CREW Alaska: women seek parity in earnings and advancement.

• Author: Bohi, Heidi
• Position: REAL ESTATE

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A woman in a man's world--as archaic as this expression may sound as we round the corner of 2010, in commercial real estate in Alaska, it is a widely held belief that this is the reality in a field that is still predominantly male.

Although the same holds true for the Lower 48 states, in Alaska this imbalance is especially noticeable where it is estimated that less than 25 percent of those who practice in the state's industry are women. The high-paying field of commercial real estate offers a culture and compensation structure that is often problematic for women.

"Go to any Certified Commercial Investment Member (CCIM) meeting. There will be more than 100 people in the room and only a dozen will be women," says Beth Knight, vice president for Alyeska Title and a member of the industry for 28 years.

ALASKA CHAPTER

To address narrowing that gap, about two years ago Knight began asking around to see if there was enough interest in the community to support an Alaska chapter of the national organization Commercial Real Estate Women (CREW). The 20-year-old nonprofit advances the success of women in disciplines affiliated with commercial real estate development, including lenders, attorneys, architects and engineers. In October, the chapter celebrated its one-year anniversary and has 25 core members.

"It gives women a place where they feel like they can emerge," Knight says, adding that the organization also has resulted in networking women and men in the industry. "It allows some of the gentlemen to learn of rising stars they might not otherwise have the opportunity to meet."

A major focus of CREW is to provide more role models and mentors for young women breaking into the industry, which is key to a woman's success in this industry, experts say. CREW Foundation, the philanthropic arm of CREW Network, offers a program called "CREW Careers: Building Opportunities," which is presented to local girls' groups nationwide. In addition to networking, education and professional development, locally the Anchorage chapter offers the CREW Foundation for scholarships and also focuses on developing role models from its membership who can mentor each other, teach and share best practices...