Oliver Fire Protection & Security

Meg Moss

Vice President Strategic Development

Years with company/firm: 43

Years in field: 43

Years in real estate industry: 43

Real estate organizations/affiliations: GBCA-AMFP - JFRE-BOMA

Tell us how and when you began your career in the profession you are in:

I started in my senior year of high school as an intern. Our high school had a work program-I only needed to go to school for gym and English. So it provided me with an opportunity to get out into the real world and here I am 43 years later.

I wish more high schools would have this to offer I think it would be extremely beneficial to the students as well as to the businesses that are willing to take on a high school student.

What is your current position? Vice President of Strategic Development

Why did you choose the field/profession you are in today?

I think it CHOSE ME!

What was your most notable project, deal, or transaction in 2024? This year I saw a lot of the Master Plans that I do for people for either a retrofit installation or a replacement due to aging materials come to fruition. One of the Master Plans I did in 2008 we completed-fully sprinklered six hospital buildings over 16 years.

What unique qualities and/or personality do you feel make you most successful in your profession? The way I was raised in this industry: Be tough-learn how to accept the word NO and move on to the next. Treat people the way you want to be treated and never go any place empty handed. The confidence my team gave me allowed me to move up in the Company.

What was the most defining moment for you in the profession you are currently in? When ownership took me out to lunch and surprised me with the Vice President title in 2009. It totally caught me off guard but it also made me realize that all my hard work and continued resilience had enabled me to earn the title.

Do you feel being a woman is an advantage, disadvantage or no advantage in today’s business world? Why? Why not? I definitely feel that it is an ADVANTAGE. People do business with those they trust and enjoy. It is easier for a man and a woman to develop a working relationship than it is a man and a man. One of the things that should not be part of any equation is EGO. The construction industry is a tough-risk taking industry and you have to have confidence in negotiating it in order to survive.

Do you feel there are any differences in the way that men and women develop business relationships and if so, what activities or venues do you participate in?

I think the venues and activities are the same — dinners, lunches, golf outings — but I do think the conversations are different and the follow up interactions. Like I always try to find out our customers’ birthdays that way if gives me another chance to interact after a face to face meeting. I always try to find out about their Family and what they are all about, versus a lot of men who tend to interact about sports. I think also women tend to be better listeners and I think we pick up on more information than men do.

What inspiring word of advice would you give to a young woman about to go into the field of commercial real estate or your allied field? DO IT! Don’t look back and KNOW WHAT YOU KNOW and also just as important KNOW WHAT YOU DON’T Know.