What we talked about
Kimberlee Carr, Chief Operating Officer of Real Estate and Managing Broker at TAWANI Enterprises, shares how a chance fill-in role sparked a career she’s grown into with grit, curiosity, and a love for challenge. She traces her path from on-site property manager to executive leader and explains why her core values never changed with the title: positivity, accountability, respect, teamwork, integrity, and pride in the work. Kimberlee describes her “wolf pack” philosophy of leadership: guiding from behind, protecting the team, and lifting one another when someone stumbles.
Show notes
Kimberlee Carr unpacks the realities of running portfolios that span conventional residential assets and historically significant properties. Preservation, she notes, is not about maximizing short-term profit; it is about stewarding architecture and history for future generations, even when sourcing period-appropriate materials or custom fabrication stretches budgets. She also demystifies scale: whether a single home or a high-rise, the fundamentals (HVAC, plumbing, electrical) are the same, just bigger.
What we covered
- A “wolf pack” model of leadership: guide from behind, protect the team, and step in when someone falters. The titles change, the values do not.
- Stewardship vs. profit in historic real estate. TAWANI’s gifts of the Lang House Chicago and Frank Lloyd Wright’s Emil Bach House to Loyola University Chicago show what it looks like to place historic assets with mission-aligned owners.
- Resident experience and fiscal responsibility through transparency: when rents rise, explain the why (taxes, capital upgrades) and focus on what residents feel daily, cleanliness, responsiveness, systems that work. “It’s their home; we leave, they stay.”
- The tech journey from Excel and mail merges to platforms like Yardi and MRI that automate notices, payments, and work orders. AI is the next step, with care for senior residents who may need extra support.
- Earning IREM’s ARM and CPM credentials forced her to deepen financial acumen, from budgets she loves to acquisition math and amortization, so she can better advise owners and coach teams.
- Mentorship as grace plus accountability: let newcomers make and learn from mistakes, and learn from their speed and digital instincts in return.