Miranda Parker joined the Syndicated Equities acquisition team in September 2016, where she sources new investment deals, including reach-out with attorneys, public accountants and other high-net worth individuals in the syndication and 1031 world. Parker is a licensed real estate broker in the state of Illinois and is an active member of the Urban Land Institute, ICSC and USGBC. She loves traveling, exploring Chicago neighborhoods and has a passion for sustainability and green energy.
Tell us about your background. Where did you grow up, where did you go to school?
I grew up in the North Shore of Chicago in Evanston and Winnetka. I went to the University of Southern California (Fight On) in Los Angeles for undergrad and was lucky enough to get into the SC commercial real estate program.
When you were young, what did you aspire to be?
Surprisingly, the only thing I can remember wanting to be was an architect and real estate developer. No one in my family is in the industry but I was very drawn to real estate from an early age and would buy books on CRE development and read those as a kid.
How did you get your start in the industry?
The summer after my sophomore year at SC I worked at a brokerage company, formerly BRC Advisors now SVN, and learned the Los Angeles brokerage scene. I worked there again my senior year at university. It was a very informative experience and a perfect first start into the industry.
Did you have a mentor who helped you get on your feet, or is there someone you turn to now for support?
At my first job in CRE I had an amazing boss at BRC; shout out to Rich Enderlin. He was very candid from the beginning about getting your foot in the door and working very hard your first few years with little reward. Now, I am lucky to call my current boss, Richard Kaplan, my mentor and chief supporter. I am quite aware how rare it is to have two very wise and successful bosses give you the tools to grow your confidence and learn to succeed.
What does a day in the life of Miranda Parker look like?
I am happy to say that each day looks different, but it always starts with coffee. I work on the acquisitions team at Syndicated and my role entails finding and analyzing a lot of the deals that get sent our way that people want us to invest in. We are solely a relationship-driven shop and my job is to go out there in the CRE world and try and find deals for Syndicated by growing my network and as Richard likes to say, “Waving the Syndicated flag.” My days can range from looking for a net leased deal for a 1031 investor, to giving a law firm a presentation on syndications and capital gains deferral, to having my entire day set up with meetings and events.
What do you like most about your job?
My favorite part of my job is analyzing very different types of real estate opportunities. I can look at a multifamily, hotel, adaptive reuse or new development deal all in different states in one day. The variety keeps my job interesting and I am constantly sharpening my skills and altering my methods to evaluate different asset classes.
Looking to the future, what do you hope to achieve/work on that you haven’t already?
I would love to work on an adaptive reuse deal. As a company we are primarily driven by cash flow and redevelopments tend to have a lot more nuances than our investors are comfortable with. I of course have bias towards these acquisitions and fight to win them for our investors but we are extremely picky on the opportunities we officially present to them. I will be very excited when I come across an adaptive reuse deal that is the right fit for us.
How do you spend your time away from the office?
My favorite thing to do is travel. I can’t help but try and explore all of the neighborhoods and compare the different architectural styles. I am always excited to see how different cities blend their old and new, you can learn so much about a place’s history from just looking at the evolution of the built environment. The food doesn’t hurt either.
What is your favorite place that you have traveled to? Where do you hope to go next?
I want to say Seattle but I have to go with Portugal. My favorite thing about the city is all of the doors, they each are very grand with so much detail and I have never seen anything else like it. The next big trip I would like to plan is to Tokyo.
Who would you like to see answer these questions?
