From Temp Admin to Executive Property Management
Industrial Property Management Lead, Jennifer Jones, achieved career mobility with JLL
Jennifer Jones, Industrial Property Management (IPM) Lead, stood on the sidewalk outside the Atlanta building she managed, waiting to hear the sirens. A bank robbery and bomb threat had evacuated her building, but in the midst of the chaos there was no reason to panic. The JLL team was on it. With one quick phone call, Jennifer had activated the internal emergency response team. JLL managers, human resources, and media relations were coordinating and lending support from the regional and national levels down to the ground, where she waited outside the building. Her tenants and her team were given the resources they needed to overcome the crisis. |
"The response was swift and immediate. I remember I had talked to media relations and other teams within minutes. A media holding statement was ready to go before the bomb squad showed up," Jennifer said. "This showed how the support and processes in place at JLL are second to none." That support has been consistent throughout Jennifer's career. It's the reason the 23-year employee has never seen a reason to move out, only to move up. "Thanks to the support and opportunities within the company, my career has been very mobile. This is a great organization to move vertically, horizontally, and geographically." Today, Jennifer is a respected Executive Vice President of IPM based in Atlanta, but her journey started in California as an administrative temp to the regional manager for property management. The manager was impressed with her work ethic, and she was hired to a permanent position as an administrative assistant. After some time, an analyst role became available. Jennifer pitched her supervisor to consider her for the position. He hadn't thought about considering her, but her pitch convinced him to give her a shot. She was finishing her degree in management and finance, and the role sounded perfect for her skill set and interests. As an analyst, Jennifer identified strategic opportunities, potential financial risks, and maintained data reporting. That's why she was surprised when the new regional manager called in 2001 and asked her to serve as a temporary property manager for a building going through a sale. "I didn't know property management. I couldn't tell you what made the elevators go up and down, but she said not to worry. She promised to walk me through it and teach me everything I needed to know," Jennifer said. "After September 11, 2001, the sale fell through. I ended up managing that building for a couple of years. The local team coached me through everything I needed to know to serve that building. By the end, I was a property manager for real, and I saw the opportunities to keep growing." |
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Jennifer liked how property management provided variety, from the people she engaged with to the specific tasks to accomplish each day. She was involved with the entire investment lifecycle, from before the property's purchase, to the sale. Along each property's journey, she collaborated with tenants, service partners, property owners, and various groups within JLL. Those connections to people are what she loves the most and what continues to drive her day after day. Most of her career has been in office property management. Each move provided an opportunity to grow and learn more. "I've always had a direct leader who invested in me and was looking for my next growth opportunity," Jennifer said. "Sometimes the opportunity was there when I wasn't ready; sometimes I was ready before it arose. But there was always a next." One significant next step was moving from California back to her hometown of Atlanta. JLL's network helped her find an office property management role to support her family's move. From there, her roles and responsibilities continued to grow. "Many individuals challenged me to stretch beyond my comfort zone and grow my skills. They provided the support I needed to be positioned for success in those transitions," Jennifer said. Those transitions included moving to Nashville, TN, to assist a client with managing and investing in assets, followed by a move back to Atlanta to become a regional manager in property management, overseeing office and industrial properties. When the Industrial Property Management Lead role became available, Jennifer threw her hat in the ring because she knew the resources would be there to support her transition. Now she collaborates with property teams in Georgia, Tennessee, and Mississippi to manage industrial properties on behalf of investor clients. Her focus is on tenant and client relations, asset repositioning, and property transitions. In some ways, her move to industrial is a move back to her roots. Some of the first properties she managed in California were industrial. She didn't want to miss an opportunity to impact a fast-growing sector and use JLL's platform to serve industrial clients better. Plus, it gave her a chance to work more closely with colleagues around the country. "Hundreds of people are working together to provide property management services to our clients," Jennifer said. "The wonderful platform of resources this organization brings is what makes me successful.” In my 23 years at JLL, I couldn’t have done all this without them. JLL has always valued me as a team member and allowed me to bring the best of myself every day. They have allowed me to take risks and provided the development and education I needed along the way." |