Meet Cara Stamp

What is your role at Avison Young?

As a research analyst, I provide the market research for the office, including data, write-ups, marketing information and articles to boost the company's public profile in the market.

How did you get into commercial real estate?

Completely by accident. I have a background in Art History, but I realized after graduate school I wanted a career that interacted with the business world. A friend helped me get a job at the industrial REIT Prologis, and I was very intrigued by the industry.

Who has been the biggest influence in your life and why?

Perhaps it's cliche, but definitely my mother. She's a force of nature, and watching her forge a successful sales career gave me a really clear portrait of what it looks like to thrive in a male-dominated industry. Beyond that, she is a person of incredible fortitude, and I have watched her weather personal and professional struggles with determination, compassion, and grace.

What is the best advice you've ever received?

"To be a warrior is to learn to be genuine every moment of your life." We spend so much time in the modern age trying to be what we think our boss or coworkers or friends or partners want, and I think it slows us down. It's hard not to experience some anxiety in a high-pressure industry like ours, but I think reminding myself of my strengths helps me to focus and produce the caliber of work I was hired to do. Being genuine also means being comfortable enough to ask questions or ask for help, which is obviously huge.

How has Avison Young supported you as a woman in business?

I'm lucky in the Denver office where many of the key leaders in the office are females, as they provide a great example for younger associates like myself. Overall, I think Avison Young has done an admirable job of practicing what they preach in terms of gender diversity, and I think recruiting efforts are framed in such a way that more women are being brought into the pipeline not to fill a quota, but because Avison has learned how to seek out female talent and celebrate it.

What would people be surprised to learn about you?

I was a championship Irish step dancer in high school!