From Front Desk to Managing Director in Real Estate

Through this article, Heather Spearman shares her journey in property management, starting from a front desk position to becoming Managing Director at JLL. She credits her success to hard work, mentorship and her mother's influence, which taught her the importance of nurturing relationships. Spearman believes property management is an excellent field for dedicated individuals to advance their careers in various aspects of real estate.

I began my journey in property management as many people have, sitting at a front desk, answering phones, facilitating work orders and checking certificates of insurance. With terrific mentors, hard work and some luck I quickly grew into an assistant property manager and eventually a property manager for a third-party facilities management firm in Arlington, TX.

I moved back to Chicago in 2006 and was hired by Transwestern as an Assistant General Manager on my first multi-tenant office assignment in Rosemont, IL on a 620,000 square foot, 3-building portfolio. I later became a General Manager on the same assignment with JLL, who then moved me downtown to 200 W Jackson in 2014. Both assignments with JLL were value-add repositioning assignments. The former would result in the asset trading for nearly triple its purchase price and the latter would go on to earn 2016’s “Redevelopment of the Year” award with the Greater Chicago Food Depository.

In 2017, while at 200 W Jackson, I simultaneously attended graduate school and earned my MBA from the University of Illinois. It was my mother who convinced me to go stating, “Heather, these two years are going to pass no matter how you spend them.” Sage advice from a wise woman.

"Property Management offers an organic path toward career growth and is a terrific option for ambitious, hard-working, curious individuals."

The very next month is when I was promoted to Regional Operations Manager for JLL’s Midwest Property Management business. In this role, my primary focus was ensuring delivery of consistent, high quality operational aspects for office and industrial property management in JLL’s Midwest Region, which spanned 200 million square foot (sf) across five states. Most recently, I was promoted to Managing Director, overseeing a national property management portfolio, spanning 11MM square feet across 12 cities.

The greatest influence in my career and where I would credit the lion’s share of my inspiration and success would be my mother, Suzanne Perraud. I was raised by a fearlessly independent, highly intelligent, hardworking single mother who constantly showed me love in ways big and small. I am one of the lucky ones. Leading by example, my mother taught me the value of hard work, integrity, intention and persistence. These qualities are all undoubtedly essential in the real estate industry. Losing her last year presented me with one of the greatest challenges of my life, but I knew the things she taught me would keep me motivated.

A psych nurse by trade with two children under two years of age, my mother worked, put herself through school and achieved her Master’s Degree in Nursing from the University of Illinois, Chicago’s Rush College of Nursing by the time I turned 8. She continued to grow her career and education, both by running the unit she was on and working toward her PhD, which she would earn the same year I graduated High School. She became a professor at UIC and would eventually become their Associate Dean of the College of Nursing and build their Doctor of Nursing Practice Program.

My mother was an incredibly purposeful person who nurtured lifelong friendships and relationships. She was somehow everyone’s ‘person’. Our relationship was uncomplicated and truly loving and she continues to impress me every day. A friend once described, “there could be 1,000 people in a room, but when you’re in the room with Suzanne Perraud, you feel like you’re the only person in that room.”

Real Estate is a people business. We don’t have a business if we don’t have good people and maintaining those relationships is paramount in building culture and developing intelligent, ambitious and thoughtful managers who love what they do. These relationships not only contribute to a positive work culture, but also facilitate career growth and development.

Property Management offers an organic path toward career growth and is a terrific option for ambitious, hard-working, curious individuals. It allows you to be involved in various aspects of real estate, from leasing and tenant relations to financial management and maintenance. With dedication and commitment, property management can pave the way for advancement and opportunities in our industry for those very people.

I have been very fortunate to have the unwavering support of not only my mother, but also senior leadership, mentors and clients throughout my career which continues to help shape my career to meet my aspirations.