Molly Studer
Chief Operating Officer, Principal
Gershman Commercial Real Estate
St. Louis
During a career of more than two decades, Molly Studer has steadily progressed into one of the leaders of the St. Louis commercial real estate industry. From her start in the business as a lease administrator and property manager, Studer has steadily built her market knowledge, industry relationships and leadership skills to become the chief operating officer of St. Louis’ thriving Gershman Commercial Real Estate.
As a principal and COO with Gershman, Studer leads firm-wide operations and is responsible for recruitment and onboarding, strategic growth initiatives, employee engagement and development, client relations, new business development and branding and communications.
In addition, Studer oversees Gershman’s property management, maintenance, project management and marketing and administration departments. She also serves as the liaison for outsourced human-resources and IT functions at the St. Louis firm.
“I enjoy the diversity of this business and that every day brings a new challenge,” Studer said. “The most enjoyable part of my current role is talent acquisition. I’ve always had a passion for connecting people with opportunities.”
Studer’s success at Gershman isn’t surprising. She’s been a key player at the firm since joining Gershman in 2020 as senior vice president in a newly created strategic, operational and client-development role. In January of 2022, her role expanded to executive vice president of operations, a role that required her to take on additional responsibility, including service line oversight and firm-wide operational leadership. In April 2023, she was elevated to COO and in October 2023 she joined the ownership group as a principal.
Like other successful CRE pros, Studer has faced challenges. The biggest? Juggling career success with family life.
“I’m proud of the healthy balance that I’ve achieved,” Studer said. “I’ve realized that the key is to find an organization that not only promotes a family-first culture but models it at the leadership level. Earlier in my career, I struggled with delegation, and wanted to be overly involved in every aspect of the business. With time, I’ve learned how valuable and rewarding it is to hire great people and empower them to succeed.”
Studer began her real estate career at THF Realty in 2002 as a lease administrator before transitioning into property management. Prior to joining Gershman, she served as vice president of operations for Intelica CRE, followed by a role with JEMA, an architecture and design firm, as director of client development, where she was responsible for business development, client relationship management and recruitment.
“I attribute a lot of my success to ‘raising my hand’ and asking to take on additional responsibility,” Studer said. “I have always been interested in expanding outside of my role to learn more, and that curiosity and initiative have led to bigger opportunities.”
Outside of work, Studer doesn’t hesitate to support her industry. She is an active member of CREW St Louis, where she previously served as an executive board member and the 2023 secretary, as well as the St Louis Forum.
In her free time, Studer enjoys spending time with her family and cheering on her two children – 13 and 14 – in a variety of sports and activities.
