Friedman’s Director of Opportunities talks to us about what gets him going each morning and where the future CRE opportunities lie.
Q: What’s your name and title?
Jared Friedman, Director of Opportunities
Q: What’s on your desk?
At all times, you’ll find both a calculator and a coffee. To keep going and crunch numbers.
Q: Tell us about your office?
There’s not too much to tell; I keep it pretty simple. I have some presentations and proposals around, but for the most part, I do everything digitally. So, you won’t find any photos or calendars around, everything I do is either on my phone or my computer.
Q: How do you take your coffee?
Black – just plain and simple. I drink it for the caffeine, not the taste.
Q: Walk us through your typical morning routine.
You can usually catch me driving into work, drinking a coffee, and eating yogurt. A dairy-free yogurt, of course, because #veganlife.
Once in the office there’s always some sort of fire drill, whether I’m putting out a fire with something that didn’t go as planned or if I’m taking care of approvals, I come in ready to tackle what needs to be done to make the day ahead run as smooth as possible.
Q: Tell us more about your role at Friedman?
I wear a lot of different hats and do numerous tasks depending on the day. However, the one part of my job that remains the same is relationship building. Making connections for our multi-family division, construction, brokerage, finance, and so on. My primary goal is developing and maintaining relationships and gather information on where there is a need for improvement across the board. I’m essentially the liaison to creating long-term value.
Q: What does a typical day entail?
It’s a combination of sitting in meetings and getting out in front of people outside the four walls of Friedman, talking to people outside the industry to better understand trends, new opportunities, and gather other helpful industry information.
I consider myself a doer, so my goal is to make things happen. I like to get things done, so my role is getting the right member involved to accomplish our goals or putting the right people in these meetings to get the job done.
Q: How did you get started in the industry?
Believe it or not, I never wanted to be in real estate. It happened by accident. I was always more interested in the investment side of the business world, being a financial analyst, crunching numbers, and figuring out where the best opportunities were.
So, after college, I had an internship interview with an investment firm out in Chicago. They had different areas of focus, and in the interview process, the firm had candidates meet with the leaders of each focus area. I instantly hit it off with the head of their real estate division and was placed under the real estate financial analyst because of the connection we made. It was really by chance that I ended up down this path, and I don’t see myself going anywhere today. Unless, of course, my dad decides to fire me!
Q: What does the future of the industry look like in your opinion?
The future of the industry is already changing at such a rapid pace. With technology, we’re already seeing different aspects of real estate transforming for the better. But when it comes to real estate itself, inside the four walls, the way buildings look and function will be the most drastic change. It comes down to what’s inside, the layout of the space, the technology integrated into the framework of the building; these will have the most impact moving forward.
Q: What do you enjoy most about working here?
The people. There’s a great balance of perspectives here. We have people who have worked here longer than I’ve been alive, and we have people who are just getting started in the industry. It’s such a unique time to be at Friedman.
There’s that old school business from those who have been in the industry for 30+ years mixed with that new age innovative revolution that’s taking place right now. So, it’s pretty cool to see the way the different perspectives of the business intertwine to create this unique experience.
Learn how you can become a part of #TheFriedmanDifference by visiting our careers page.