Raygorodetsky of Langan: Proud of Greenpoint Landing in Brooklyn

Name: Mimi S. Raygorodetsky Title: Associate Company Name: Langan Engineering and Environmental Services, Inc. Follow my company on Twitter @LanganEngEnv What year did you start your career in commercial real estate: 1999 Real Estate Associations/Organizations: New York City Brownfield Partnership (Founding Board Member and Current President); New York City Office of Environmental Remediation, Technical Task Force (Committee Member); CREW Network (Member) What recent project or transaction are you most proud of? The project that I am most proud of is Greenpoint Landing in Brooklyn, N.Y. I first began working on this project in 2001, shortly after I started my career. The developer was beginning environmental due diligence and his lawyer, Mark Chertok at Sive, Paget & Riesel, P.C., liked my work and advised him to actually write me into the contract to perform the Phase I ESA. Fourteen years later I joined Langan, and with me came the environmental work at Greenpoint Landing. Soon after I joined the company, the client added other Langan disciplines to our scope of services. What is most exciting to me about the project is that it will really transform the Brooklyn skyline in a big way - eleven waterfront towers on nineteen upland acres, with stunning views of Lower Manhattan. My colleagues and I at Langan joke that we will all soon be living together as neighbors at Greenpoint Landing once the buildings are up! Who or what has been the strongest influence on your career and why? Mark Chertok and Christine Leas at environmental law firm Sive, Paget & Riesel, P.C. have been mentors to me throughout my career. The two times in my career when I contemplated changing jobs, I turned to Mark and Christine for advice. In both instances, the firms I ultimately went to work for were those that they recommended. Each time the interview process was seamless - I called the heads of the firms and told them Mark and Christine said I should go work with them, and I was pretty much hired immediately. What is the first thing you do when you arrive in the office in the morning? Take off my bike helmet and drink some coffee! What time management strategies do you find to be the most effective for you? If I really need to focus on technical work, I will put my noise cancelling headphones on and listen to the same classical CD on repeat. Something about Beethoven triggers my brain to focus completely on the task at hand! What is the best advice you have received and who was it from? I've received some great advice from good friends and colleagues over the years. My favorites are: 1. Never apologize at work. Own your mistakes, but don't apologize. 2. Tell, don't ask. 3. When you do something really well, don't be shy about letting those around you know about your successes. List 3 women that you would like to have drinks / dinner with and where would you go? I would have dinner with my mom, Syrma, and my two daughters, LuLu and Pearl - the three females who have inspired and continue to inspire me on a daily basis. We wouldn't have dinner, but a long, lazy seafood lunch on the beach in St. Barths. We would sip rose, eat ice cream sundaes, take frequent breaks for dips in crystal blue waters, and watch the world pass us by. Life is too short - surround yourself with those you love. What is your favorite quote? "Never let them see you sweat." I think it's a tagline for a men's deodorant brand, but regardless, it's a great quote. On the job, even when a project is absurdly stressful, I never let my clients or my colleagues think that I am not in total control of the situation. What did you want to be when you grew up? A great chef!