Name: Jennifer Ecker
Title: Special Counsel
Company Name: Moritt Hock & Hamroff LLP
Years in Commercial Real Estate: 15
What social media and/or face to face networking activities do you find most beneficial professionally?
While I particularly enjoy women's real estate networking events as women in the industry understand the professional challenges that women in real estate encounter, I network often with various real estate groups and prefer tailored, small group, face to face networking activities. A small group of real estate professionals is more intimate and allows me to spend time getting to know a person's personality and his or her professional needs. I follow up with a lunch and make referrals when appropriate. While it takes time to develop strong business relationships, I find that the relationships that I develop last longer.
What was your first job and what did you learn from it?
My first job was performing clerical work at an exterminating company. The head of the company asked me to locate a file in the large file room. The files, which were supposed to be in alphabetical order, were completely disorganized as the person previously in charge neglected to maintain the company's files. I spent over a week organizing thousands of files. I learned that everyone's position in a business is critical for the business to operate effectively and that organization and attention to detail is important for the success of a business.
What is your favorite quote?
Nelson Mandela expressed, "It always seems impossible until it's done." As a lawyer, many clients seek resolutions to complicated situations that seem impossible to achieve or to amicably resolve. I often spend endless hours researching and brainstorming. Whenever I find myself at an impasse I remind myself that I only need to take a series of small steps in order to complete what appears to be an impossible task.
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