Looking Ahead: Leadership, Growth, and a New Era

 By: NAIOP Colorado Chapter President, Brian Dietz

It is one of the greatest honors of my career to have been elected by the membership of NAIOP Colorado to be your    Chapter President during such a momentous year. I entered the commercial real estate business in 2004 and promptly    joined NAIOP. My first boss was adamant about it, telling me, “Do this for you, not the company. It will pay dividends in    your career.” Boy, was he right.

For the first 12 years, I was simply a member. In 2016, I took a more active role by joining the Programs Committee. Two years later, during Fight Night and after more than a few whiskeys, I was asked by the chair of the committee at the time, Joe Zanone, if I would consider succeeding him as chair. I gladly said yes, and that started an eight-year journey in leadership that ultimately led me here as Chapter President. 

For those that don’t know me well, I’ve had a rocky career at times. I’m on my seventh job in a 22-year career – certainly not by design, and it was not how I envisioned my career unfolding. During some difficult professional chapters, NAIOP was the fuel that kept me going. When I received negative feedback from employers, I was simultaneously receiving encouragement and support from NAIOP Colorado’s leadership, and from very respected professionals in the business, such as Celeste Tanner.

NAIOP quite literally kept me sane. It allowed me to forge relationships with some of Denver’s most influential commercial real estate professionals. I would not have my current position at Evergreen today if not for the relationships I formed here, including a close friendship with former Chapter President, Tyler Carlson, Evergreen’s CEO.

This is going to be a big year for NAIOP – both in Colorado and at a national level. Our own Celeste Tanner of Confluent will serve as NAIOP’s National Chair, and in October, Denver will host NAIOP’s premier Corporate Fall Conference and I.CON Central event.

My message to you is simple: don’t just pay for a membership and attend events but get involved. Join a committee. Volunteer for an event. Testify on behalf of NAIOP in front of state and local government. Raise your hand.

Trust me. It will pay off for you professionally, and you’ll make some fantastic friendships along the way.