Home Makeovers Reimagined

Speaker 1: [Music] hi I'm Melanie bar welcome to the she builted experience with Melanie you're here because you want to experience the life and business that you crave join me as I talk to women who have successfully built it a career and business that they love we dive into the topic of how they built it and talk about everything from Having the courage to make career leaps to the details of how to lead effectively create successful teams Implement strategies for growth and Infuse Tech innovation magic happens when we focus on the part of ourselves and our business that brings us joy so let's dive in Jamie Bender is senior vice president of Wedgewood homes she oversees the acquisition renovation and sales for the west coast and midwest regions of the US Jamie also is the head of Maverick design wedgewood's Creative Design Group thank you for joining us Jamie share with us about your early career experiences and what led you to become senior vice president of Wedgewood homes first of all I just want to say I am such a big fan of the she built it podcast and women supporting women in general I am so honored to have been asked to to be here today so thank you so much I think that helping Mentor women is one of the greatest Joys I do get out of my career so this that's a big part of why this is so meaningful for me in terms of my early career I started out in Investment Banking I had attended UC Berkeley and was in the hospital of business I was looking for financial Independence and they promoted three main careers which was accounting Investment Banking and management consulting and of the three Investment Banking was the most appealing to me I was fortunate enough to land a spot with one of the Wall Street investment Banks and I worked in corporate finance in San Francisco Tech sector was booming in San Francisco it was a very exciting time I learned a lot it was a great springboard for the rest of my career but there was such a focus on financial analysis and I yearned for this creative Outlet this creative side to that I had as part of myself I searched out new opportunities I had always loved design I had always loved architecture and homes and when I discovered Wedgewood I learned about the transformative process of residential real estate and I was hooked I have been with this amazing company now for almost 20 years when I joined Wedgewood we were only in Southern California and one of the things that I've been fortunate enough to do is help with our expansion to TW now we're in 22 states that has really helped Propel me to now senior vice president overseeing our renovation and resale throughout the United States congratulations and it's amazing that you have been such a big part of that incredible growth and good for you for deciding to make that pivot so often we can be good at doing something and there's that thing inside of us that's telling us to do something different but we don't always act on it one of the things I always say here is that every day is different every house is different and that is one of the things that I love so much about what we do but it's also about taking these homes that are really not wellmaintained not really livable in a lot of ways and transforming them into modern homes that are ready for a new family to enjoy and love we're revitalizing communities this way one home at a time I can't tell you how many neighbors have come up to us and thanked us for turning around their street improving their neighborhood and it's one of the most fulfilling things besides also the thank yous we've received from the people who buy our homes and that really doesn't get old it's it's a wonderful fulfilling experience every day that we get to enjoy and now not only in Southern California but throughout the United States I love that that's so beautiful thank you you are also the founder and head of Maverick design wedgewood's Creative Design Group tell us about about it and have you always had a love of interior design yes I came to Wedgewood really on the financial analysis and acquisition side and that's where I started I had this affinity for the creative side and working on the residential projects and I eventually became sort of our de facto designer though that wasn't my training or my background I had an knack for it and I would just pour through design magazines and go to Home Depot and Lowe's and I loved going to tile shops and I became the designer for for Wedgewood well as we had plans to grow and scale wed is extremely entrepreneurial we are always looking for what else can we do where can we go next how can we expand who else can we help and with wanting to continue to scale I knew that I couldn't be the only designer and still have maintain the standards that we wanted for all of our beautiful finished homes I thought well why don't we bring on some talented designers to to help with this and so we hired one and that was going really well and then we hired a few more and we quickly realized that if we created our own brand within Wedgewood that that could Elevate our homes and bring High design across all price points and all states and maintain that level of quality we really wanted and so that led to us creating Maverick design and the brand that goes along with it recently we had a Maverick design Summit it was an offsite in in Culver City actually and I found myself in this room with 26 other women when we had started as a couple of us and it was such an incredible feeling an incredible day of women talking about our goals and what we're doing next and also how much we've accomplished so far there's no limit to what we can do and we have so many goals for Maverick design and how it's going to help Wedgewood become a household name throughout the United States as we move forward but a big part of our passion is creating beautiful homes for people to enjoy their lives and what is it that we can do and and how can we utilize sustainable design to accomplish that so Maverick design is a really incredible group of of women that I'm so proud to be a part of that's so great that you are creating that environment because I'm sure they love to be a part of that energy and I am very much like you I can go into a tile shop and I want to look at the tile and I have to see all of the different patterns and designs and you are right today you go into Home Depot and Lowe's and they have so many different creative options and it's so much better than it used to be and it's great that you work for a Nimble company that's willing to change because with technology everything changes so fast absolutely one thing that we realized we have project managers and they are really good at managing projects making budgets sticking to timelines but maybe not so good at figuring out which tile goes with which granite and that's where maveric design comes in that has helped our growth and scalability across the United States because they can Leverage our design Talent without having to also be designers we figured out that through maveric design we can enhance our renovation program and leverage our designers talent to enable project managers to stick with what they know best you believe that a reimagined home provides the essential needs of safety and shelter but also the feelings of well-being peace and joy tell us about your approach to design this is something I'm extremely passionate about it's important to stay ahead of buyer preferences and buyer demand so we are constantly looking at what is happening out there in the world and a good example is covid made changes in what people want out of their home no longer was it just a place to sleep it became everything it became your workpace it became your home gym it became your school Maverick design figured out invent ways to capture every nook and cranny of a home to create those Flex spaces that people really yearned for also outdoor space became something that people really wanted and figuring out how we could utilize outdoor spaces to become part of that indoor outdoor living that people really craved when people feel good in their home it translates into a better life they feel happier they're better parents they're better teachers they're better co-workers they're better humans we believe that when we can help create these spaces that feel good and provide that feeling of security and value for people Society is better overall as an added benefit we're revitalizing communities too and so it's not just the home it's the entire Community we utilize a sustainable design approach and what I mean by that is we don't go in and completely rip everything out we look at each home individually and and say is this something that we can work with this is something we can salvage and enhance repurpose and in that way we are restoring and reimagining these homes without just completely ripping out and going new a lot of other groups will go in and just bulldoze a home completely and erect a new home which might not be as affordable for the next homeowner and so we take a lot of pride in the fact that we're not just contributing to landfills we're not just bulldozing and building we're really trying to enhance existing housing stock and create a new modern feeling which buyers really want and crave and provide that utility and happiness for them you're right because when you drive down a street and you love the street that you live on it's such an incredible feeling and to your point about Co you know all of a sudden we were in our homes where we might think oh I'll change that but I'll wait to change it all of a sudden every day you were looking at it so many people made so many changes inside and then you know we were also using our outdoor spaces so much more because we weren't going anywhere and we needed to get outside and have some fresh air throughout the day and it's great that you repurpose for the environment and I believe you have a a program for trees oh yeah we are constantly trying to innovate and give back to the communities we serve and for example in California as you know we're experiencing a drought and there the climate continues to change and we're using up a lot of energy keeping our homes cool one of the things that we have been trying to do throughout California is more zeros scaping this is something we've been doing for a long time it's better for for the environment we're using less water there's less maintenance cost for the homeowners buyers are actually asking for this buyers want want zero escaping and not only is it better in terms of cost and maintenance it actually can look really good on top of that with heating costs or cooling costs as high as they are and a lot of Los Angeles in particular has dense urban areas with very few trees very little shade the average temperature in some communities is is really elevated one thing that we have started doing is planting a tree in each of our remodeled homes we've named it Tre LC and it's it's a great new project that we're excited about and getting behind and doing we recently took a field trip up to the tree people and learned a lot more about the the benefit of trees and how trees are so important to our communities and our environments and they don't require that much water but they bring so much goodness to the communities we're trying to do our part you oversee the acquisition renovation and sales for the west coast and midwest regions share with us more about this and what is your approach to leadership and managing your teams yes thank you for that question it is so important to elevate and empower the next level lead leaders identifying who on your teams has potential that you can encourage and help Elevate to help them get to their next level that is an approach to leadership that I employ and have been so pleased with so many people that come in not a ton of experience and now they are leading managing and doing incredible things here so that has been a really wonderful thing to see here at Wedgewood in terms of the acquisition renovation and resale and overseeing all of that for the western United States I can't do it alone and I have great leaders with me and we work in teams and we collaborate chemistry is so important here at Wedgewood we have values that we really lean into and the first one is Wedgewood starts with we and that is indicative of our collaboration and the teamwork that is Paramount to our success and that is also a big part of the leadership strategies that I try to employ we Inspire excellence in each other and stay on top of what's going on in the broader macro markets for example right now interest rates have just risen significantly since the beginning of the year and that is something that we are now factoring into all of our Acquisitions and our renovation strategies it's important to keep keep your finger on the pulse of the macro climate of what's happening and communicate that to your teams and make sure you're providing the guidance and Leadership to stay ahead of the curve stay successful and also you mentioned we were Nimble before and and I truly believe that that is another part of our culture that helped us survive through various ups and downs in the real estate Cycles historically with the Acquisitions and the sales that you encounter how do you approach a negotiation and what do you think is the most important element understanding the motivation behind the other parties true desire is so important if you can understand what the other person is really looking for then you can get to the yes you can find the yes in 2020 we pivoted towards working with direct Sellers and Market Acquisitions a big part of that was we built a website to communicate with direct Sellers and let them know that if they were looking to sell for any reason whatsoever we were um interested in helping them and that has grown to become a much bigger part of our business and through the course of that shift into this new acquisition Channel working with these direct sellers they all have different reasons for why they want to sell it doesn't just come down to time and price it's often other things such as they need to stay in the home a little bit longer maybe they are relocating to a different state so we have tried to provide this custom personal approach to helping them make this big sale and move on to their next chapter understanding the true motivation that someone is looking for can help you find the yes I do love how Nimble your company is because Co changed real estate so much with where people were living had to move somewhere else and I've seen a lot of for sale by owners more than I had in the past so it's so smart to look at that and say how can we help those people how can we turn that into a part of our business and make it part of our framework thank you you manage a busy lifestyle what is a tip for managing that type of lifestyle and can you share with us what keeps you focused on moving towards your goals and what you want to accomplish in your business and personal life a routine especially right in the morning is very important one thing that I absolutely need is to have my coffee first and foremost yes very important and then some sort of movement I ask this question at the end of every podcast episode magic happens when we focus on the part of our business and ourselves that brings us joy what is one way that you live your joy each day I love houses I love architecture I love design finding Beauty and creating Beauty in in spaces when you are in a beautiful space or a space that you feel good in there is nothing like it and you can accomplish anything I truly believe that if you find what you love to do and call it work you will never really work that is something that I'm always trying to encourage my kids to to figure out figure out what you love to do and then you will never work a day in your life good for you for finding that passion inside and making it into a business and for building a business that is so Nimble and giving back so much to the environment communities and people thank you for joining us today please tell our listeners how and where they can find Maverick design and then our Wedgewood website Wedgewood homes would be the best place to learn more about us we also have Instagram accounts at wed homes and Maverick design so those would be more places where you can learn more about us thank you for joining us today I'd love to hear from you reach out to me at hello Sheil it.com on our Sheil it website or at Sheil it on social thank you to my editor Rich draino who always makes us sound good until next time let nothing stop you from experiencing the life and business that you crave