LA Power Women: 5 Questions With Avison Young's Jodi Meade

This limited series profiles SoCal Power Women who have helped shape cities, neighborhoods, businesses and lifestyles in Southern California. These women will be honored at Bisnow's Los Angeles Power Women event Dec. 12.

Jodi Meade is a go-getter.

She said she is the type of woman that doesn't sit back and get complacent. She does everything she can for her clients.

Meade, Avison Young's principal and national director of its Automotive Properties Group division, is responsible for securing the real estate needs and services of the automotive industry.

Specifically, Meade specializes in the acquisition, expansion, leasing, relocation, disposition and auto mall development needs of owners, tenants, investors, developers, manufacturers and franchisees.

Meade said the best part of her career is helping her clients get the best deals so their businesses can succeed. 

"The most rewarding part of my career has always been identifying the best deal, matching clients with the right opportunity and right property to aid in nurturing and breeding further success for their businesses," Meade said. 

Bisnow: Who are you and what do you do?

Meade: I am an energetic and enthusiastic entrepreneur who has dedicated my passions in CRE for the last 30 years. I have a heart for adventure, and have a love of fast cars, travel and great wine. I am a first degree black belt in taekwondo and a fierce competitor when duty calls to step up to the starting line. I support others that need a helping hand and am always on the lookout for the opportunity to “rise above the noise” and make a difference.

In leading the Automotive Properties Group for Avison Young, I focus on the acquisition, expansion, leasing, relocation, disposition and auto mall development needs of owners, tenants, investors, developers, manufacturers and franchisees. Over my career, I have had the good fortune of working with a roster of some of the most successful and recognizable names in the auto industry. Some past and current clients include GM, Ford Motor Co., Premier Automotive Group, Sonic Automotive, Nissan North America, Marshall Goldman Auto Group, O’Gara Coach, West Coast Customs and Penske Automotive, to name a few.

Bisnow: What is the most challenging part of your job? The most rewarding?

Meade: The most challenging part of my job is the ever-shifting CRE market. The CRE industry is very much like a shark, it is always in motion. Likewise, I too must keep moving, staying relevant, and keeping an eye on where the market is heading and how it fits into local, national and global economies. I also a have a keen understanding of the automotive industry and its evolving dynamics, which helps in order to best serve my clients in providing the necessary insight and information to allow them to make the best strategic business decisions.

Bisnow: How have you seen companies change the way they address wage and gender inequality in recent years?

Meade: I think the #MeToo movement was the spark that started the discussion, and subsequently a greater awareness of wage and gender inequality in the workplace was brought to the surface. Until that happened, I didn’t see it as something people felt they had a platform to speak from.

Corporations are now looking more seriously at how they structure their organizations and compensate employees based on experience [and] knowledge irrespective of gender. The future leaders of this industry will be looked upon and held to a higher standard than those that came before them. Adaptation and accountability will be key to a successfully staffed and run organization.

From a brokerage perspective where pay is commission-based, this is an industry where there is the opportunity to earn as much as a person is capable of regardless of gender. Although it is still a male-dominated field, more women are entering this space and there are endless opportunities to rise to the top and earn limitless incomes.

Bisnow: What do you enjoy most about living and doing business in Los Angeles?

Meade: I live in Hermosa Beach and enjoy the beach, restaurants, shopping and all the entertainment and cultural attractions Los Angeles has to offer. I love working in downtown LA and enjoy the hustle and bustle of the big city, which has grown so much over the last two decades. This growth has evolved into a true live-work-play environment that creates an energy and synergy that makes for an invigorating work environment.

Bisnow: What are you most excited about, professionally, as we head into 2020?

Meade: I think that we can expect change on the horizon in many different ways as we get closer to embracing 2020. In addition to it being a presidential election year, the uncertainty of the continued growth in the economy always brings a degree of apprehension and unease to the marketplace. It is expected that we may see a softening in the commercial real estate market toward the later part of 2020 and into 2021. All these aspects not only bring challenges but opportunities. I think that requires me to be nimble and flexible to harness change and embrace it, tailoring my approach and market knowledge for the needs of my clients.

Personally, I am extremely excited about opening The Wine Beach, a wine bar in Redondo Beach in March of 2020; it has always been my life’s passion and dream and now that is fast becoming a reality.