Michelle Kleger.
Michelle Kleger, 29
Vice president at Kensington Vanguard National Land Services
Twin knacks for sales and networking have been essential to Michelle Kleger’s quick rise after her graduation from the University of Delaware and her first foothold in the commercial real estate industry via family introductions.
In fact, it was networking at the annual Real Estate Board of New York gala in Manhattan in 2016 that helped Kleger land at her current firm, Kensington Vanguard National Land Services. The company’s owner was impressed.
“He saw my potential to be very successful in his business, and hired me shortly thereafter,” Kleger told CO. “Kensington Vanguard has allowed me to utilize my people skills in a way that is beneficial to my clients. It is the perfect role for me.”
Kleger focuses on business development. That includes working with myriad clients on commercial and residential title insurance, and working directly with underwriters to close deals. She also leverages that networking knack to connect clients with assets and financing, including a recent deal where she put a developer in Boston in touch with a family office in New York. They closed on a $700 million deal in July, in the midst of the coronavirus pandemic — one of the biggest deals that Kleger has worked on during her four and a half years at Kensington Vanguard.
The biggest deal she was involved with in New York City was a $550 million joint venture between Trinity Church and Norges Bank on purchasing an interest in the office building at 375 Hudson Street.
As for the pandemic, Kleger said she has used the related disruption to focus on refinancing, since the pandemic has slowed acquisitions activity. Then, there’s her talent for networking again.
“I started scheduling calls with clients and prospective clients, and finding out their focus for the future of their business, and making introductions to people in my network that can be beneficial to their business model,” she said. “This allowed me to stay in front of clients, meet new clients, and add value along the way.”
