Seth Martindale

5 Minutes with...

Seth Martindale
Southern California Chapter Young Leader, and Vice Chair of the CoreNet Global Young Leaders Committee

Tell us a little about your current role. 
I’m a Managing Director in CBRE’s Consulting Practice. While I love all my projects, I particularly find interesting projects that force me to learn something new really great.

Why were you interested in being on the CoreNet Global Young Leaders Committee?
I’ve been involved in CoreNet since I started in the real estate industry and found it has been valuable to me personally. Given that, I wanted to try and be more involved in a meaningful way and this was a great opportunity. 

What keeps you up at night?
I think more than anything, I lose sleep over becoming the “old guy” in the room and not knowing it. 

What three words embody your personal brand?
Reliable, Innovative, Fun

What is the one app you can’t live without?
I use the TripIt app a lot because of the travel the job requires... and I’m ashamed to admit it, but Candy Crush is probably way up there too.

How do you spend time outside of the office?
Outside of work, I really enjoy spending time with my family. I also love working out, trying new restaurants, and terrible 90’s action movies.

Were there any key turning points in your career thus far?
I’ve had a few opportunities to try something new career-wise, but I’ve always really enjoyed the people I’ve worked with at CBRE so I’ve been here for almost 11 years. People say millennials like to jump from job to job, but I’ve been very happy where I am. 

What are the key relationships that have mattered most?
I’ve been lucky enough to have great mentors throughout my career, having them to rely for advice has been a huge benefit.

What are the main sources of support or resistance you encounter?
I think a lot of the work we do means major changes for corporations, which is never easy for people so we get a lot of resistance there. Usually though, all it takes is one strong leader to champion the change and it ends up happening.

What would you say most motivates you to do what you do?
Really any project that forces me to learn something new motivates me. I’m always looking for the next challenge. 

What is it like to work in Los Angeles?
We now have a completely open work environment in the CBRE office.  I really love it. When I come in, I get to spend more time with my team vs. being stuck in an office.  I’ve really gotten to know my team members a lot better because of it.