Today we’d like to introduce you to Lanier Skalniak.
Lanier, can you briefly walk us through your story – how you started and how you got to where you are today.
Yes, I attended Texas Tech University where I earned a Bachelor’s degree in Finance, with a concentration in Real Estate. One of my main goals was to build a foundation or leave a legacy in my city and for my family.
I enjoyed my real estate classes and had an awesome Professor – shoutout Professor Jared Harrell. I was easily convinced to join the Real Estate Organization and later became President of the group during my Senior year. REO took industry trips to Dallas, Austin, or Houston, where we met with Alumni working in the field. It was our first real chance to learn about different property types or sectors we would soon choose to work in. REO was a key reason I knew I wanted to get into brokerage – I liked the grind and I knew I could handle it.
There are numerous brokerage companies to partner with but I wanted to be a name rather than a number. This is ironic considering all the companies I interviewed with prior to graduation were the large shops. After interviewing with Dominus I realized I had an opportunity to learn and gain experience in every property type and service. I was in.
My circle of influence grew fast. I joined the Junior League of Dallas, Ladies in Commercial Real Estate, and had a few small coffee groups that I met with routinely. I am 1/4 founding members of the Texas Tech Alumni in Commercial Real Estate monthly happy hour. Me and three other women, (Sarah Wange, Tara Williams, and Breana Parker) realized there is not a Tech Alumni networking group solely for commercial real estate. We decided to start our own in the hopes of connecting, networking, and referring business to other Alumni in the field. The group started out with roughly 15 members and has grown to over 150 on our invite list in just 7 short months. We are very excited about the progress we’ve made and continue to have a waitlist of sponsors for each event!
These groups allowed me to connect with my weaker ties and start building relationships that would last a lifetime.
We’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you?
Of course, there were struggles and I am really happy to share a few.
“If it were easy, everybody would do it!” – Tom Hanks.
I’d like to take this opportunity Voyage has given me to talk about some real-life struggles and hopefully, it’s a reminder that everyone has a story and the person next to you could very well be going through something too.
In my Junior year of college, I was diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis. I actually woke up one day and couldn’t feel my hands. They had gone numb as if I had slept on them wrong and would regain my feeling in a few minutes- except, I didn’t. After weeks of not being able to type on my laptop or write my name in the pretty cursive had, or do my hair or makeup, I finally received the diagnosis and the road to recovery began. I am lucky in that my condition is not nearly as impacting as others’ I have met. In fact, based on first impressions, you would probably never know I had a disability.
Working in the fast-paced, go-go-go industry of Commercial Real Estate has been challenging. Especially with a disability like MS. My family was not in commercial real estate. I didn’t have a large group of investors or family friends who were developers that I could easily reach out to. With MS, I ignore the numbness I feel that day (or don’t feel- punny), I force myself out of bed, I get anxious, I have emotions, I feel pain, and I struggle to make it to the professional happy hours, birthdays, anniversaries, etc. I didn’t realize what I once spent my time, money, or energy on would soon shift in the workforce because of my MS.
These are the challenges I face every day that push me to work 10x harder as a professional living with a disability. It has encouraged me to wear heels, to go out, to stay up late to say yes to everything, and to work extremely hard NOW, because one day I may not be able to. And the same thing goes for my job- to work hard NOW, set the meetings NOW, put in the work NOW because tomorrow isn’t granted.
I hope this helps anyone going through something unexpected. Don’t forget to check in with your family, friends, and coworkers sitting next to you. We’re all in this together!
Please tell us about Dominus Commercial. What should we know?
Dominus Commercial is a full-service brokerage company here in Dallas, with our 2nd office in Fort Worth. I started at Dominus Commercial as a Junior Broker. I assisted in numerous projects on both sides of the transaction. From leasing to development, tenant representation, to investment sales, I learned a lot.
I found a love for investment sales and I enjoy working on complex projects. In fact, I prefer them. Challenges = Opportunities! These projects allow me to get creative and see past the objections someone else may have halted on.
My team is my most proud asset at Dominus. We collaborate and share issues at hand and my coworkers all have a different perspective. We talk about the deals we have and the potential deals coming, and we get excited. The team I work with goes to lunch together and sees each other on the weekends. It’s hard going into the office at 8:00 am and leaving after 7:00 pm but if you have a team that supports you and wants to see each other succeed, it’s worth it.
What sets me apart from others is probably my commitment to excellence. I practice perfect service for my clients, so they know I am prepared from our initial meeting through closing. They know I’ve looked into every possibility until I’ve found the right one. They know their questions will be answered and their experience will be enjoyable because my standard for service is incredibly high.
What were you like growing up?
Growing up in a military family allowed me to live coast to coast and overseas in Okinawa, Japan for five years until we retired in Keller, TX. In college, I studied International Business for a summer in Oslo, Norway and still vacation in Europe whenever I get the chance. I think moving every 3-4 years molds you into an adaptive person. Learning a new culture and meeting different kinds of people is an experience I wish everyone could have.
My upbringing shaped me into the professional woman I am today, and I couldn’t be more thankful. My dad taught me discipline and how to see results at an early age and my mom instilled the sky was not merely the limit, but to go farther.
Contact Info:
- Phone: 214.253.0788
- Email: lskalniak@dominuscommercial.com
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