Tiffany English, the president-elect of Commercial Real Estate Women, or CREW, and director of interior architecture and design for Ware Malcomb's San Diego office, says networking has continued to pay dividends for her and the organization.
English, who originally joined CREW a few years ago in Sacramento, said the organization was welcoming, both in Northern California and in San Diego. Here she met Allison Beall, of Pacific Building Group, and the current CREW president, and Tara Burns, CREW marketing director, who works for furniture provider Unisource Solutions. Both women have worked with English on projects for which Ware Malcomb was the interior designer.
"In San Diego we've done quite a few jobs for Qualcomm, and we've just done a 20,000-square-foot interior for ConVis at Symphony Towers that Tara worked on," English said. "This is a bright space. They were previously in Little Italy in a space that was dark and dingy."
English said CREW San Diego is so well-connected that as much as 75 percent of the business she conducts at Ware Malcomb is associated with other CREW members.
"You might have three or four CREW members working on a single project," Burns said.
CREW San Diego has about 80 members at present, and while English would like to see this membership grow, she doesn't want it to become so large that it becomes unwieldy.
Tiffany English is the president-elect of Commercial Real Estate Women, or CREW, and the director of interior architecture and design for Ware Malcomb's San Diego office. Photo: Sarah Strong  |
"If one gets too large you lose that intimate relationship," English said.
Although the size of CREW here may be limited, anyone can join. In fact, CREW San Diego has some men on its board.
"We're about connecting people, but there is a perception about who we are versus what we are," English said.
"We're not an exclusive club that only accepts women," Burns added.
CREW does have some restrictions. For example, the organization does require that 75 percent of a member's business be derived from commercial real estate. English added that CREW has turned away residential real estate professionals so as not to dilute the membership.
Burns, like English, added that it is more important to have a small number of people who are really involved in the organization rather than a lot of people who aren't.
CREW isn't only about networking — the organization also works to obtain scholarships for women majoring in commercial real estate. Burns said a $10,000 scholarship was provided for studies at the Corky McMillin Center for Real Estate at San Diego State and another $10,000 was recently provided for study at the Burnham-Moores Center for Real Estate at the University of San Diego.
"We regularly invite students to CREW events," Burns said.
As for Ware Malcomb, English said it cut back its staff by about 30 percent during the recession but now actually has one more person in the office than when the recession started. English oversees five workers in her interior design division.
"We moved people around to other offices during the slowdown. Nobody likes to lose good people," English said.
English, who said it is not uncommon for her to work 60 hours a week, said people working with Ware Malcomb are demanding more of her time.
"I am working on a larger number of smaller projects. That's something we're trying to embrace," she said.
English hasn't been able to work with everyone while at Ware Malcomb. There have been times when "too much handholding was required" and she referred the business to another firm.
"You have to know when to say no," English said.
Presently, English oversees interiors for San Diego, Phoenix and Latin America markets.
English joined Ware Malcomb in 2001 as project manager in its Northern California office in San Francisco and in 2004 helped open Ware Malcomb's office in Sacramento. In two years, she expanded the office and significantly increased market share, with assignments to support a staff of 12 design professionals. She secured a key national Fortune 500 corporate account she declined to identify, and she currently serves as Ware Malcomb's account executive, overseeing more than 25 projects. In 2006, English was promoted to director, interior architecture and design in the architectural firm's San Diego office.
English currently serves as the vice president of membership as part of CREW's Board of Directors, having previously served as the chapter's national delegate in 2009. She is also active in the San Diego National Association of Industrial and Office Properties and the San Diego International Interior Design Association.
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