Lauren Curcio, 29
Executive director at Compass
Lauren Curcio might have had a nontraditional start to her real estate career, but she’s made up for it by getting involved in nearly every aspect of the business.
She was teaching a yoga class at a studio in Queens when she met with the owner of the shopping center, Worth Property Group. That led to a temporary position with the landlord that evolved into a full-time gig.
While at Worth Property Group, Curcio helped wherever she could, doing property management, signing office and residential leases, and working in the industrial sector. Curcio spent seven years there before she decided she wanted a change and landed on Adelaide Polsinelli’s team at Compass.
“I was doing a lot of industrial and a lot of commercial, and a lot of brokerages want to just limit you to the asset class or the location or the territory that you can cover,” she said. “When I met with [Polsinelli] we immediately connected. She’s an extremely powerful woman who has respect in the industry, who built her brand from the ground up, and is extremely driven and motivating. I think that’s important.”
At Compass, Curcio hasn’t been pigeon-holed to one sector of the business. She’s currently handling investment sales along with office and industrial leasing, mainly in Queens and Brooklyn.
Deals linked to Curcio’s name in the past year include a 22,100-square-foot sublease for scaffolding company Urban Umbrella in East Williamsburg, Brooklyn; law firm JFB Legal’s 8,000-square-foot lease at Manhattan’s One Liberty Plaza; and the sale of a mixed-use property in Flatbush, Brooklyn (the details of which Curcio had to remain mum about).
“I personally don’t find it challenging to be able to juggle all asset classes,” she said. “I’m honestly very grateful to be able to adapt and pivot in difficult markets, where the office sector is struggling and industrial is booming, and almost be a chameleon.”
