A luminary in the world of real estate, Andrew Zang’s journey from contributing to homeland security legislation in Washington D.C. prior to attending law school to becoming a distinguished tenant advocate showcases a trajectory marked by resilience, adaptability, and a commitment to excellence. Andrew’s expertise extends from handling acquisitions and dispositions to navigating the complexities of corporate facility and real estate planning on local, national, and global scales.
His portfolio boasts collaborations with renowned clients like Sugar Foods Corp, Loloi Rugs, Adelphi University, Lord & Taylor, WeWork, and more, underscoring his ability to meet the diverse needs of prestigious entities. Beyond the boardroom, Andrew meets his passion of being a friend to all and introducing the importance of self-awareness to the workforce in the workplaces he helps select for them.
We recently met Andrew and delved into Andrew’s insights on self-awareness, the evolving trends in real estate, and his strategies for success in a dynamic and competitive industry.
1. Thanks for meeting us, Andrew. We’d love to get started with knowing how your early experiences shaped your approach to the dynamic field of real estate, particularly in terms of strategic planning and adaptability.
My very early experiences included connecting with people who were willing to do so! Before being able to do the strategic planning you need to assist in finding the clients. Patience, Persistence, and Positivity were traits that I brought with me every day. My father is in New York City real estate and from a young age I was introduced into commercial real estate. Being able to adapt and audible to your clients’ needs are of upmost importance when doing a site selection search for a company’s headquarters. It’s first learning about what they don’t want to help end up with what they do want.
2. You’re big on self-awareness in the workplace. How would you explain its role in the fast paced world of the real estate industry?
Self-awareness and self-reflection have a very impactful role in real estate especially in globally competitive markets like New York. You need to be able to face rejection and continue pursuits. Even when negotiating the transaction hurdles will consistently present themselves and you must be able to ask yourself how to best navigate the issues to produce the best results and be prepared to seek feedback on decision making. Working alone is never the proper way to be successful.
3. How do you personally cultivate self-awareness, and how do you believe it contributes to success in the fast-paced world of real estate?
I preach positivity in the workplace as well as outside of it in my personal life. Positivity is infectious and enables critical thinking to take place and solution building to manifest itself. Being self-aware while engaging in your work will lead to so many different dimensions of creativity that will result in successful outcomes. Real estate is also an information sharing business like most, if you are someone who is trustworthy and likable you will have more opportunities than those who lack building those character traits.
4. Looking into the future, what trends do you foresee shaping the real estate landscape, especially in the context of the evolving workplace dynamics?
The hybrid workplace of on-site and remote is widely accepted and amidst the current landscape and dynamics of real estate. Companies are looking to attract the best workforce to effectively communicate in the workplace and the proper building amenities and company culture that is secured by a highly amenitized workplace will be the continued trend today and towards the future.
5. Your work spans local, national, and global levels. How do you approach the unique challenges and opportunities presented by each of these scales in the real estate landscape, and what advice do you have for professionals navigating these diverse markets?
Don’t do it alone. Build a network! As it relates to self awareness and reflection always understand your strengths and weaknesses especially when it comes to navigating diverse markets. A Jack of all trades will be a master of none. Real estate is complex and relationship driven and it is immensely important to understand both of those factors.
6. Lastly, we’d love to know how you navigate the diverse needs of such clients, and what strategies you employ to ensure effective real estate solutions for their businesses.
I’m born and raised in the home of the global melting pot. New York, has groomed me to be diverse in my thoughts and I believe keeping an open mind, being flexible, and collaborative is the defining factor in having success with so many different people and companies with different needs and goals. But the number 1 priority of companies building the right workplace and selecting the right headquarters for their workforce is usually the same, a collaborative environment to assist in producing excellent work!
