RT (Rachel Treanor): What was your lightbulb moment to get into commercial real estate?

ME (Monica Enloe): Prior to entering real estate, I spent almost 15 years doing philanthropic fundraising. My light bulb moment was looking around the board room one day and realizing that the people who consistently showed up with both time and money were in Commercial Real Estate. After digging in a bit, I realized that the flexibility and earning potential were worth the risk of leaving a stable career to pursue a new path.

RT: Who is your mentor and why?

ME: I'm fortunate to have landed with Clemons Real Estate and work with Audrey Navarro. Not only is she incredibly knowledgeable about real estate, the collaborative and flexible approach to structuring deals has taught me a lot. I've also been fortunate to meet several fabulous collaborators and mentors through WIRED (Women in Real Estate Development) such as Sheryl Vickers, Joanna Shaver and Holly Mills —all of whom have helped me talk through challenges and brainstormed solutions.

RT: Who do you mentor?

ME: I mentor small businesses on the leasing process. Many of them are not familiar with the difference between a residential and commercial lease in terms of their responsibility as a tenant. It is so important to share this information up front so expectations are managed and there is no confusion and unexpected costs later.

RT: What gets you excited to get to work every day?

ME: There are no days that are the same. Ultimately, I love that I feel like I am helping people make their dreams come to life. Whether it’s achieving wealth through passive income, buying a building for a growing business, or opening a retail store they’ve dreamed of for years—it’s exciting to be part of the process.

RT: What keeps you up at night about commercial real estate?

MT: From a micro-perspective, there are so many details that need to be overseen and taken care of to ensure the transaction goes smoothly with no surprises (which there always are!). On the macro level, our uncertain times causes stress around how the market will shift and how I can be nimble and flexible enough to shift with it and have consistent income for my family.

RT: Tell us about your current projects.

MT: My favorite projects right now are directly related to creating more walkable districts in the urban core. Union Hill is one of my favorite neighborhoods in KC and it has been exciting to add tenants like Oh! Café and Mayweather Fitness to the mix with more coming soon. I am also working on several projects on Troost and can’t wait to see them come to life. It’s a fabulous corridor with plans to hosts a mix of nonprofits, museums, restaurants, offices, and apartments. Main Street is another passion project with the street car expansion coming soon. I have several available spaces for lease that would be ideal for hair/nail salons, retail, dry cleaners, arts, and fitness users- -the possibilities are endless with the diversity of spaces available including in the newly renovated Monarch and Netherlands buildings at 39th and Main.

RT: What deal do you wish for in your future portfolio?

ME: I’d love to bring a new grocery store to midtown and have several properties that would be perfect for it!

RT: What leads do you look for?

ME: There are two categories of leads I focus on. First are building owners who want to reposition their buildings either to sell or to find new and fresh tenants. I love old buildings and watching them come back to life with historically relevant renovations is exciting. Second, are buyers and tenants with creative vision. Having clients that share my love for historic buildings but are more creative than me is entertaining and fuels my motivation to get the deal done.

RT: How can prospects contact you for more information?

ME: Connect with me on LinkedIn—I consistently post about local real estate topics and love to connect with others in the industry. Or reach out via email to set up a coffee: monica@clemonsrealestate.com

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Staying true to MetroWire Media’s focus on all things commercial real estate, we have added this as a new, feature column - MWM's BROKER SPOTLIGHT. The goal is to provide our readers with direct insight to Kansas City’s brightest, up-and-coming CRE brokers. Discover the true brains behind the build - including their professional focus, career paths, future plans, goals and more.

Know a broker worthy of the Broker Spotlight? Send details to kcnews@metrowiremedia.com.