Introduction
André Collins, a commercial real estate broker at Lincoln Harris in Charlotte, North Carolina, joins Jack Ossa on The Power of Design Podcast to talk about determination, curiosity and creating value in real estate transactions. Like Jack, André is a first-generation immigrant. He is originally from Jamaica and says his biggest motivation is to make the most of every opportunity and support his family.
The conversation follows his path from sports and finance into commercial real estate, and looks at how technology and relationships shape the way he advises clients.
About the Episode
André grew up in Kingston and St. Catherine, Jamaica, and was a competitive soccer player and track athlete who represented his country as a junior. He came to Charlotte on a scholarship, studied banking and finance and, as a college student, became the first Belk scholar at his university. That relationship led to a job offer before he graduated, and he started in corporate finance, building company-wide sales plans and later working on real estate and facilities budgeting.
He had once wanted to be an architect, and real estate gave him a way back to the tangible side of the built environment. He enrolled part-time in the UNC Charlotte master of real estate program, built relationships there and joined Lincoln Harris, a full-service firm affiliated with Lincoln Property Company, as an analyst before moving into brokerage about three years ago.
André and Jack discuss why he is nicknamed the Excel ninja, how he follows commercial real estate technology, and how COVID-19 changed what landlords and tenants want. They also compare notes on being curious about many things and not limiting yourself to one specialty.
Key Takeaways
- Motivation can come from limited resources: André says being an immigrant keeps him focused on using every opportunity.
- Take the door that opens: he accepted an analyst role at Lincoln Harris, even at a pay cut, because it was the way into commercial real estate.
- Simplify complexity: his main skill is analyzing complicated matters and making them clear for clients.
- Automate and learn: he teaches himself tools from YouTube and trial and error, and automates work that would take a department a week.
- Watch commercial real estate technology: he follows CRE tech and brings ideas to build-to-suit clients who can design flexibly from scratch.
- Let curiosity compound: skills like graphic design and web development may not pay off immediately, but they come back around.
- Relationships are the currency: his advice to young professionals is to be self-motivated, make a plan, stay humble and meet new people.
Highlights from the Conversation
Relationship is everything, relationship is truly the best currency out there.
André Collins
I love challenges and I love to take on the most challenging task.
André Collins
I like to learn different things as a skill set, I like to invest in myself.
André Collins
Topics Discussed
- An immigrant's path to commercial real estate
- Corporate finance and sales planning at a retailer
- The UNC Charlotte master of real estate program
- What a full-service firm like Lincoln Harris does
- Buyer, seller, tenant and landlord representation
- CRE technology, automation and Excel
- COVID-19 and how tenants use space
- Advice for young professionals
Why This Conversation Matters
André's work sits at the point where property decisions meet design. Landlords and tenants rethinking space after COVID-19 are often looking at repositioning an existing building, as in our Coliseum Drive and Liberty Plaza projects, supported by interior architecture and architecture that make the space worth leasing. His view that relationships are the strongest currency in business also underlies our branding work for real estate professionals, such as Gresset Real Estate.
About the Guest
André Collins is a commercial real estate broker advisor at Lincoln Harris in Charlotte, North Carolina. Originally from Jamaica, he has lived in Charlotte for about 13 years, studied banking and finance, worked in corporate finance at Belk and completed the UNC Charlotte master of real estate program. Connect with André on LinkedIn or visit the LPC website.
