PAULA HARRIS HONORED WITH CREW CHICAGO INDUSTRY LEADERSHIP ACHIEVEMENT AWARD
“We’re a family business, that treats the business like a family,” is the Golub & Company motto, and the core of Paula Harris’ leadership success. The winner of this year’s 2017 CREW Chicago Industry Leadership Achievement Award, Harris is principal and senior vice president of Golub & Company, the business she has helped run for more than two decades, as part of a management team including her brother Lee Golub and brother-in-law Michael Newman.
CREW (Commercial Real Estate Executive Women) Chicago honored Harris, a longstanding CREW member and leader, with this award at a dinner at the Standard Club on March 9, 2017. The organization lauded Harris both for her leadership in one of Chicago’s most respected and successful real estate companies, and for her philanthropic efforts in the Chicago community and beyond.
A heartfelt video opened the evening, featuring Harris’ colleagues in the commercial real estate industry. The video described how Harris motivates and inspires not only Golub employees, but Chicago real estate professionals industry-wide, with her dedication to supporting the community through her work.
Next, Harris provided insights into her decades of leadership in a talk entitled, “The Art & Soul of a Family Business.” She discussed how Golub leadership aspires to continue the entrepreneurial spirit of her father Gene Golub, who began the business in 1960. Since that time, the company has successfully transitioned a second and third generation into the business, while also giving non-family employees opportunities to grow and lead.
Harris’ philanthropic efforts were also highlighted. In 1996, she and her sister-in-law Amy Harris launched the “Paint The Town Pink” initiative for breast cancer awareness, a cause significant to Harris as a breast cancer survivor. The program, launched in Chicago, continues to spread to numerous buildings and monuments around the world – from the White House to the Sydney Opera House. Harris also spearheads Golub’s new internal volunteer program, GoCommunity, which gives Golub employees paid time off to volunteer in small groups for organizations that make a difference in their communities.
The inspiring event, which drew more than 300 Chicago-area commercial real estate professionals, culminated with CREW honoring its 2017 scholarship recipients. The four grantees received scholarships intended to help pursue educational opportunities that will further their careers in commercial real estate in the Chicago-area.