At 475 Clermont, RXR Turns To A Women-Led Development Team

For RXR Realty’s first ground-up development in New York City, the company knew it had to put together a group of exceptional commercial real estate professionals to get the job done right. By the time the key players were brought on, the company realized the team it had assembled was composed almost entirely of women.  

RXR didn’t set out to create a predominantly female team — it was simply looking for the best partners to help it achieve its goals. The final team just happened to be female-driven, and each brought a unique perspective to the project. 

The result was the recently opened 475 Clermont in Brooklyn, a mixed-use development featuring 33K SF of retail and 363 residential rental units along with a host of luxury amenities, including a 24-hour concierge, a fitness center, a children's playroom, a landscaped courtyard, a pet spa and a rooftop lounge with grilling stations and outdoor entertainment areas. 

Scroll through the team below to see each woman’s contributions to 475 Clermont:

• Rose Tilley, project executive at RXR: Tilley served as the “quarterback” of the team, overseeing all aspects of the project from start to finish. She is responsible for over 1M SF of development under construction in Brooklyn and sits on the board of the New York City chapter of Women in Housing and Financing. 
• Traci Wilhelm, first vice president of RXR’s residential portfolio: Wilhelm is leading the charge for leasing and operations for 475 Clermont. 
• Emily Bock, director of marketing for RXR: Bock is managing all of the public relations and marketing efforts for 475 Clermont.

• Funda Durukan, principal of Durukan Design: The interior architectural design for the building was completed by Durukan, who has helped develop more than 100 projects in Manhattan and Brooklyn, including The Arcade at 8-03 Wyckoff Ave. and The Atrium at 785 DeKalb Ave.   
• Erika Smith, project manager at Broadway Construction Group: Smith brought her more than two decades of construction experience to 475 Clermont, serving as the interior construction project manager and helping to bring the team’s vision for this dynamic building to life. 
• Lisa Galano, principal of Lisa Galano Design Consultancy: Galano was brought in to stage the model units to show tenants the building’s massive potential. Before starting her own firm, Galano worked under Thomas Juul-Hansen at his namesake architecture firm, helping to design major residential and hospitality projects across the city. 

• Mona Caron, artist: 475 Clermont’s perimeter courtyard wall features a mural, visible only to residents, by San Francisco-based artist Caron. The mural is part of Caron’s WEEDS series, which celebrates the “rebellious resilience” of often-unwanted plants. Other examples of her art can be seen in Portland, Oregon, San Francisco, North Carolina, Spain and Switzerland. 
• Anne-Laure Lemaitre, independent curator: Caron was found by Lemaitre, a curator who also serves as managing director of FatCap, a graffiti and street-art agency that connects brands and architects to urban artists who can design unique paintings and murals for their projects. 

• Meryl Feinstein and Bronwen Kinzler-Britton, chefs: 475 Clermont’s amenity program will include regular family-style dinners hosted by Feinstein and Kinzler-Britton, two chefs who the developers found through Resident, a company that organizes private communal dinners hosted by up-and-coming chefs. The chefs will be living in the building and will host these dinners in their units. Feinstein graduated Top Toque from the Institute of Culinary Education in New York and has worked at Lilia Ristorante and Misi in Brooklyn. Kinzler-Britton is a Texas-born chef who has also worked at Misi as well as Paulie Gee’s in Brooklyn. 

Research shows that gender diversity in management teams can lead to greater innovation. This female-led team will hopefully be the start of a growing trend in this traditionally male-dominated industry.

RXR Chairman and CEO Scott Rechler has seen firsthand the positive impact gender diversity can have on a development company. 

“We’re proud with the percentage of women in leadership roles at RXR compared to the industry overall,” Rechler said. “The women in various leadership roles throughout our company have been instrumental in RXR’s continued expansion and success.” 

This feature was produced in collaboration between Bisnow Branded Content and RXR Realty. Bisnow news staff was not involved in the production of this content.