Troy Pollet, 28 Senior associate broker CBRE Group Inc. Universal City office Pollet started at the L.A. commercial real estate firm right out of USC in 2007. He has become one of the firm’s most successful young brokers, completing more than 85 lease and sale transactions so far this year. What made you want to get into commercial real estate? I had an internship when I was a sophomore in college at Trammell Crow Co. and I just wanted to do what he did. It was random. Someone offered me a chance and I ended up liking it. What are some of the biggest deals you’ve closed? One of the bigger deals is selling the Corporate Point West Hills campus for $93 million to Brookfield. And I leased 180,000 square feet on that same campus to Bank of America a few years ago. That lease consideration was worth $26 million. What’s a typical day for you? I’m in the office at 7 a.m. and until 7 p.m. I am knocking on doors, canvassing buildings, making calls. We have team meetings that start early sometimes too, but every day is a bit different. And that’s one thing I like. What are the biggest challenges in your job? I think probably getting lost in thinking that just because you’re working a lot, it’s productive work. Just because you’re sending e-mails doesn’t mean you’re making money. What was the most important lesson you’ve learned? The importance of reputation and how long it takes to build a good one and how quickly it can be ruined. In our business, reputation is important and something to take seriously. How do you handle yourself around older colleagues and clients? I’ve got a lot of gray hair so that helps a little bit. And I wear glasses even though I don’t need them to look a little bit older. What is the biggest advantage of being young? I don’t have any pre-conceived notions and am doing a lot of things for the first time. When everything is new and fresh, you don’t know any different. What is the biggest disadvantage? That’s a good one. Some of it is just the appearance of looking young or being perceived as young. What advice would you give to other Millennials who may want to start their own business? Don’t undervalue your worth. A lot of people don’t ask for the money they deserve because they’re younger. – Elliot Golan
