20A — September 12 - 25, 2014 — M id A tlantic
Real Estate Journal
www.marejournal.com
M id A tlantic R eal E state J ournal
Alexandrea Merrell, Orndee Omnimedia Twenty questions with movers & shakers: Profile Alexandrea Merrell continued from page 18A
or residential property that includes detailed information about the energy efficiency, health, safety, and connectiv- ity so that they can make in- formed decisions. So projects like WiredNYC are essential and very exciting. 7. Where do you feel the most significant growth will occur in green real estate in the next two years and how will you manage those changes? I believe that as more people come to recognize the effects of environmental chemicals on the health of their family and on the productivity of em- ployees, the green real estate conversation will become more about health and safety and less about climate change or even energy efficiency. As far as managing the changes, I am having those conversations with clients now. When you remove some of the ideology and conceptu- alization and replace it with information that is relevant right this second to a person’s family and financial bottom line, people are responsive. 8. Are you most inspired by green advances in resi- dential or commercial real estate? I am most inspired by end results. We spend 90% of our lives in buildings. Being able to help make that 90% as com- fortable, healthy, and inspir- ing as possible motivates me. 9. What one word would you like others use to de- scribe you? What word would you use to describe yourself? Diligent. Tenacious. 10. Are you a glass half full or a glass half empty person? It depends. In my personal life I am a half-full girl. I enjoy my life tremendously. In my professional life, I have a bit more of the half- empty attitude. I am driven to achieve more for myself and my clients, and don’t feel com- fortable if I am not actively trying to fill that glass more and more. 11. Do you have a daily ritual? How do you start each day? I wake up around 7, read
the news, answer emails, and work for a few hours from home. I generally arrive at my office between 10:30 and 11am, have two hours of re- viewing projects and touch- ing base with employees and colleagues, followed by a net- working lunch. I try to lunch with someone new every day, except Friday which is re- served for existing clients and colleagues. I spend the rest of the day meeting with cli- ents, working on campaigns, attending open houses and developer shows, and pitching projects. Most evenings I have indus- try or philanthropic events, but I try to be home by 8. I have dinner with my family and spend a few hours with the kids. From 11 to 1am I work on campaigns and on my non-profit work and try to be in bed by 2am. 12. I understand that you are quite selective about the firms with which you work. What types of proj- ects are you most interest- ed in pursuing and why? I am really excited about my new role with Warburg. War- burg is an old school, luxury residential real estate firm in Manhattan. By working with me to create a “green devel- opment group” within their firm, it not only reaffirms in my mind that people across the board can see the incred- ible value in green property, but also that even long estab- lished firms can adapt and embrace. I try to work with firms that have a strong community com- mitment and are focused on not only excellent service for their customers and clients, but also on educating con- sumers. In my opinion, my most valuable partnerships are with clients who are well informed. I am impressed by Warburg as a firm and with the genuine passion of the people who work there. 13. You are also involved in some non-profits and provide services pro bono for charity and community organizations. What pro bono project has beenmost inspiring? I spend a great deal of time
and energy on non-profits and charity, including cultural and artistic endeavors, self- sufficiency and retraining, community action, and justice reform initiatives. I am most proud of my work with the Green Building Center, an organization of which I am the managing partner and Art of the Brave, a charity focused on providing support and gal- lery space for service members and veterans for whom art is therapy. 14. If you could be a su- per hero, who would you be and why? I nv i s i b l e Gi r l – Who wouldn’t love to be invisible from time to time? 15. What three things would people find most surprising about you? I have a huge collection of Victorian medical instru- ments. I collect etiquette and cook books from the 1800’s (I have over 100) and am a pretty good cook. I studied linguistics in University with an eye towards working for the CIA. And I play a pretty mean game of pool. 16. What misconception about sustainability do you find most frustrating? I think that there is a basic misconception among the general public about what sus- tainability actually means. I have conversations with people who believe that it means “hip- pie stuff” or something that the government needs to handle. We all need to do a better job of taking the ideology out of sustainability and think about the people we are trying to reach. Using practical, day-to- day examples and focusing on a realistic bottom line engages people. When we do a better job of explaining that much of sustainable practice comes from embracing and improv- ing upon the very things that their own grandparents were doing, building homes to take advantage of wind resistance or positioning rooms to get the best light or making better use of household and rain water, people can relate and the con- cepts don’t seem so radical. 17. Do you have a longev- ity plan for your business?
I am very blessed to have three sons who are focused on their passions. My oldest son, Jordan Merrell is involved in the real estate development of tech space and working with tech companies in Manhattan. My twins are both game devel- opers. I never cared about be- ing a “mother and sons” sort of business. I want them to be as passionate about their careers as I have been about mine, if that means that the company become multi-generational, that’s fine, but I wouldn’t want them to feel obligated. I learned long ago to work with the best people that you could find. When I kick-off, my clients will be well cared for by the people who are already working on their projects. 18. What do you hope to achieve professionally be- fore you retire? I would like for green build- ing to become the standard. I am working towards a time when a company or an indi- vidual looking at property will have not only the tax and lot details or price per square foot, but a full range of tools including health and safety, energy efficiency, resiliency, and connectivity information so that they canmake informed decisions. 19. What type of music to you listen to and do you play any instruments? I have very eclectic tastes and listen to everything from jazz and opera to classic rock and heavy metal, depending on my mood. I played clarinet and guitar in school, but after so many years, I don’t think that counts. 20. What one piece of ad- vice would you give some- one who wanted to follow in your footsteps? You don’t have to plan it all out now. Life throws curve balls and sends you on journeys that you could never have an- ticipated. If you are too ridged in your thinking, you can miss amazing opportunities. Keep your eyes open, there are op- portunity everywhere. Oh and….everyone fails, its your ability to get up, dust yourself off, and stand up for the next round that determines success. n
actually with them. As we all trudged down 78th Street, I heard someone call- ing my name, “Alex…Alex…. hey Alex…over here!!” We all turned and there was Owen along with at least a dozen other homeless people, wav- ing at me furiously. “She’s the greatest!” Owen called out as the homeless people cheered and clapped. I was a bit em- barrassed and quite confused, but the family, seeing all of these people wave and cheer for me decided that maybe I wasn’t so bad after all. Not only did they knock off the negative talk, they rented an apartment for their daughter from me. Months later I ran into Owen on the street and asked him about the cheering. He said that I was the first per- son, outside of officials, who had asked him his name in years and that after the deli manager saw me give the bread and soup to Owen, he instituted a policy in his store that after the shop closed for the night, all of the leftover bread and soup was donated to homeless people. The daughter from Iowa went on to become very suc- cessful in NYC, and has rent- ed and purchased numerous apartments from me. Owen was able to get into a program and last I heard, was a coun- selor for homeless vets. So a spur of the moment decisions has rewarded me personally, financially, and spiritually. 5. What are your top five favorite movies? Gone With the Wind Dangerous Liaisons Dirty Rotten Scoundrels She Devil Clockwork Orange 6. With what project do youwish that you had been involved? Actually there is a cur- rent project that I am excited about. WiredNYC is working to create an internet certifica- tion similar to LEED, focused on transparency in connectiv- ity and internet access. My personal goal is to provide clients with complete informa- tion about a potential lease or purchase of commercial
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