Executive of the Month: Ornstein, principal and leader at Transwestern, guiding firm's expansion, branding and team development

As a principal and leader at Transwestern, Lindsay Ornstein's many accomplishments and all around skills have rocketed her to an esteemed position at a very young age. She focuses on both leasing and tenant representation, with a specialty in serving clients in the financial services and non-profit sectors. Throughout her career, Ornstein has completed over 100 transactions totaling more than 1.1 million s/f in the N.Y.C. metro area. She has represented many notable clients including Access Industries, JPMorgan Chase, Kelso & Co., The National Hockey League, The Robin Hood Foundation, Sirius XM and Tory Burch. In addition to client services, she plays a leadership role for Transwestern Northeast, providing guidance in the firm's expansion, branding and team development. She also serves an integral role in business development, marketing, networking, operations, client and community relations, and developing the local brand and identity for a firm that, although widely known and respected throughout the country, is relatively new to the New York market. Q: What inspired you to start a career in commercial real estate? A: After September 11th, I decided to make a career shift from the marketing/advertising world I had been working in. Real estate is related to my family's business and has been a life long love and passion of mine, so I married the two industries and became the director of marketing at the Staubach Company, a commercial real estate services firm. I immediately fell in love with the dynamic and multi-faceted industry, and decided that bringing my marketing talent to the brokerage side of the business was an important next step in my career. Shortly thereafter, I shifted to become a tenant rep broker. Q: What has been your experience growing a company new to the NYC market? A: In 2010, while working at Centric Real Estate Advisors, I was approached, along with my partner and current Northeast president at Transwestern, Patrick Robinson, about taking on the lofty goal of developing Transwestern's Northeast territory from the ground up. Although the firm was well-known throughout the country, saying our name in N.Y.C. only elicited recognition half of the time. The obviously daunting task of turning a little known firm into a big brand name in the most competitive commercial real estate market in the U.S. was a challenge that Patrick and I fervently accepted, and we have not wavered in our 100% commitment to achieving success for the firm. It has been two years since we opened our doors, and our team now consists of 50 highly respected real estate professionals in our three offices in New York, New Jersey and Connecticut. Employing a hands-on recruiting strategy, we have made a concerted effort to assemble the right group of talented professionals who have stellar reputations, represent high-quality clients and have fun, good-natured personalities. This core group of individuals is essential to our success and will serve as the foundation upon which we will continue to grow our platform for many years. Q: What unique qualities does your firm offer to potential employees and/or clients? A: Our culture is by far our most compelling draw. The concept of a fun, open and collaborative workplace with one large team rather than multiple siloed teams is a non-existent concept in the N.Y.C. commercial real estate market. We have worked incredibly hard to perpetuate the convivial culture that Transwestern is known for nationally, and then add our own local influences and personal flair. As a company, we do something as a team almost every month - potluck lunches, charity days, wellness/fitness initiatives, family events and more. We wholeheartedly believe that by doing things together outside the realm of day-to-day work, we are building deeper and more meaningful relationships amongst our team, which translates into a more cohesive group and yields a superior service experience for our clients. Q: What is the most important piece of advice you would give a woman trying to make it in commercial real estate? A: Know your strengths and use them. Many women have excellent organizational skills, a keen ability to multi-task and a shrewd attention to detail, and, if embraced and put to use, these attributes will serve you very well in a commercial real estate career. Q: As women continue to rise to the top in commercial real estate, how do you think they are influencing the industry? A: Women are pulling other women up through the ranks from within our own industry, creating a much smoother path to success. In decades past, pioneering women had to navigate much rougher terrain to meet their goals. Q: What do you see in the future for Transwestern Northeast? A: At Transwestern Northeast, we will continue to carve a niche for ourselves as the premier global boutique real estate services provider - a broad spectrum, full-service real estate firm with the feel and client experience of a high-end local boutique shop. I see the continued expansion of our smart and well-respected team around the region, and the continuation of a notable presence of female brokers on that team. Our region is currently 50% women and 50% men, with women comprising 1/3 of our N.Y.C. producer group. We hope to grow these numbers throughout the region going forward as we expand our current three offices and look to debut a Boston office within the next 12 months. Q: How is the N.Y.C. commercial real estate market evolving? What is the next big submarket or most significant office space trend? A: The decreased dependency on the financial services sector and the influx of the rapidly growing media and technology sector is a boon to the diversification of the commercial real estate market tenancy base. The proliferation of the Midtown South market will have two lasting effects on the New York real estate landscape. First, space design and occupancy trends will move more towards open, loft-like, collaborative environments like those that are so prevalent in the Midtown South loft style buildings. Second, the limited space in Midtown South will push the boundaries north into the next frontier to be developed; for lack of a better term, I like to call this submarket "Midtown South North," anchored to the north by Penn Station and to the west by the Hudson Rail Yards.