Editors’ Note

Meghann Gill has been a member of the SL Green team for almost 20 years, joining in July 2002. Over the years, she has held the position of Property Manager at various properties, and served as Vice President, Portfolio Manager, where she oversaw over a dozen properties. As Vice President, she played an integral role in major redevelopment properties such as 280 Park Avenue and 10 East 53rd Street and spearheaded the company’s transition into residential management. Most recently serving as Senior Vice President, she has been responsible for SL Green’s newest residential development, 7 Dey, where she oversaw the building’s Leasing and Management program, as well as the 421a Affordable Housing efforts for the property. Gill earned a BA degree in international relations at Tufts University.

Company Brief

SL Green Realty Corp. (slgreen.com), Manhattan’s largest office landlord, is a fully integrated real estate investment trust, or REIT, that is focused primarily on acquiring, managing and maximizing value of Manhattan commercial properties. As of September 30, 2021, SL Green held interests in 76 buildings totaling 35.3 million square feet. This included ownership interests in 27.2 million square feet of Manhattan buildings and 7.3 million square feet securing debt and preferred equity investments.

How do you describe SL Green’s culture?

SL Green’s culture is dedicated to its people and continuously building a healthy work environment by attracting the best talent, prioritizing professional development, and boosting our diversity and inclusion practices. Five key pillars contribute to our workplace culture: dedication to excellence, employee engagement, training and development, health and safety, and diversity. SL Green’s culture is what sets it apart from its competitors and has kept us an industry leader for so long.

What have been other keys to SL Green’s industry leadership and how do you define the SL Green difference?

Key to our industry leadership is being able to stay resilient and push boundaries. The pandemic is an unprecedented event that affects us all, including the real estate market. However, over nearly two years, we continue to innovate with strategic developments and strengthen our portfolio, which not only led to us hitting our targets, but exceeding them. We’ve seen tremendous success with the historic opening of Midtown’s iconic tower, One Vanderbilt, and recent launch of our brand-new residential development, 7 Dey Street, in Lower Manhattan. SL Green has an unwavering commitment to New York City that propels us forward and a commitment that was only strengthened during the pandemic.

Will you highlight your role and areas of focus?

I am Senior Vice President of Operations at SL Green, where I am responsible for a number of areas including budgeting and capital planning, code compliance, contract management, and operational procedures. I recently led the launch of our newest residential development, 7 Dey, and oversaw its Leasing and Management program as well as 421a Affordable Housing efforts. Prior to this role, I served as Vice President overseeing some of SL Green’s major redevelopment properties, such as 280 Park Avenue and 10 East 53rd Street, and spearheading our initial transition to residential management.

Will you highlight SL Green’s newest residential development, 7 Dey, and how the property will be positioned in the market?

7 Dey is Lower Manhattan’s brand-new residential tower, located directly adjacent to the Fulton Transit Center, and the first development built under the Affordable New York Housing Program. The 34-story, 260,000-square-foot tower features 209 rental units with unparalleled amenities including a co-working space and multi-level outdoor terraces, 360-degree views of the city, and world-class design by FXCollaborative. 7 Dey also includes 17,000 square feet of flagship retail space and 26,000 square feet of commercial space. The building is well-positioned in the current market as Downtown vacancy levels reach pre-pandemic levels and the need for high-quality, affordable housing only increases. Through a robust branding, marketing, and social media campaign, we were able to generate significant traction to 7 Dey’s website, resulting in accelerated interest and lease up.

Will you discuss SL Green’s commitment to affordable housing?

7 Dey is SL Green’s first residential development project, and we’re immensely proud it is part of the Affordable New York Housing Program. As Manhattan’s largest office landlord, SL Green has always been dedicated to New York City and 7 Dey is a testament to our company being able to provide affordable apartments to New Yorkers. The launch of 7 Dey has been incredibly successful – we received 35,000 applications for 63 affordable units. Expanding our affordable housing projects is one of our goals in the near term, and the success of 7 Dey indicates that our team is more than equipped to work in this space.

How critical is it for SL Green to build a diverse and inclusive workforce?

It is absolutely imperative. Our success is built on our team and SL Green is committed to not only fostering a healthy, exceptional work culture, but one that reflects a microcosm of the city itself. Diversity is a core focus in our workplace culture so we can stay ahead of recruiting, developing, and retaining the best talent.

Do you feel that there are strong opportunities for women to grow and lead in the industry?

There are an abundance of opportunities for women in our industry and they’re growing every day. There are so many aspects of real estate for women to consider, from operations to finance to leasing and even great ground-up development sites that transition into lease ups. Real estate is a multi-faceted business and there is significant cross-pollination between different departments. Additionally, I think it’s critical that leading companies like SL Green continue to spearhead efforts to develop strong women leaders. Without guidance and mentors along the way, it becomes that much harder to accelerate in your career.

What advice do you offer to young people interested in a career in real estate?

When I was in college, real estate courses were not available, so this field was entirely new to me and I only found it by chance through a temporary assignment at SL Green. The best advice I can offer young people today is to be open to different areas of real estate. While development and underwriting positions are highly coveted, there are other fields that offer valuable real estate knowledge and help develop skill sets that are important in any industry. And, of course, the best place to start any career in real estate is at a company like SL Green.

You have spent 20 years of your career with SL Green. What has made the experience so special for you?

The people at SL Green have really made the difference for me, not only for my experience at the company, but throughout pivotal moments in my career. I have worked alongside my colleagues like Ed Piccinich, current Chief Operating Officer of SL Green, since I first started here nearly 20 years ago, who support my growth and development for these new opportunities. Getting to work with incredibly smart, driven and hardworking people creates opportunities to learn even more about the business and elevates my own professional performance. SL Green is a company I am proud to work for every day, and I am excited to see what the future holds for our commercial and residential projects.