Nancy Ferrell recognized in Real Estate Forum’s Women of Influence

Nancy Ferrell, senior vice president/managing director of NorthMarq’s Baltimore office was recognized in in the Women of Influence Feature in Real Estate Forum. For a quarter of a century, REForum has published the Women of Influence Feature as a way to highlight women making inroads in the industry.

Learn more about what set Nancy apart in her nomination responses below:

Why should this person be selected as a 2018 Woman of Influence? What makes this nominee stand out from her counterparts?
Ed Padilla, CEO: "It is my pleasure to nominate Nancy Ferrell, who has 32 years in the industry. She started at a point in time when women were rare in the commercial real estate industry. Nancy has been a trailblazer, where setting the standard and exceeding expectations have always been a core part of her character. Never shy to stake her claim, and confident in her abilities, we are lucky to have her in our firm.

Like so many others inside and outside of our firm, when Nancy calls, I am always available. I know that she has the company’s interests and reputation in her heart. In the world of priorities, NorthMarq Capital follows closely behind family.

Always smiling, always asking about others and their families, first to say thanks, she will always put a smile on your face. Nancy’s long standing clients speak highly of her, her competitors never say a bad word about her and her associates follow her example."

In what ways has this nominee left her mark on the industry? Why is she worthy of this recognition?
Ed Padilla, CEO: “We are honored to work with Nancy every day. She leads by example and is a dedicated service provider. You will never meet a kinder person that combines a caring personality with a competitive spirit. She is gifted in combining the “hate to lose” personality with a professional style and absolute top ethical base. She will be the first to shake your hand whether you have won or lost. First class in every respect, we are proud to nominate her for this award.”

What are the nominee’s current responsibilities?
As senior vice president/managing director, Nancy is responsible for the generation of commercial mortgage debt and equity placement along with the development of lender and commercial product sources. Manager responsibilities include managing annual loan production, seven employees, preparing annual budgets, overseeing the office loan production, Baltimore office servicing portfolio, 300 annual property inspections, hiring and mentoring personnel.

Please list the nominee's greatest professional accomplishments in past 12 months.

Significant transactions, deal volume, projects, awards or recognitions

• Total Financing Volume (07162017 – 07162018) of $205,625,000
• Recognized as a 2017 Rainmaker of the Year (Real Estate Forum)
• Recognized as #3 Top Mortgage broker by Mid-Atlantic Real Estate Journal

What is the nominee's membership/activity in business, career-oriented, charitable or civic-minded organizations?
Member of NAIOP, CREW, ULI. Bryn Mawr School 2008-present: Current Trustee and Board Member, Officer, Chair Buildings and Grounds Committee, Finance Committee Member,  Executive Committee Member.

Past board member and past board president for the House of Ruth Maryland 1997-2008; Served as co-Commissioner and coach for Towsontowne Girls Lacrosse Rec Council program 2004-2009; formally created and co-chaired the NAIOP-MD Community Service Committee 2005-2008. Served on NorthMarq Servicing and Production Committees.

In what unique ways are women impacting the CRE industry?
From beginning my career in 1979 in banking and then moving to CRE Finance in 1986, I chose from the start to be on the income producing side of the industry. Seriously, I was the lone female producer in my company for what seemed an eternity. In the end, you just put your head down and do your job.  If I needed to bring in a male cohort to help win the business, I was happy to do so. Eventually the client would realize I could place their financing efficiently and professionally.

The strides women have made in CRE over the last 15 years are amazing. The unique ways women are impacting our profession is truly eye opening. Most exciting is to see so many women as primary leaders in the industry as owners, principals, managers, architects, builders, interior designers, bankers, contractors, suppliers, leasing agents, brokers, financiers, etc. Women contribute and run organizations such as CREW, NAIOP and ULI as well as local community non-profits. When attending any event today and in most organizations, the number of men and women in the room has equalized. It makes me proud to see the changes in our industry. In retrospect, I am glad I hung in there all those early years because I do love financing commercial real estate!

What's your take on the current state of CRE and its performance?
One cannot argue that the CRE industry has “been on a roll” for many years now. Some of the new legislation and reasonable lending practices by financial institutions have extended the lucrative CRE environment. Developers as well as the financial firms have greatly benefited from a strong economy as well as the new products in CRE to meet current demand. Leading the way are Fannie and Freddie and not to be forgotten, HUD, The GSE’s have been huge contributors to multi-family housing as well as student housing across our country, financing north of 50 percent of all financing available to multi-family. Life insurance companies also have had their share of success financing all types of multi-family as well as office, industrial and retail deals. At this point in time, all is well in both the residential and commercial world. Enhancing the current state of CRE is continued construction that is giving some investors pause but still office, retail and apartments are not showing excessive overbuilding in most markets.

We know “all good things must come to an end” in the historical cyclical industry of CRE. However, it feels like a pause might come versus the crashes we have seen in our past. Although it does not feel imminent, a change in policy for the GSE’s could affect the market overnight leading to rising Treasury bond rates. The future in CRE will include changes in product type and user needs, such as autonomous vehicles and movement in lifestyles in the next generation, but the bottom line is dirt and buildings will always be part of our country’s landscape.