Developing Leaders Spotlight: The Power of Relationships
From an early age, Alexandra Stoelzle, a recipient of the 2021 Developing Leaders Award, found herself fascinated by the built environment. She decided to pursue that passion in college and graduate school, including with an internship in marketing and development at Kilroy Realty Corporation before joining the company in a full-time role. Stoelzle is known as a strong, solutions-oriented, and dedicated leader with a great depth of experience in a relatively young career. She aspires to build sustainable, community-focused projects that positively shape the communities around them.
In her current role as director of development, BCG Holdings, LLC, Stoelzle works to revitalize the old and thoughtfully mix in the new to create mixed-use, experiential communities in prime Salt Lake City markets.
With Kilroy Realty Corporation, Stoelzle served as the assistant project lead for a $2 billion mixed-use office development in San Francisco’s SoMa neighborhood – the second-largest office development in the history of San Francisco. Stoelzle also worked as the transportation and marina strategy lead for a $3 billion waterfront life science development in South San Francisco.
She holds a Master of City Planning in Urban Design and Real Estate from the University of California, Berkeley.
Stoelzle is a member of NAIOP Utah and longtime member of NAIOP San Francisco Bay Area, where she serves as co-chair of the chapter’s Real Estate Challenge Sub-Committee and sits on the IDEA Committee to increase diversity in the industry. Stoelzle serves as a board member and secretary for the Fort Mason Center for Arts & Culture, a nonprofit operating within a Historic Landmark District along the northern waterfront of the San Francisco Bay.
NAIOP asked this dynamic go-getter about her involvement with NAIOP and what career advice she would give other Developing Leaders.
NAIOP: Name a person who has had a notable impact on your career.
Stoelzle: Dennis Williams, two-time president of the NAIOP San Francisco Bay Area chapter, has been an unwavering mentor throughout my career in commercial real estate. Since I was a student in his MBA Real Estate Development course at the University of California, Berkeley, he has supported my career aspirations and helped me expand my breadth and depth within the industry. He has been the catalyst for my involvement in several NAIOP programs, but also other organizations such as the Berkeley Real Estate Alumni Association and Fort Mason Center for Arts & Culture, both nonprofit organizations for which I currently hold board chair positions. Dennis’ passion for fostering the personal and career development of young leaders in the industry is unmatched, and I feel lucky and honored to call him a mentor.
NAIOP: How has your experience as a NAIOP chapter leader/officer helped you in your professional career?
Stoelzle: I have been involved in NAIOP since participating in the Golden Shovel Real Estate Challenge, while in graduate school at the University of California, Berkeley, in 2013. After graduating, I continued to be involved in NAIOP, participating in NAIOP San Francisco’s Young Professionals Group (YPG) Program (class of 2016), which was instrumental to my growth personally, professionally and socially.
After serving as alumni coordinator of the Golden Shovel program for a few years, I was brought on as a co-chair of the program, where my role has been to organize the teams, manage all communications between the teams, site sponsor and judges, and participate in execution of a smooth and rewarding final luncheon event with upwards of 300 attendees. The experience of presenting in such a distinguished forum as a student, and now chairing the event, has given me access to countless industry leaders and peers across all asset classes and specialties. In addition to the networking opportunities, this is also an opportunity to be involved in projects outside of my day-to-day work and bring lessons learned back to the office.
NAIOP: What is one piece of practical advice you would give to Developing Leaders who are just starting out in their careers?
Stoelzle: Don’t underestimate the power of relationships and continuous learning. No matter your specialty — acquisitions, development, marketing, finance — commercial real estate is, and will always be, a people business. Utilize platforms like NAIOP that offer networking and career-building opportunities. For example, the San Francisco Bay Area chapter offers a Young Professionals Group, which is a year-long program that gives Developing Leaders the opportunity to build relationships with their peers, as well as learn from and find mentors among the seasoned professionals who teach each course. The world is small, but the world of real estate is even smaller. Your network is everything.
NAIOP: What do you like to do outside of work?
Stoelzle: I love to travel and be active outdoors. In the winter, I can be found on my snowboard most days, and in the summer, I enjoy hiking, mountain biking, camping, tennis, and any sport that involves being in the water. I’m also attempting to improve my golf game, which I grew up playing, but was dormant for several years. When not living through a pandemic, I spend as much time as possible traveling often to new places near and far, and visiting my family in Michigan, Germany and England as much as possible. I also enjoy learning languages and playing classical piano.
Read more about the 2021 Developing Leaders Award recipients in Development magazine. The recipients of the 2022 Developing Leaders Award will be announced later this summer.
