Shelby celebrated her 20-year anniversary at Meridian in 2011

Name: Carol Shelby Title: Vice President Company/firm: Meridian Capital Group, LLC Years with company/firm: 20 Years in field: 20 Years in real estate industry: 20 Address: 1 Battery Park Plaza, 26th Floor, New York, NY 10004 Telephone: 212-972-3600 Email: [email protected] URL: http://www.meridiancapital.com During the last 10 years of your career, which professional accomplishment, honor or achievement has meant the most to you and why? The most significant accomplishment of my career was celebrating my 20th anniversary with Meridian this past August. In 2011, Meridian closed more than 2,700 transactions totaling over $17 billion. After enduring multiple downturns in the real estate market, achieving this milestone on a high note truly makes this success noteworthy. Which project, deal or transaction was the "game changer" in the advancement of your career during the last 10 years? The advancement of my career has not been based on a particular deal; rather, it has been through the fostering of my client relationships and the subsequent increase in transaction volumes by maintaining a competitive edge and providing clients with unparalleled access to lenders and guidance at every stage of the deal. How do you contribute to your company and / or the industry? I was the highest performing female originator at Meridian Capital Group, LLC in 2011. Personally negotiating and closing transactions totaling more than $667 million What advice would you give to women just starting out in commercial real estate? Don't always take everything people tell you at face value, especially when it comes to being a female in real estate world! Across the country, and especially in the greater NYC metro area, there are no limits to the success you can enjoy from hard work and a competitive spirit. How do you manage the work/life balance? The key is to stay organized and surround yourself with a dedicated and effective team, both in the office and at home. When you have great people supporting you, you can do more with less and enable yourself to strike a better balance. Additionally, being able to prioritize is key since one cannot be everywhere at once! Who or what has been the strongest influence on your career and why? Our firm, Meridian Capital Group, has had the most influence on my career and helped me achieve so much professionally. Since I arrived at Meridian when the firm was still a "start-up" I enjoyed the benefit of growing as Meridian has grown. Meridian has been an integral part of the U.S. commercial real estate finance landscape since 1991 and Meridian has secured more than $132 billion in financing over this time. The firm's organic growth and desire to continually improve and expand has provided significant inspiration and motivation for me over the years. How are you using social media to promote yourself and/or your firm? In a somewhat opaque industry like real estate, information is even more critical and networking is the best way to gather information. Market trends start long before they appear in the news and being aware of these trends in advance of the masses is of critical importance. Where would you like to be 10 years from today? I hope to still be at Meridian continuing to build my client relationships and refinancing many of the loans I am working on currently.