Industry Memberships Can Be Career Changing

Women know best the value of networking. In the business community, women have risen to greatness by cultivating and maintaining relationships—an art that they have honed for centuries as commanders of social events. Sallie L. Krawcheck, the CEO and co-founder of digital financial advisor Ellevest and better known as the former head of Bank of America’s Global wealth and investment management division, has said, “Networking is the number one unwritten rule of success in business.”

Joining a professional organization is, perhaps, the best means of building a professional network. Commercial real estate is rich with industry organizations to facilitate professional networking, and these organizations have shown to have an immensely positive impact on career trajectory. Kelly Moden, the 2022 president of NAIOP San Diego and the VP of development at Community Housing Works, works with a developing leaders group in the organization, and she says membership to industry organizations is her first piece of advice to the group. “One of the biggest things that I tell them is to get involved in everything that you can early on in your career. The more you put in; the more you get out,” says Moden.

Rebecca Bodemann, VP of Sales at Xpedient and president of CREW San Diego, echoes the importance of industry organizations for career development, noting the importance of “having that safe space and commonality with others allows for faster connections and deeper relationships that lead to business opportunities, mentorships, and potential future employers/colleagues.” She believes that her participation in industry organizations was necessary in helping her reach a leadership role in her career.