Employee Spotlight: Stephanie Klein

Cresa is committed to building an inclusive workplace that encourages, supports, and celebrates the diverse voices of our employees. Our employee spotlight series gives our team members the opportunity to share their unique experience.

Stephanie has nearly 10 years of experience in the real estate industry. She is responsible for revenue generation, account P&L management, profitability and overall financial performance for nearly 100 client accounts and oversight of a team of 40 people. Stephanie also oversees new account onboarding and transitions, including the management of project timelines and stakeholder interests along with coordination of internal resources to ensure account profitability and performance.

Left: Stephanie traveling to Chicago with her husband and one of her fur babies. Right: Her beloved dogs.

What is your Name, Office, and position at Cresa?

My name is Stephanie Klein and I work out of the Chicago office as Director of Lease Administration

How long have you worked at Cresa?

Almost 3 months!

How did you get into the industry?

After finishing law school, I was looking for a job and had a fellow attorney who was working as a transactions manager for Cushman & Wakefield. I really enjoyed reading and writing contracts when I was in law school, so I thought I would give it a try. I ended up being hired in their lease administration department and have been working in lease admin ever since!

What are some challenges you have encountered during your career and how did you overcome them?

I graduated law school in a market that was flooded with attorneys. I was lucky enough to have secured an internship in law school, but the group I worked with went out of business shortly thereafter, leaving me without a job. I ended up taking an entry-level role at Cushman & Wakefield. There were many days I felt defeated and questioned the fact that I was not directly using my law degree. I chose to stick it out and make the best of it, and here I am, 10 years later, leading Cresa’s amazing lease administration team! There’s a quote that represents my personal challenge: “There are no wrong turnings. Only paths we had not known we were meant to walk.”

Why are you passionate about what you do?

I’m incredibly passionate about lease administration because I understand the value that it can bring to our clients. Data accuracy is at the center of all of the services we can provide. Especially when technology, business intelligence and strategy are at the forefront of the market right now, accurate lease administration data can really help fuel our clients’ strategic decision-making. Lease administration also gives our clients tangible reward via cost avoidance and cost recovery. Being able to see real dollars saved as a result of our hard work is extremely rewarding.

Are there any projects or contributions to your local Cresa office, that you would like to share?

I am new to Cresa, but hope to become more involved in local and company-wide initiatives!

What organization(s) are you currently involved with?

On a personal level, I have always had a love of animals and throughout the years have had the opportunity to rescue multiple pets. Currently, we have 3 dogs which we rescued from an organization called the Animal Protective Association . We also donate regularly to this organization. On a professional level, at C&W I was involved in many organizations, including the Women’s Integrated Network, which supports the development of women in the commercial real estate industry.

How did you become involved with this organization?

With the APA, I have been involved since we rescued our first pet (a cat), over 16 years ago!

Why is their mission important to you?

I always wanted to be a veterinarian growing up, but once I realized how much of a softy I am when it comes to the death of an animal (I will google to find out if an animal dies in a movie before I watch it!), I decided to go a different route. The mission of the APA is to support animal welfare by bringing pets and people together. There are so many animals who need good homes!

What has your involvement with this organization taught you?

Working with the APA has taught me that even animals with behavioral issues deserve a loving home. We adopted a dog who was owner-surrendered multiple times. Through the years, we have made her a part of our family and she has learned to love our other 2 dogs as well.

How can other people get involved?

Not everyone may be able to adopt or foster animals, but there are many other ways to get involved. You can volunteer a day to help out at your local animal shelter or you can donate common household materials. Even something as simple as newspaper!