Chrisse Mulkey Interview

#1 – What drew you to commercial real estate, and why did you choose Matthews™?

My father was a commercial broker my entire life, and I had worked for him on and off during summers and alongside other jobs as a teen. After being in the music business for a few years as a young adult, I was looking for something more grounded and jumped into CRE. After being at another brokerage for 17 years and consistently fighting anti-culture, the Matthews™ Mentality was incredibly enticing. The shared platform, cross-business partnership, and true team approach are all things that are not hugely prevalent in the industry (but should be). When I was welcomed with open arms and embraced by the team culture, I immediately knew something was incredibly different!

#2 – What has been your biggest career milestone, and what did you learn from it?

In 2021, I was part of a strategic project that, after months of development, was released to the public bug-free. In technology, it’s a magical moment, but with strenuous preparation, superior project governance, and enough time in QA, it’s achievable.

I learned at that moment to believe in the magic of quality code, that hard work and planning can really pay off, and that well-staffed, bonded teams achieve amazing things.

#3– How does your role as VP of Innovation contribute to the overall goals and strategies of the company?

At Matthews™, we strive to be a full-service brokerage for our agents. The ultimate goal is to free up the administrative and marketing efforts of agents to allow them as much time to focus on client relationships as possible. Everything we do in technology solutions focuses on that goal. Fewer clicks, less research, more transparency in information and insight, and more time with clients.

#4 – How do you identify emerging trends and technologies that have the potential to disrupt or transform the CRE industry?

We stay updated on the latest developments and identify emerging trends by following industry publications and news sources related to CRE and technology. We participate in industry conferences, web seminars, and events related to the newest prop-tech and fin-tech, with a special focus on AI and client-centric Marketing. Additionally, we’re in constant conversations with agents and Market Leaders to address needs and to understand where our next disruption might focus. Incoming experienced agents frequently offer ideas related to needs due to the experiences they’ve had at other brokerages and their gaps in technology solutions. There’s a lot to learn, and we’re always open to those insights.

#5 – What metrics or indicators do you use to measure the success and impact of innovation initiatives within the organization?

Much of what we do is measured in agent success, the speed with which agents can complete tasks unrelated to cultivating and maintaining their business, proposal generation, and listing/closing velocity. We’re highly focused on agent involvement in the creation and implementation of new technology, so they’re really driving us to successful outcomes based on actual needs.

#6 – Can you provide insight on your plans to implement innovative solutions to address challenges or create new opportunities?

Kyle’s vision remains firmly planted in the agent experience. The ultimate outcome of his wishes is agent interaction that’s seamless, streamlined, and wholly focused on gaining as much time for them to cultivate and nurture client relationships as possible.

For example, in his line of sight right now is an agent’s ability to generate a proposal with one click, where the entire proposal will be created with the assistance of AI and where data and information combine to achieve a document that only needs to be vetted and briefly edited, but not wholly composed. Kyle’s drive towards team retention stays paramount, and where we can leverage technology to have our current team serving more incoming agents, we want to capitalize on that wherever possible. He strongly believes in having AI supplement the Matthews™ team’s abilities and leveraging those implementations to serve more agents as broadly as possible.

#7 – Can you share any insights or predictions on future trends or innovations that may significantly impact the commercial real estate and investment services industry?

Right now, everyone’s eyes are on AI and the rapid advancements there. Data availability and transparency are revolutionary. Our ability to strategically leverage that validated information, roll it up, and hand it to agents shedding light on both market and client activity across all CRE and lending platforms, is like never before.

#8 – How do you stay up-to-date with industry advancements and ensure that your team remains at the forefront of innovation?

We really stay up-to-date as a team. We are constantly reading industry publications, participating in new technology demos, meeting vendors at trade shows, and strategizing with developers via meetups. It is a partnership-driven effort.

#9 – How do you foster a culture of innovation within the company and encourage employees to think creatively?

The Matthews™ team is built on creative solutions. It’s innate here. The part of my approach that I enjoy most is really seeing people, allowing them a platform to have a voice and harness their own creativity. For me, it’s always a question of, “Where do you want to go, and how can I best help you get there?” Inspire people to find the heart of the business within themselves and then encourage them to really lean into it.

#10 – In what ways do you collaborate with external partners or startups to drive innovation in commercial real estate and investment services?

We have a variety of strategic partners on board and are in talks with others to further our focus on and implementation of AI. The emerging tools related to public data, CRE marketing, client footprint, and tenant activity are all incredibly exciting and important advancements. We are unabashed in our desire to be ahead of the curve. We are known to be early adopters, and our agents readily participate in the evolution of our platform.

#11 – How do you ensure that new technologies or innovations are effectively integrated into existing systems and processes within the company?

Because we have a proprietary technology platform, we have ultimate control over our integrations. Through vendor API services, we’re able to build end-to-end solutions, harnessing the newest and most innovative tools available in the marketplace.