Podcast: Play in new window | Download
Vice President of Development Brittani Sanders with Portman Residential joins the Atlanta Real Estate Forum Radio podcast to share the importance of development and diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) in a corporate space. Sanders joins host Carol Morgan on the All About Real Estate segment.
A relatively new company, Portman Residential is the latest addition to the Portman Holdings family, a staple in the homebuilding industry for over 60 years. Founded by a prolific architect, John Portman, the company was previously known for designing abundant office and hotel projects and recently decided to expand into the mixed-use development sector with the creation of Portman Residential and Portman Industrial.
Sanders said, “It really is a great company and has really exciting mixed-use projects across the country.”
Growing up in a small town south of Chicago, Sanders shared that diversity and inclusion are a deeply personal topics. From a young age, she was fascinated with the Chicago skyline but never knew how those buildings came to be. She decided to study architecture, unaware of other career opportunities due to a lack of exposure.
At Howard University, she quickly learned architecture was not her path, and development was the ideal industry for her.
“My motivation today is to expose more young people, specifically young people of color, that are maybe in my shoes now that I was in 10, 20 years ago,” Sanders said. “There just aren’t many people that I can look up to, specifically African American women in development. I hope to make that road easier. That’s what makes me work the way I do.”
Thanks to innovative projects such as The House That She Built book by Mollie Elkman and Georgia Castellano, young girls are beginning to see themselves within roles and careers traditionally pushed towards young boys.
When asked what advice she has for women entering the homebuilding and development industry, Sanders recommended meeting as many people as possible. A lesson she learned early in her career, oftentimes real estate and development companies have a limited timeframe when hiring new talent.
It’s easy for those entering the industry to become discouraged, especially when it seems as if positions are often given to family members and those with connections. While that does exist, Sanders shared it’s common for companies to hire who they know. Though making connections is essential, companies must also be willing to step outside of their circle.
Sanders said, “You have to position yourself so that you’re top of mind when opportunities present themselves so, network, network, network! Get comfortable talking to anyone.”
Tune in to the full interview above for more information about Portman Residential or visit www.PortmanResidential.com.
Never miss an episode of Atlanta Real Estate Forum Radio! Subscribe to the podcast here. You can also get a recap of any past episode on the Radio page. Listen to the full interview above!
Georgia Residential Mortgage Licensee, License #22564. NMLS ID #6606. Subject to borrower and property qualifications. Not all applicants will qualify. New American Funding and Portman Holdings are not associated. Click here to view the terms and conditions of products mentioned during the show. Corporate office 14511 Myford Rd., Suite 100, Tustin, CA 92780. Phone: (800) 450-2010. (March/2022)
New American Funding is a family-owned mortgage lender with a servicing portfolio of over 216,000+ loans for $56.8 billion, 171 branches and about 4,500+ employees. The company offers several niche loan products and has made Inc. 5000’s list of Fastest-Growing Companies in America seven times. For more information, call 678-898-3540 or visit https://branch.newamericanfunding.com/Atlanta.
The Atlanta Real Estate Forum Radio “All About Real Estate” segment, presented by Denim Marketing, highlights the movers and shakers in the Atlanta real estate industry – the home builders, developers, Realtors and suppliers working to provide the American dream for Atlantans. For more information on how you can be featured as a guest, contact Denim Marketing at 770-383-3360 or fill out the Atlanta Real Estate Forum contact form. Subscribe to the Atlanta Real Estate Forum Radio podcast on iTunes, and if you like this week’s show, be sure to rate it.