Sara Fredericks – 20 Under 40
38
Newmark
Education: Trinity University
Babysitting taught Sara Fredericks essential skills that she uses now in her career in commercial real estate.
“Babysitting taught me the importance of communicating to a variety of audiences under one roof and the importance of a diversified client portfolio,” said Fredericks. “Parents are a lot like the C-Suite, and kids remind me of the body of an organization; sometimes the two aren’t always in sync, and yet you need to get everyone focused on the same outcome and keep them happy, so you get hired again.”
My years in the League really shaped how I look at our community today and gave me the skills to get involved and affect positive change!
She began her commercial real estate career at Mohr Partners in 2006.
In 2009, she joined Hudson Peters Commercial, a small boutique commercial real estate firm, as an assistant vice president, specializing in representing tenants and landlords in the greater Dallas area.
She joined the Dallas office of Newmark as director in January 2013.
“The Dallas business scene weaves webs that affect our everyday life. How we work, live, and play is really guided by the businesses that choose this community as their home,” Fredericks said. “I get to be part of the process as companies take into consideration where to lay roots, where to increase a presence or back off. Honestly, it’s just a lot of fun.”
When she’s not working, Fredericks enjoys being involved with the Junior League of Dallas.
“My years in the League really shaped how I look at our community today and gave me the skills to get involved and affect positive change!” she said.
Fredericks is also involved with Community Partners of Dallas’ Women’s Auxiliary.
Biggest business/career success in the past 12 months:
Honestly — surviving virtual school with a 9 and 7-year-old while meeting my clients’ ever-changing needs. It often felt like a roller coaster, and luckily the decisions we made as a family and the ones I helped my clients make are bringing us into a great start of 2021.
Where do you see yourself and/or your career 10 years from now?
I’m really interested in leadership and development. So much is left up to the individual at many brokerage firms and it can be difficult to navigate if you don’t have a mentor or belong to a company that encourages personal and professional development. As I continue to grow my business over the next ten years, I’d like to make headway here too.
Which leadership skills were the most challenging for you to develop and why?
Finding a voice. There weren’t other tenured women brokers at my first commercial real estate firm to serve as a mentor, much less an example. I was basically in a frat, which, don’t get me wrong, made for a fun work environment, but I quickly realized I inherently communicated differently.
If you could buy a book (or rent a movie) for your neighbor, what would it be and why?
We just watched the movie Big with our kids. It’s timeless and a good reminder that innovation sometimes comes from just looking at life with new eyes. Also anything by Brene Brown, I just love her quest for authenticity and vulnerability.
What would you tell an 18-year-old you?
Focus on you. Don’t be worried about what everyone else is doing.
What’s on your bucket list?
A staycation at the Thompson Hotel! And then hopefully some travel both domestic & international with my family when we have the vaccine.
Fun fact that someone wouldn’t know about you:
I’m an Army brat and lived in Bolivia as a teenager.
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