8-28-20

8C — August 28 - September 10, 2020 — 40 Under 40 — M id A tlantic Real Estate Journal

www.marej.com

40 U nder 40

Jeff Bew, AKF Group “The money will come, as long as you are happy and enjoy what you do on a day-to-day day basis”

hat is your great- est professional accomplishment? My greatest professional accom- plishment has happened within the past six months during this pandemic. When March 2020 hit, we all had to pause our normal routine and make ad- justments. This uncertainty was scary, but I believe my ability to lead by example has helped myself and my team to succeed. Keeping team morale, main- taining project performance and employee turnover were all concerns I had initially, but as time went by, these worries diminished. Although at times W

teaching: Labor/Delivery Train- ing, Emergency Department Training, Medical Surgery and a VR Training space. We even got the chance to simulate a Labor Delivery by working with an instructor and a pregnant dummy. Pretty cool! What impact has social media/networking had on your career? Social media and networking has come a long way since using AOL In- stant Messenger and receiving new, updated CDs in the mail. Social media has allowed me to discover new ideas and trends, while at the same giving me the capability to network by con-

necting with existing and new audiences in deeper ways. Social media has increased my network by connecting with individuals who I may have lost contact with if LinkedIn did not exist. For example, I worked with a young engineer from 2008 - 2010 and he moved to the upper northwest (Portland) shortly after our time of work- ing together. Honestly, I had forgotten about John, but he just reached out the other day to ask about an Embassy project we did in 2008. Having a social media platform has allowed me to not only increase my network but maintain my network and keep existing relationships strong. Nowwith all that being said, Social Media has allowed me to grow my personal and com- pany brand. It has allowed me to bring attention to AKF and to let the world know of all the existing projects and opportu- nities that we are involved in. What were some of your early goals and did anything happen to change them? Long Term Goal: I found an old journal from 2006 and it read, “Become CEO of a firm by the year 2030.” So long story short, I have nine more years to live up to my younger self’s aspirations. Short/Long Term Goal: One other early goal that I can al- ways remember was for me to make “X” amount of dollars by the time I turn 40. In my early career, I had thoughts of chas- ing the dollar and how could I make more money. As time went by and with expanding my family, this goal went to the wayside. This goal has changed in the past five years and I am and will always be a strong believer that “The money will come, as long as you are happy and enjoy what you do on a day- to-day day basis”. What unique qualities and or personality do you feel makes you most suc- cessful in your profession? Trustworthy and a Strong Communicator. My strongest quality that I look for in others and myself is trust. If I can trust you to do what you say and you can trust me, then success should follow. I overly communicate on every project and every task. Some may find this annoying, but I try to be as transparent as possible as a manager and let the team know pretty much everything I know. Being a strong communicator is a trait that can build trust. MAREJ

Jeff Bew Project Manager Years with company/firm: 3 Years Years in field: 13 Years Years in real estate industry: 13 Years

it has been difficult, WE (AKF) have persevered during these challenging times. What is your most notable project, deal or transac- tion? It is hard to pinpoint a specific project, but the first project that comes to mind is a Simulation Lab that AKF

designed at Riverside Regional Hospital in Newport News, VA. The main goal of the Simulation Center was to improve safety within patient care by provid- ing cutting-edge technology for research and teaching. The center was broken into numer- ous spaces that were used for

AKF IS PROUD TO CONGRATULATE JEFFREY BEW and the rest of the 40 Under 40 honorees akfgroup.com

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