Board Member Spotlight: Rhonda Holland

Friday, Nov 13, 2020

rhonda

Rhonda currently serves on the CREW Calgary Board as a Director/Liaison to the Golf Committee and is also the 2020 Co-Chair of CREW Network’s Industry Research Committee.  She is the Chief Financial Officer for MasterBuilt Hotels, a young hospitality company brought to life by Jayman Homes and Super 8 Hotels to flagship the Microtel brand by Wyndham.  Rhonda’s CRE background spans over 15 years of providing financial project leadership to hospitality, transportation engineering, and land development companies.

1. What do you enjoy most about working in the Commercial Real Estate Industry? 

As a CPA working in an industry, you must be able to connect directly with the passion in that industry in order to be of really great value.  I never wanted to be an accountant that was removed from what the company provided; I always wanted to be right in the action of it all!  CRE gave me that outlet to be able to use my profession to make the company and industry grow, whether it be providing residential communities, toll highways or hotels to an area.  I need to see the tangible growth in front of me to see value in my career.

2. How has CREW brought value to your career?

Joining CREW Calgary in 2017, I have to say I wasn’t the model member for the CREW recruitment poster that year.  I understood that I needed a better networking web to advance myself and my career, but didn’t quite realize that you only get out the value that you put in.  But in the fall of 2017, I received an email from CREW Network regarding the upcoming Leadership Certificate program for 2018.  That step changed everything for me.  In 2018 I completed the course over three sessions in the United States, met countless members across the country, and really solidified the future path that CREW would take me on.  Now in 2020 I can look back and accredit CREW for bringing out the best qualities I had to lead an organization.  Some might have been there all along and some were learned, but all of them were brought forward with the confidence that CREW relationships gave me.  I learned to put myself out there, regardless of the consequences.  Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn’t but its those times where it does work that you value and grow.

3. What are three reasons you would encourage a colleague to join CREW?
Networking is a large part CREW, not only for business but for personal relationships.  In order to grow personally and professionally, you need to find peers and mentors (formal and informal) that can talk you through the highs and lows.  Common interests in anything you do makes it more enjoyable; you put so much effort into life, why not share it and learn from it?  I guess that’s two reasons– professional networking, personal development.  The third is that we drink wine at our events and laugh – A LOT!

4. How are you positively adapting to the work-from-home and work/life challenges presented by COVID-19 measures?

Our corporate office reopened in May, so work/life seems routine coming to the office on most days.  At Masterbuilt we take precautions seriously but are also aware that we need personal interactions more than zoom interactions.  The last six months has been extremely busy in our offices, so I really appreciate the fact that I haven’t had time to binge watch Amazon Prime or repaint my walls three times.  I am enjoying being outside so much and not taking my close relationships for granted.

5. Share an interesting or little-known fact about yourself?

People meet me and automatically think I’m an extrovert that requires the spotlight, social situations, and relishes being around people.  I tell everyone that I am the most introverted extrovert, as I actually love best just being on my own and doing my own thing on my own time.  I’ve learned to commit to social situations ‘on the way home’ so that I will actually attend, because once I’m home I’m done for the day!