Teeing it up with DJ Brigman

Tom Kite, American professional golfer, golf course architect and Hall of Fame member, once said, “Discipline and concentration are a matter of being interested."

In the game of golf, and the game of commercial real estate, I think we can all say that DJ Brigman “is interested”.  DJ is a driving force and pleasure to work with.  Whether he is teaming with you or opposite you, there is never a question of his integrity or ability.  He is an honorable man, husband, father and member of our commercial real estate team.

We are pleased to announce that through a combination of teeing it high, letting it fly, following through, navigating the rough and reading the greens, DJ has birdied the first hole and advanced to Senior Advisor.

To celebrate this tremendous achievement we sat down (virtually) with DJ to learn a little bit more about his thoughts on Commercial Real Estate and who he is inside and outside of the office.

Q:     What did you do before your career in commercial real estate, and what skills or experiences have transitioned with you?

A:    Prior to being in commercial real estate, I spent 17 years traveling the world playing professional golf. I have been able to win 9 professional golf tournaments, play in three U.S. Opens, and play 4 years on the PGA Tour. What professional golf taught me is that no one is going to hold you accountable except yourself. You have to find the inner drive to work hard, persevere, and do the work even when it feels like you're not making progress. I take the same attitude and resilience with commercial real estate. You can spend countless hours on a deal only to see it crater. However, how you choose to react going forward ultimately sets the stage. I choose to look at the positive lesson learned, apply it and move on.

Q:     What part of being a new broker and new to the industry did you find most challenging?

A:     The most challenging part is learning the business and accepting mistakes along the way. During my first six months I felt like I was drinking out of a fire hose. Everyday I was learning and growing.

Q:     What do you enjoy most about being a commercial real estate broker?

A:     I enjoy that every day is different. Like golf, each day you tee it up you don’t know the results that are coming your way. You have to learn to accept those results and keep improving.

Q:     Who has influenced you the most?

A:     I have been fortunate to have a great team around me. Our CEO Debbie Harms has put everything in place to make the brokers at NAI Maestas & Ward successful. It ultimately boils down to whether you want to do the work to be successful. I also have a great partner/mentor in Dave Hill. He has been in the business 24 years and brings a wealth of knowledge that he shares with me. I have no doubt that without these things I would not be where I am in this short of time.

Q:     How do you approach risk?

A:     To me risk is opportunity waiting for someone to come along and challenge it. I am not afraid to make mistakes. I have learned and grown more through adversity than I have through accomplishment. Accomplishment is confirmation that I am on the correct path.

Q:     How have you remained successful and hurdled the COVID challenges in your real estate world?

A:     I have remained successful through COVID by listening and communicating. I took an early lead to reach out to clients and let them know that I was working and available for any questions that they had. I also sent them articles on ways to get PPP loans, trends happening in the market, and updated local decisions related to commercial real estate.

Q:     What advice would you give someone considering a career in CRE?

A:     I would advise them that the road is not easy, but the reward is worth the climb.

Q:     How do you spend your time outside of work?

A:     I like to fish, cook, workout, and spend time with my family. I have three children and a fantastic wife. I missed quite a bit when I was traveling and playing professional golf. I chose commercial real estate so that I could be more available in their lives.

Q:     Do you have a personal “mantra” or philosophy that you can boil down to one phrase?

A:     What resonates with me is “I am pleased, but not satisfied.”

We are proud to have such a talented and driven broker among our ranks.

DJ  Brigman is a Senior Advisor in our Office Division. For more information on his properties click here. For more on DJ, check out this video.