Each year, Midwest Real Estate News inducts a new class into its Commercial Real Estate Hall of Fame. Here is a look at the busy career of one of these new inductees, Kimberly McMahon, regional operations manager with the Southfield, Michigan, office of Colliers Detroit.
Kimberly McMahon is widely recognized as a go-to operations expert in the Colliers network. As her peers say, McMahon has the uncanny ability to get things done.
Just ask Paul Choukourian, executive managing director and market leader for Colliers metropolitan Detroit.
“She gets things done that no one thought possible and has made our offices run like a well-oiled machine,” Choukourian said. “She expects a lot out of everyone but also has created an amazing culture with the staff.”
McMahon has been involved in commercial real estate since 1999, when she served as vice president and senior business operations manager with the Grubb & Ellis Detroit office. Before 1999, McMahon spent 21 years in Central Florida, 12 of those as business manager for a media mergers and acquisition firm.
McMahon has managed operations of international commercial real estate branches since 2000 and in 2011 was recruited to Colliers to administer operations for the firm’s Southfield, Ann Arbor and Birmingham, Michigan, locations. She directly oversees a staff of 18 people within an office of more than 110 people and a budget of between $35 million and $50 million.
“I love the people I work with,” McMahon said. “Colliers is an excellent firm combining old-school brokerage with cutting-edge technology. The platform is so diverse and constantly improving.”
McMahon’s responsibilities include ensuring that Colliers maintains enough employees to keep up with growth. This is no easy task: The company’s transactions are valued at more than $1.7 billion each year.
How does McMahon juggle the work involved in overseeing this always-growing company? She points to the importance of treating everyone she encounters with respect.
“I believe this applies to any industry: We treat everyone with the same care and attention, from our staff, our brokers and our managers to our clients,” McMahon said. “I really enjoy giving everyone whatever tools they need to succeed and treating them all with the utmost respect.”
Throughout her long career, McMahon has faced challenges. That’s not unusual for any CRE professional who has logged a long career in this competitive and often-difficult industry.
The key, though, is that McMahon has worked through these challenges, mostly by relying on her tireless work ethic and her ability to find solutions to even the biggest challenges.
“Any downturn in the economy creates special challenges,” McMahon said. “The COVID shutdown was unique, and oftentimes staffing is difficult.”
When not at work, McMahon prefers to spend her time with her sons and grandson. She enjoys reading and gardening and will be coaching in the Special Olympics this fall.
