Kathy Mussio of Atlas Insight shares her experiences and advice

Name: Kathy Mussio Title: Managing Partner Company/firm: Atlas Insight, LLC Years with company/firm: 2 Years in field: 11 Years in real estate industry: 11 Address: 99A Grange Ave., Fair Haven, NJ 07704 Telephone: 732.610.1750 Email: [email protected] URL: www.atlasinsight.com Responsibilities include: Helping to run a successful global governmental incentives and site selection consulting firm. Professionally, where were you ten years ago and where are you now? Ten years ago, I had just completed a switch from management consulting to economic development incentives consulting for large complex real estate projects in the New York metro area. What single event professional or personal has most significantly impacted your career? This is an impossible question to answer; there have been many events that have helped to shape me as a professional. What was the best decision that you made in the last year? Hiring Eric Dantzler to work on our team. What award or recognition has been the most meaningful to you and why? This is a tough one, but if I had to choose, I would say that getting an "A" on my Capstone real estate development project for my Master of Science in Real Estate gave me a sense of additional validation. How do you stay ahead of the curve? I am a Type "A" so I work all the time. I stay ahead of the curve by reading, researching and responding to as many emails as I can "in real time" so that I don't have a backlog. Who has been the strongest influence on your career and why? The person who helped transition me into the real estate field was Michael Bailkin, and without him, I wouldn't be where I am today. What impact has social networking had on your success? Networking is essential for relationship building and sales. Period. How has the need to create a more sustainable environment influenced the way you do business? While it's hard to point to a direct impact of the move for sustainability on the way we do business, the move towards sustainability has certainly created new business opportunities. What obstacles have you overcome to get where you are today? My initial fear of giving up a job that was a "known" for an opportunity which was an "unknown". What advice would you give to a woman just starting a career in your field? Work hard. Read voraciously. Sharpen your writing as well as your quantitative skills. Network. Exude confidence!