Real Estate Journal — Women in Business — October 25 - November 7, 2019 — 11C
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M id A tlantic
Women in Business
ell us how and when you began your ca- reer in the profes- Caroline Shelly, Principal HFPlannerswins 2018Best Fit-Out Project award for the EMD Relocation to Navy Yard Project T
Caroline Shelly Principal HF Planners, LLC Years with company/firm: 20 years Years in field: 35 years Real estate organizations/affiliations: NJ IFMA, LEED AP+BD-C, NCIDQ Tell us a little about your family: I am one of six children and you learn quickly your place in the household. We are a close
My inspiring word of advice to a young woman is to go forth boldly. Don’t wait or hesitate for some- thing to happen but make things happen on your own. If you’re not sure of a direction, read up on it and reach out to others for advice.
sion you are in: I moved to New Jersey after graduating from design school in 1984. While I held vari- ous positions along the way, I joined a banking corpora- tion in 1986 in their Facility Management department and became enamored with assist- ing a corporation make their goals by having their space reflect the business plan. Fast forward to 1999 when I started HF Planners. We cater to the Facility Managers to make sure their office space meets the company’s objectives. What is your current position? I am the Principal at HF Planners, with a fabulous team of designers and support staff. What was your greatest professional accomplish- ment in 2018? In 2018, we won an award for our design of a 30,000 s/f headquarter space in the Philadelphia Naval yard from the General Building Contrac- tors Association for “Best Fit Out Project.” Who or what has been the strongest influence on your career? The strongest influence on my career has been my moth- er. She had her own business which she ran while raising six children. Watching her delegate, organize and main- tain a strong clientele was always impressive to me and ingrained a strong sense of work ethic. What impact has social media/networking had on your business? It’s been interesting utiliz- ing social media networks to promote HF Planners on. There is a lot of competition out there and it’s a challenge to make a company stand out. We try various venues to help identify where our customers are and get the word out about HF Planners. What challenges and or obstacles do you feel you needed to overcome to be- come as successful as you are today? The biggest challenge that I had to overcome was step- ping up to take a seat at the table as opposed to be in the background. It’s a matter of confidence and being less in- troverted.
boldly. Don’t wait or hesitate for something to happen but make things happen on your own. If you’re not sure of a di- rection, read up on it and reach out to others for advice.
young woman about to go into the field of commercial real estate or your allied field? My inspiring word of advice to a young woman is to go forth
knit family and each of us have excelled in various lines of business. What inspiring word of advice would you give to a
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