Sarah McCann.
Sarah McCann, 28
Real estate strategy associate at Vocon
Sarah McCann’s mother, Deb Donley, founded the commercial design firm Vocon 35 years ago in Cleveland.
For the past two years, McCann has carved out a niche for herself in the company’s growing New York office, where she handles business development and real estate strategy. She helps coordinate different teams and schedules, ensures Vocon is prioritizing its biggest clients, and cultivates new clients in New York. She also organizes events at Vocon’s office, so the designers can get to know developers, vendors, contractors and others in the construction industry.
In terms of projects, McCann mostly works on the developer and landlord side of Vocon’s business. She’s involved with 555 Greenwich Street, a new 16-story office building developed by Hines in Hudson Square, as well as the repositioning of 51 West 52nd Street, a 38-story office tower built in the 1960s and previously owned by CBS.
“Office is kind of having a stress moment where it’s trying to reinvent itself,” said McCann. “Kind of like where retail was five years ago when I started my career.”
McCann graduated from the University of Virginia’s business school in 2017 with a bachelor’s in finance and marketing and a minor in real estate. After two years in equity research focused on retail at KeyBanc, she realized she wanted to work in real estate and at Vocon. Next up was a yearlong master’s program at New York University’s Schack Institute of Real Estate.
She started working at Vocon while finishing her degree in early 2020, and then helped the firm navigate the pandemic.
Outside of work, McCann says she likes to ski and volunteer with the Hudson River Park Trust. —R.B.R.
