Power Women: From California Dreaming To CRE Powerhouse, Goodwin Commercial CEO Pam Goodwin Is In A League Of Her Own
This limited series profiles DFW Power Women who have made their mark in the Dallas-Fort Worth commercial real estate industry. Each of the women profiled will be honored at Bisnow's Dallas-Fort Worth Power Women event Nov. 12.
Pam Goodwin is the founder and CEO of Dallas-based Goodwin Commercial and a No. 1 best-selling author of the book Winning Ways in Commercial Real Estate – 18 Successful Women Unveil the Tips of the Trade in the Real Estate World.
Goodwin started in commercial real estate working in tenant coordination and project management with several large shopping center owners and developed more than 50 sites with restaurant operator Brinker International.
In 2006, Goodwin launched her own consulting firm, Goodwin Commercial, specializing in the development of retail and restaurant sites.
Goodwin's earliest ambitions brought her to California where her youthful dreams of television led her to a successful career in commercial real estate.
Bisnow: What did you dream of becoming as a child? How does your current career feed that inner child inside of you?
Goodwin: A famous television star. After working on a major shopping center redevelopment project in Baltimore, Maryland, I quit my job, drove across country to Los Angeles to seek fame and fortune, and attended the American Academy of Dramatic Arts. In order to learn how people are cast on TV shows, I worked as a casting assistant on Melrose Place and A League of Their Own. I learned about rejection, persistence, being prepared and having one shot to make an impression. All of these have helped immensely in my current career. Didn’t find fame but found a husband.
Bisnow: If you could teach women growing in the industry today just one thing, what would it be?
Goodwin: Start early investing in commercial real estate. Always ask if there is an opportunity to invest in a project with your company, client or with other women. On one property investment there were 10 equity partners and I was the only female who invested. Too many women are afraid to invest in CRE. Now I speak across the country, coach and have a TV show on Propelio TV seen on YouTube on how to get started in commercial real estate to encourage more women to invest in CRE.
Bisnow: Who inspires you on a daily basis and why?
Goodwin: My mom. She has always inspired me to take chances and never stopped me from trying new things. She lives in Omaha, Nebraska, and I talk to her every day. She is an excellent listener and supports me in some of the crazy ideas I have had in my life. She is my biggest cheerleader.
Bisnow: What is your biggest career failure and what positive lessons did it teach you?
Goodwin: Failure is a great teacher. There is a lesson to be learned from everything that didn’t work out the way you wanted it to on a project or with a client. Best advice was to learn to have enough in your pipeline and to move on quickly and not to dwell on what didn’t work. I do still wonder today if I would have taken the job offer right out of college to be a hotel interior designer with JW Marriott's headquarters where it would have led me in my career. I believe everything happens for a reason.
Bisnow: Describe your greatest career accomplishment.
Goodwin: After developing more than 50 restaurants while working for Brinker International (Chili’s), I decided to take a chance and start my own brokerage, development and consulting firm more than 13 years ago. One of my first projects was developing a 5-acre property with Walgreens, Chase and McDonald’s and selling for $10M was a career high. Becoming an Amazon No. 1 best-selling author for the book Winning Ways in Commercial Real Estate – 18 Successful Women Unveil the Tips of the Trade in the Real Estate World is the best business card to use.
