Today we’d like to introduce you to Casey Lowery
Hi Casey, it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for taking the time to share your story with us – to start maybe you can share some of your backstory with our readers?
My first job out of college was making copies for the administrative assistant of a busy residential real estate company in Hilton Head. Not exactly the job path my dad had in mind for me when he sent me to UGA, but I wanted to live near the ocean, and can be quite convincing when I need to be. A strong work ethic and desire to learn everything in my proximity allowed for quick elevation to the role of Office Manager and promotion within the year to the parent company, that specialized in commercial real estate (CRE). I learned all I could and fell in love with this industry. After 7 years in Hilton Head, I made the decision to move back inland for marriage and worked as in-house leasing for an owner of enclosed malls. Two kids and a divorce later, I was forced to step out of CRE for a minute, as the travel schedule was not conducive to single parenthood. I picked up sales and marketing jobs, eventually becoming the Vice President of Sales for a medical sales company, overseeing 8 sales reps in 3 territories. But my heart was still in CRE. As my children grew, I was more able to dip my toes back in the waters of CRE and landed with Adams Property Group, where I am today. The company was just organizing, and I had the privilege of being one of the first employees and of building the retail leasing and property management departments. Today we lease and manage over 2 million SF of commercial property and consistently post strong profits for our investors.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
This path has been anything but smooth. As a female in my mid-20’s I was one of just a handful of women attending networking events and doing deals. I was routinely asked to take notes for someone or make a coffee run. I understood this was not an intentional slight from anyone toward me. It was just the way things were at the time. When men would learn that I was actually the dealmaker, the experience was (most of the time) decent. I always had a bigger hill to climb to establish credibility and gain audience. But that made the victories that much sweeter.
The sum of these experiences is why I am so passionate about my involvement with CREW Network, a global organization dedicated to the advancement of all women in commercial real estate through business networking, industry research, leadership development, and career outreach initiatives. Having first joined the organization in 2018, I now have the distinct privilege of serving as President of the Charleston chapter, CREW Charleston. Crew Charleston is considered a large chapter by CREW Network standards and has over 170 diverse members, in various fields of CRE or support for CRE. The opportunity to connect and help so many young women in the same spot I was in 20 years ago is a professional legacy that is very important to me. The days of not being able to find a female at the table are behind us and I could not be happier to share my knowledge and experience to help fill more seats with bright, driven, capable women.
In addition to the global mission of CREW Network, I also have passion for supporting women in all capacities where there is need. CREW Charleston hosts a golf tournament and awards gala annually to help raise funds in support of the CREW mission. We also actively support female focused initiatives such as Go Red for Women (of which I serve on the Executive Leadership Team), My Sister’s House, supporting women in domestic violence situations, the Purse Project and Dress for Success.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
What is the name of your organization? Adams Property Group
Adams Property Group is a real estate investment group operating in the Southeastern United States. Our primary objectives are to achieve maximum returns for our investors, to enhance property values and the world around us with great attention to detail and understanding of the communities in which we operate, to expand our portfolio holdings, and to build lasting relationships with our investors, tenants, vendors and business affiliates. We develop from the ground up or acquire centers that fit our investment portfolio criteria. I work with tenants of all kinds, national tenants and mom and pops, but always feel especially proud when a startup tenant achieves its dreams. I am proud to represent Adams Property Group, especially when we build from the ground up, as much attention is given to environmental impacts, saving trees and incorporating greenspace. It is not just about making money. It is truly about improving our spaces.
What do you do?
I specialize in leasing, pre-leasing and property management. I am very relationship-focused and will occasionally take on a third-party client if I feel able to properly serve their needs.
I am known to be a servant leader. I am focused on helping my team members achieve their goals and will always support their endeavors toward personal and professional growth. I have heard it stated that a good leader takes more of the blame and less of the credit than is actually deserved, and I subscribe to that belief.
I am licensed to practice real estate in 3 states, but what sets me apart from a traditional broker, is that I look at things through the lens of asset management. I do not place a tenant, get my commission, and walk away. Instead, I feel a sense of ownership with all of our assets. I focus on placing the right tenant in the right spot at the right rent. So much goes into this process. Tenant mix needs to be perfect to provide optimal traffic flow, but not eat up parking. Co-tenancy, when handled correctly, helps increase sales for the tenants and improves the ROI of the asset. Keeping a property clean, safe and maintained keeps happy tenants who will want to renew their leases and go into more of our properties as we continue to develop and acquire. Our tenants are our customers, and I strive to provide healthy, positive situations for them, even during difficult times, as we experienced in 2020. When most of the world stopped for Covid, I had to work harder, alongside my principal and our legal team, to find ways to provide relief for our tenants and ensure their survival. I am happy to state that we did not lose a single tenant during that tremendously trying time.
Ironically, CREW Charleston continued to grow as well. We got creative and found ways to entice people to log on to our virtual meetings. We packed them full of meaty information and kept relationships alive with personal reachouts. As a result of honing the skills of personal attention and providing relevant information and exciting events, we have become one of CREW Network’s fastest-growing chapters and have experienced growth of 65% post Covid.
What’s next?
I dream of one day retiring somewhere with beautiful waters, maybe on a boat, where I can fish a lot. And eat what I catch. And spend my days spoiling grandchildren. But my reality is that I will not be happy or feel fulfilled if I am not involved in business at some level. I would love to eventually work on my own portfolio and spend more time mentoring others. I love to teach and would consider that effort worthy of my “spare” time. But that is many years off.
In the near future, I would like to grow our third-party management division. I am working with the team to establish processes to allow this without having to reduce attention or water down our expectations for our assets, currently held and added, whether in-house or third party owned. Once I feel confident in these processes and that the team is ready for more…game on.
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