these groups!