Stephanie Lannon
Griffin Partners
Current job: Construction Manager – Griffin Partners
Summary of your role in the company: Manage Tenant Upfits in buildings that Griffin Partners owns.
How I chose my occupation: I was a small business owner for 10 years – Smoothie King Franchisee. I decided it was easier to build restaurants than run them and transitioned to construction.
Years in the business: 9 years in construction
My specialization is: Interior Upfits
A good lead for me is:
The most satisfying part of my job is: Delivering a quality product by completing a Tenant Build Out and having a satisfied client.
Best leadership advice I have been given: Be committed to continual learning and growth. Always look for the lesson, knock the dust off your sandals and move on.
Greatest professional achievement: Continuing to Advancement a variety of industries by being adaptable and ambitious.
Number of years with CREW: 4
Most significant CREW connection: Special Events Committee Members
Place of birth/hometown: Milledgeville GA
Number of years in Charlotte: 5
Family: Married 32 years, 28 yr old daughter and 25 yr old son.
My ideal vacation spot: Sint Maarten
Hobbies/Interests: Mtn Biking, Camping, Hiking, Crocheting and Scrapbooking
Other professional organizations I belong to: N/A
I wish I could: Spend more time volunteering.
Feel free to include any additional information about yourself that you would like!
CREW has been a big part of my life since I have lived here in Charlotte. The women in this organization are collectively the sharpest and kindest group of ladies I have encountered.
Shawn McMillan
McMillan PLLC
Current job: Attorney with McMillan PLLC
Summary of your role in the company: My primary role is to coach and mentor our attorneys, conduct client development, and provide leadership direction for the firm.
How I chose my occupation: I was a witness in a court case involving a friend who was acting pro se (defending himself without an attorney) and he won. I thought it was cool, so I applied to law school.
Years in the business: 24 years
My specialization is: I concentrate my practice in the areas of Commercial Real Estate Law, Business Law, and Financial Services.
A good lead for me is: Anyone buying, selling or leasing commercial real estate, or buying or selling a business, in the States of North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, Tennessee or Pennsylvania.
The most satisfying part of my job is: Meeting people from all over the world who are doing business in our part of the country. I get to work with brilliant people doing amazing things.
Best leadership advice I have been given: Always understand the “why” when you are working on a transaction. Ralph Waldo Emerson said “The person who knows how will always have a job. The person who knows why will always be their boss.”
Greatest professional achievement: Building a law firm from the ground up.
Number of years with CREW: 20 years
Most significant CREW connection: Elsa Simaan
Place of birth/hometown: St. Charles, MO
Number of years in Charlotte: 24
Family: My wife of almost 29 years, Anna, my three daughters, NiuNiu, YooRan and Nan, and my son, YuanYuan.
My ideal vacation spot: A quiet beach.
Hobbies/Interests: Skateboarding, gardening, and dreaming.
Other professional organizations I belong to: NC State Bar and Mecklenburg County Bar
I wish I could: Follow all of my dreams, but I have too many!
Denise Dexter
JLL
Current job: JLL – Executive Managing Director, Project and Development Services
Summary of your role in the company: I lead regional leadership teams across the Texas, West and Southern California regions, alongside national business line leaders for Integrated Portfolio Solutions, RPM & Furniture, and Senior Living.
How I chose my occupation: I think it chose me. I started my career in residential property management while in college and I have served in many capacities across commercial real estate.
Years in the business: 30
My specialization is: Project Management, Brokerage, Asset & Property Management
A good lead for me is: Organizations planning significant build-outs, renovations, portfolio repositioning, or complex real estate transactions across our regional markets.
The most satisfying part of my job is: Being a part of a person’s career journey and solving complex projects that directly impact our business in a positive way.
Best leadership advice I have been given: Your best is good enough. It freed me to focus on authentic leadership rather than perfectionism.
Greatest professional achievement: Leading JLL’s corporate office re-entry efforts in response to COVID-19. Collaborated closely with executive leaders of the firm to safely return over 11,000 employees to 160 corporate offices across the Americas.
Number of years with CREW: 20+
Most significant CREW connection: Continuing to build relationships with members from my early days in CREW. These relationships matter and are so important throughout your career in Charlotte’s commercial real estate industry.
Place of birth/hometown: Miami, Florida
Number of years in Charlotte: 26
Family: Husband Dave and twin daughters, Claire and Alden
My ideal vacation spot: Cashiers, NC
Hobbies/Interests: Reading, playing tennis, hiking and being outside with my family and our dog, Maisy.
Other professional organizations I belong to: Florida State University’s Real Estate Center, CoreNet, and JLL’s Women’s Business Network
I wish I could: spend more time mentoring emerging leaders in our industry to help them accelerate their careers and amplify their impact on our communities.
Jamie Smith
Pinnacle Financial Partners
Current job: Commercial Financial Advisor, Pinnacle Financial Partners
Summary of your role in the company: I personally provide loans and deposits for small business and middle market companies, and I work with an amazing team that can provide additional banking services such as insurance, wealth management, merchant and treasury services, health and benefits, 401ks, mortgages, etc.
How I chose my occupation: It kind of fell upon me. My dad worked in the mortgage industry, and I interned with BB&T Mortgage the summer going into my senior year of college. From there, I went through BB&T’s Leadership Development Program and have been in banking since.
Years in the business: 15
My specialization is: Commercial loans and deposits
A good lead for me is: Any business owner or CFO who isn’t satisfied with their current banking relationship. If you don’t know your banker’s name, don’t have their cell phone number, or have only met them once or twice, you probably need a new banker.
The most satisfying part of my job is: Building relationships, helping my clients achieve financial success, and connecting people.
Best leadership advice I have been given: You can do anything you want, as long as you work hard and be kind.
Greatest professional achievement: Joining Pinnacle Financial Partners 5 years ago. To work at Pinnacle, you must be referred by someone who already works at the organization. As you can imagine, we hire amazing people, because no one is going to put their reputation on the line for someone who isn’t great. I feel honored that I was referred to work here, and I’ve met so many amazing teammates who have become even better friends.
Number of years with CREW: 8 months
Most significant CREW connection: It’s hard to name just one – I’ve met so many wonderful people. One exciting project that came out of CREW connections is one of my clients who is opening a Mahjong studio. I connected them with a CRE broker from CREW, and he connected them with a GC from CREW. We can’t wait for the studio to open later this year!
Place of birth/hometown: Born in Raleigh, NC and grew up in Richmond, VA
Number of years in Charlotte: 10
Family: Been married to my husband, Trey, for 7 years and we have two wonderful little girls: Baker (5) and Haden (2)
My ideal vacation spot: I am dying to go to Italy
Hobbies/Interests: Working out, reading, interior design, real estate (I look at realtor.com every single day), travel
Other professional organizations I belong to: CRExCLT
I wish I could: Have more time!!
