Developing Leaders Spotlight: A Problem Solver and Difference Maker
If you are involved with NAIOP on the North American level, you are likely to already know Kate Nolan Bryden. A vice president of development with MRP Industrial LLC and a recipient of NAIOP’s 2018 Developing Leaders Award, Bryden has followed a somewhat nontraditional path in her NAIOP involvement of more than a decade, moving from “macro to micro,” as she describes it, with more active participation on the Corporate level followed by increased roles in her local chapter. Last year was a monumental year for Bryden as, in addition to her Developing Leaders Award, she was recognized by NAIOP Maryland with the chapter’s Rising Star Award.
Kate Nolan Bryden has 15 years of experience in commercial real estate development and is a LEED® BD+C Accredited Professional. Throughout her career, she has overseen the development of nearly 4 million square feet of industrial, flex, office and retail projects. In her role at MRP Industrial LLC, Bryden is primarily responsible for acquisition support, due diligence and entitlement procurement while overseeing the design and construction of over $200 million worth of projects in Maryland and Pennsylvania.
Prior to joining MRP Industrial, Bryden was the principal and lead project manager of AMK Partners, a certified woman-owned business that provided third party owner’s representation, development management and construction management. Prior to founding AMK Partners in 2013, she served as the development manager for Ryan Development LLC. She began her career in the health care construction group of The Whiting-Turner Contracting Company.
On the NAIOP Corporate level, Bryden was selected as part of the inaugural class of Research Foundation Visionaries; is a member of a National Forum and serves on the Forums advisory committee; serves on the Industry Trends Task Force; currently serves on the executive committee and has served on the board of directors; and currently chairs the CRE.Converge planning committee. With NAIOP Maryland, she is a member of the Developing Leaders committee and the awards committee.
She actively works to give back to her local community and co-founded Baltimore’s only diaper bank, ShareBaby, in 2015, and continues to serve on the organization’s board. She also serves on the board of directors for the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation.
Bryden is recognized as a strong and inspiring leader who finds a solution to every problem she encounters. NAIOP talked to this high-flying professional to learn more about how she approaches goal-setting and leadership.
NAIOP: How do you keep your long-term professional goals in mind in the midst of your day-to-day work?
Bryden: Every Sunday night, I spend about an hour reviewing the most critical issues that need to be resolved for each project over the course of the next week. I also spend time brainstorming about the longer-term goals for the year and beyond and what I need to be doing that week to make incremental progress toward those goals.
NAIOP: What is one characteristic that you believe every leader should possess?
Bryden: I’d say two are equally important: creativity and humility.
NAIOP: What do you wish you knew when you were first getting involved in commercial real estate?
Bryden: Earlier in my career, I wish I had done more compensation benchmarking. It’s almost always most important to focus on choosing the right position or team, but you should be acutely aware of what you’re worth and the market rate for your efforts and experience.
This is part of a series of profiles of NAIOP’s 2018 Developing Leaders Award recipients, who have distinguished themselves through exceptional commitment and contributions to the industry. This prestigious award was presented at NAIOP’s CRE.Converge 2018 conference in Washington, D.C. Learn more about the winners in a piece published in Development magazine. Watch this two-minute video to learn more about NAIOP’s Developing Leaders program. Applications for the 2019 Developing Leaders Award will open this spring.
