When James T. Barry III took over for his father as president of commercial real estate firm Colliers Barry in the mid-1990s, he didn’t feel too much pressure to live up to expectations. He knew all he had to do was apply the basic principles that had rendered him successful in his past professional experience in law and in real estate.
“I just had to work very hard, make sure that I was monitoring the trends in the industry and try my best to work with well-qualified, talented people,” Barry said. “The dedication to your vocation is the most important thing.”
In addition to his mission to lead the company’s sales force and serve as a real estate consultant to major companies in southeastern Wisconsin, Barry also feels a strong sense of duty to support charitable organizations.
He is president of The Rotary Club of Wisconsin, helps with the Boys and Girls Club of Milwaukee and recently traveled to Lourdes, France, with the Knights of Malta to help a young girl diagnosed with cancer.
It is that sense of duty to both his business vocation and the community that keeps him optimistic in an economic cycle that has not been kind for real estate.
“It’s a really good time for going back to the basics,” he said. “We’re trying to determine what opportunities are out there and identify good projects. We’re also staying in touch with a lot of prospects and clients that we’ve worked with in the past, knowing that when the economy turns around, they may have pent-up demands.”
Address: 1232 N. Edison St., Milwaukee
Web Site:
www.colliers.com/Markets/Milwaukee
Industry: Commercial real estate
Employees: 20
