Developing Leaders Spotlight: Giving Back and Paying it Forward
Known by his colleagues and fellow NAIOP members as a dedicated professional who sets and achieves his goals, Christopher Drzyzga, a recipient of NAIOP’s 2018 Developing Leaders Award, cites his ultimate career goal as giving back to those who have helped him and paying it forward to the next generation of young professionals. He never stops learning about the commercial real estate industry and is currently pursuing the Certificate of Advanced Study in Real Estate Finance through the NAIOP Center for Education. He also mentors those who are new to the industry and encourages them to get involved in NAIOP.
In his role as vice president with Voit Real Estate Services in Irvine, California, Drzyzga specializes in leasing and sales of office and medical office properties on behalf of tenants, landlords and investors. His responsibilities include local market expertise, business development, short- and long-term planning, financial analysis and transaction management. He has completed over 150 transactions and has been involved in over $100 million in total consideration for transactions throughout the Western United States. He is a licensed broker in the state of California.
Drzyzga mentors junior brokers in his office and also creates original blog posts and video content about the industry and its impact on the community, business and our everyday lives. Outside of the commercial real estate field, Drzyzga volunteers with community groups including Big Brothers/Big Sisters of Orange County, Pacific Symphony and the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation.
He joined NAIOP SoCal in 2013 and became an active member of the chapter’s Young Professionals Group (YPG); since he finished that program, he has taken on multiple leadership roles with the chapter’s YPG Alumni Committee.
NAIOP caught up with this altruistic and energetic leader to learn more about how he accomplishes his goals.
NAIOP: How do you keep your long-term professional goals in mind in the midst of your day-to-day work?
Drzyzga: 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 are characteristics that you believe every leader should possess?
Drzyzga: I’d say two are equally important: creativity and humility.
NAIOP: What would be your ideal commercial real estate project to work on and why?
Drzyzga: Speculative projects are exciting but the ideal project would be a build-to-suit for a tenant who’s engaged in the process and aligned with our focus on quality. I once heard the adage “there’s no glory in building an empty building,” and I think that about sums it up!
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. Watch this two-minute video to learn more about NAIOP’s Developing Leaders program. Applications for the 2019 Developing Leaders Award are now open.
