The VTS team consists of folks with a diverse set of personalities, talents, and perspectives, and we want you to meet them! That’s why we’ve created this #WeAreVTS blog series to highlight some of the many outstanding people we have at VTS, get a closer look at the dynamic lives they have, and continue to create an environment where each VTSer can be their authentic self.
Without further ado, here's our interview with Gabrielle Dame, Senior Manager of Market Research!
In a sentence or two, can you explain what you do here at VTS?
I work as a Senior Research Manager on the VTS Data team. What we do on a daily basis is view real-time, aggregated, and anonymized data from our flagship product - VTS Lease - and analyze how it’s impacting the market.
A lot of this data is forward-looking, as we take a closer look at what is happening at the top of the funnel in the leasing process. When tenants enter the first tour stage, we see what that looks like in terms of activity and how they are progressing within the market. For example - we can peer into whether tenants are favoring certain submarkets, or see where certain industries are focused and what size of spaces they are looking at.
When we look at this data, we process it to see how it is impacting different areas in the industry. We then present this data and our findings every month to customers of VTS Data, all to report on how things have changed and the trends for tenants in the market.
Where are you based right now?
I’m based in the New York City office and live in Jersey City, which is just outside of Manhattan. We just moved into a new office HQ which has been really exciting!
Can you describe your professional journey and how it led you to VTS?
I have had a really interesting journey to get here. In college I thought I was going to be a dancer - I was a dance major, ready to move to New York and be on Broadway! I later decided that it was not the best option for me as a career path, but rather a passion of mine that was better suited as an interest. I made the move to study finance instead; within that major, I also took some real estate classes and fell in love with commercial real estate.
My first job right out of college was in research with Cushman & Wakefield in New York City, which was my entrance into commercial real estate. At first, I mostly focused on office spaces in Brooklyn. I then moved to a team in investment sales, focusing on mid-market and selling every asset type, eventually leading me to JLL.
After some time at JLL I wanted to get back into the research side of things, which eventually led me to VTS. It seemed like a perfect fit! I had a chance to combine the two sides of my experience - the research and analysis skills I wanted to continue using, along with sales - and work with clients to unlock different ways they can leverage market data from VTS.
What excites you about what you do at VTS? Is there a moment in your time here that made you especially proud to work at VTS?
The VTS Data team in particular feels like a startup environment. The product line is newer, and I was the 3rd employee on the team. I've seen it grow from what it was initially, to what it is now.
When I started on the team at the end of 2020, we only had about 10 graphs that reflected our data. Since then there's been a big investment made in this area, and we've brought in more people to the team. Now everyone has a specific market or set of clients they’re focused on with a much more robust data analysis we can provide.
What's (especially) exciting is that it feels like we're just scratching the surface with the data that we can turn into unique insights. Our immediate goal is to pull in more data from the rest of our platform - namely from VTS Activate - to surface even stronger insights and trends in ways that have never been done before in the industry.
I also get really excited when clients realize the full value from the insights we provide. Whether it helps with leasing strategy, securing funding for a building, or securing an acquisition/disposition - our data can truly drive major decisions for our customers. Being able to help move the industry forward and influence how owners make decisions is really exciting.
On to more personal topics - what was your dream job growing up?
As I mentioned earlier, I wanted to be a dancer - either a ballerina or backup dancer for Britney Spears. That was “the dream” as a young girl.
In another life, I’d love to be a dentist. I love going to the dentist and it seems like an interesting and fun job.
What do you like to do in your free time? Any hobbies?
I still dance every once in a while. I like going to a class here or there when I can, like ballet and salsa. I love being active and either going for walks or bike rides. The city bikes are great if you want to go for a quick trip somewhere.
I like trying new restaurants and exploring different cuisines. I especially like sushi and going to omakase when new spots open up.
I also love being with my family - I travel down to Florida a lot to see them, since a lot of my extended family moved down there. It’s nice to get a bit of a change of scenery from New York.
If you could wave a magic wand to solve any problem in the world, what would it be?
With everything going on in the world, I would say peace. People can have differing opinions on matters but it shouldn’t result in major conflicts; people should be able to solve problems without violence. I’d also love to see people feel comfortable always maintaining a sense of humor and letting the little things go!
What’s your advice for someone who wants to be in a role similar to yours?
Always say “Yes” to something when given a professional opportunity, even if it’s not exactly what you want to do. There is always an opportunity to learn something by taking on differentresponsibilities. Continuing to grow my experience has gotten me to where I am today.
For example, when I was originally looking for a job in real estate, it can be a tough industry to break into. To get my foot in the door, I took an opportunity to work in the research team (even though I wanted to work on more of the investment/sales side of the industry). Though it was not my exact interest, and research wasn’t a topic I knew a lot about, I said "yes" - and that got my foot in the door in the industry to grow from there.
That research background led me to VTS and to understanding the office side of commercial real estate. Saying “yes” to that initial opportunity opened up so many more doors for the future than I realized it would in that moment.
Another example within VTS was when I had to step in for a senior leader and run a sales meeting while they were out of town. I was thrown into a big meeting with a potential new client with our co-founder, which was something I had never done by myself. Instead of turning down the opportunity, I prepared and presented well - and we gained a new client!
If I had closed myself off in those moments instead, I wouldn’t have had a chance to gain these valuable experiences.
