“Driven but balanced” is how one colleague describes Sal Perdomo, a recipient of the 2022 Developing Leaders Award, and with good reason. This former NCAA cross country and track athlete now competes at USA Track and Field Championship meets across the U.S. as part of the Dukes Track Club. Perdomo’s drive and calculated risk-taking have served him well, both on the track and in his commercial real estate career.
In his role as director of acquisitions and development for Titan Development, Perdomo leads all land acquisitions and new market expansion with the goal of providing a pipeline of projects for the company’s various funds. He is also responsible for all aspects of the development process, including due diligence, market research, design and engineering, entitlements, leasing, acquisitions, construction oversight and dispositions.
Perdomo has taken on many leadership roles as a member of his local chapter, NAIOP New Mexico. As chair of the Developing Leaders group, he was recognized with the chapter’s Developing Leader of the Year Award for his efforts advising the City of Albuquerque staff and city council on a new zoning code. He is a member of the chapter board and previously served as president.
He was recognized by the Albuquerque Business Journal with its 40 Under 40 Award and by Trinity University Alumni Association with the Tower Five Young Alumni Award.
Outside of commercial real estate, Perdomo serves on the board of Viante New Mexico, an organization focused on improving key metrics related to crime, education and quality of life in New Mexico. In addition, he is a board member and past president of the Trinity University Alumni Association.
NAIOP reached out to this fast-moving high achiever to learn more about his journey into the industry and what advice he would give to other young professionals in commercial real estate.
NAIOP: What motivated you to get involved in commercial real estate?
Perdomo: Having the ability to impact the built environment around me was the initial motivation to pursue a path in commercial real estate development. Since I was young, I was always interested in the urban environment and the interface between cities, residents and businesses. After realizing that I could directly impact cities and the built environment through my professional career, there was no turning back. Every day I am lucky to work on projects that fulfill this motivation and keep me striving to work hard to enhance the built environment around me.
NAIOP: What are some ways that NAIOP membership has benefited your career?
Perdomo: NAIOP has had profound impacts on my career both locally and nationally. Working out of a smaller market, the national perspective on new trends and cutting-edge development projects is extremely important to understand and comprehend. But from a local perspective, I have been provided with opportunities through NAIOP that would not be afforded to me in a larger market. Both the local NAIOP presence and national NAIOP perspective have allowed me to be a more well-rounded and impactful real estate developer.
NAIOP: What is your advice for Developing Leaders early in their careers?
Perdomo: Stay hungry and don’t be afraid to get involved wherever you are able. As a young professional just starting out in your career, there is so much you can gain by being in the same room as more experienced professionals. This provides the opportunity to absorb conversations, be added to a project team, or even be provided with a career-changing opportunity that you wouldn’t have been afforded otherwise.
NAIOP: How do you describe what you do for a living to family and friends?
Perdomo: As a commercial real estate developer, you manage dozens of consultants to bring a project from A to Z. When speaking with non-real estate individuals, I typically relate my job to an orchestra. The developer is the orchestrator, the consultants are the individual musicians in the orchestra, and the development project is the musical piece. The orchestrator is responsible for guiding each musician on when they should play, which is how a developer manages their consultants. Everyone loves music, so this analogy typically makes it very easy to understand!
NAIOP: What could you give a 30-minute presentation about with no advance preparation?
Perdomo: Anything related to running! I ran cross country and track in college and spent another five years post-college as a competitive, semi-elite runner. Over the 15 years I competed, you gain a lot of knowledge and experience on training, gear, races and the psychology of running!
Read more about the 2022 Developing Leader Award winners in Development magazine.
