Gretchen Mensch
Chief Operating Officer, Executive Vice President
Cornerstone Companies
Indianapolis
As the chief operating officer and executive vice president at Indianapolis-based Cornerstone Companies, Gretchen Mensch oversees internal operations and leads the property and facility management division. With such an important role, it’s not surprising that Mensch has played a key role in developing the processes and operations that have fueled Cornerstone’s rapid growth.
How key? Mensch manages over 100 employees in areas such as property and facility management, HR, accounting and marketing. As the COO of an office with more than 178 employees, including 65 new additions in 2022, she contributed to the unprecedented growth of the Cornerstone team, marking its largest square footage and team size since adding property management services in 2010.
In 2022, Cornerstone’s property and facility management team received recognition from REjournals as the “Property Management Company of the Year.” The team oversees more than 11 million square feet of medical facilities across 24 states, earning acclaim for its transactions of over 2.5 million square feet and growth to over 90 team members.
What has kept Mensch in this field for so long? Her peers say that Mensch finds satisfaction in steering the growth and success of Cornerstone, particularly in its unique healthcare-focused real estate services.
This doesn’t mean that Mensch hasn’t faced challenges in his career. All veteran CRE pros have. Mensch, though, emphasizes the value of hard work, integrity and handling situations with grace and honesty to achieve success, even with these challenges.
Mensch plays a vital role in coordinating efforts across Cornerstone’s five healthcare real estate service lines: development, construction, brokerage, property and facility management, investments and asset management. She sees the company’s healthcare-specific focus as its greatest strength and anticipates leading Cornerstone’s continued growth as a prominent integrated healthcare real estate company.
Beyond her professional role, Mensch is active in various associations, including BOMA Indiana, EWHC, IndyCREW and IREM Indianapolis. She supports charitable causes such as Tindley Accelerated Schools, Meals on Wheels and the Marine Corps Scholarship Foundation.
Mensch holds a bachelor’s degree in finance from Indiana University and boasts 22 years of experience in the commercial real estate industry, with 13 years dedicated to Cornerstone. Before joining Cornerstone, she managed properties for Cassidy Turley (now Cushman & Wakefield), overseeing the operations of Keystone at the Crossing, a premier office park comprising more than 1 million square feet of Class-A product.
Outside of work, Mensch treasures spending time with her husband and three daughters. They enjoy movie nights and attending their daughters’ volleyball, dance and other activities.
