Sheryl Sandberg Inspired Her

Brooke Houghton always wanted to be a broker. After 10 years as a PR pro at JLL, she was emboldened by Sheryl Sandberg to forget regrets and take the leap to tenant rep.

Brooke was introduced to real estate at a small PR shop with mainly commercial real estate clients. From there she hit Edelman, where clients included Equity Office and Simon. She was hooked on the dynamic world and jumped at the opportunity to join JLL’s PR/marketing team. While she talked to Sterling Bay’s George Kohl 10 years ago about trying brokerage (when he headed up leasing at EOP), she wasn’t ready to make the change. But she leaned in last fall, transitioning into brokerage and joining Matt Carolan and Meredith O’Connor’s tenant rep team (a less messy initiation than pledging a fraternity, we imagine).

Though Brooke's been around commercial real estate for 15 years, the last six months have been an eye opener. She enjoys the business’s entrepreneurial spirit, and being in control of your own future is a very liberating feeling, she says. Her experience in PR/marketing helps her view companies’ space needs differently. In addition to the best economics, a space needs to fit company culture and serve as an extension of the brand. Brooke has focused on PR and communications firms because she knows the business well, and works to stand out with small observant touches. For instance, she caught the eye of one prospect by mentioning the half pipe her son was building in their back yard. In a commodity business, it’s the little details that can set you apart, she says.

Brooke did two deals with Phil Geiger early on, helping a small tech firm into some funky loft space and a consulting firm find a more traditional office. The leases gave her a good sense of different types of space and price points on the market, and she’s got a handful of deals brewing with the team. She’s also dipping her toe into the ‘burbs, selling a Bannockburn office building with Dan McCarthy. Outside of work, Brooke’s kids (Trace and Piper, above) keep her busy and she’s an avid reader. “Focusing on this new chapter in my life is taking up most of my time and I’m loving it,” she says.