Employee background:

I grew up in Arvin/Bakersfield California. After high school, I moved to San Diego to attend school. I graduated from the University of California, San Diego with a Bachelor of Science in Environmental Chemistry. After living in San Diego for nine years and working various jobs, I moved back to Bakersfield and began to look for a new career path. I found a job posting for a receptionist position at Valbridge, I was not familiar with commercial real estate, but I knew I had enough soft skills and work experience to be successful and decided to give it a try.

What is your title and what do you do at Valbridge?

I am currently an appraiser trainee. I started at Valbridge as a receptionist, after six months I was offered the analyst/trainee position and have been in this position for about a year. As a trainee, I research subject properties, confirm sales and rental comparisons, communicate with clients, and write reports under the guidance of our Senior Managing Director Mike Burger. I assist with properties located in Kern and San Luis Obispo County.

How did you become a part of Valbridge and VWC?

As I mentioned when I joined Valbridge I was a receptionist. I figured this was a good place to start while I was looking for a new career. As the receptionist, I did some basic research for appraisers and worked on small projects. Soon after I was able to move into the analyst/trainee position and decided to pursue a career in appraising.

Our Director of Operations, Erin Hagenston, is very involved with the VWC and always speaks highly of the council. I joined before I became a trainee, as Erin mentioned you did not need to be an appraiser to join. I appreciate having this council because CRE is often seen as a male-dominated industry so it is nice to have a support group of women who can empower and motivate each other.

What are your specialty areas?

As I am a trainee, I assist with different property types including commercial, office, industrial, multi-family, mixed-use, vacant land, etc. I do not have a specialty area yet, but recently I have worked on mixed-use properties in San Luis Obispo County, these have been very interesting. I always say I am open to taking any jobs as I would like to learn as much as possible as a trainee.

What are some of the most interesting projects you've worked on at Valbridge?

One project that comes to mind is the appraisal of a local ice cream shop, Dewar’s. Dewar’s Ice Cream has been family owned and operated in Bakersfield since 1909. We appraised their downtown location which consists of the ice cream/candy shop, a warehouse used for storage, and a building used for ice cream production. This was one of my first jobs and it was very unique.

What do you like most about working at Valbridge and being a member of the VWC?

Our Valbridge office is very welcoming and knowledgeable. I appreciated the fact that when I mentioned I was interested in moving up in the company our management team offered me a position as soon as one opened up. I like that every job is different, and I am able to learn something with every job. I also appreciate that the VWC gives us an opportunity to network and connect with others in the industry, as a trainee this is really helpful.