IAMC Member Spotlight

As an organization, IAMC fosters relationships that turn into both business partnerships and long-term friendships. The path to corporate real estate varies widely, and our members come from a variety of professional and personal backgrounds.

We thank Connie Fricke, Senior Real Estate Manager for Land O’ Lakes, for sharing hers!

1. Tell us a little bit about you.
   I am currently the Senior Real Estate Manager for Land O’Lakes.  I was born in Moorhead, MN, and raised in Bloomington, MN.  I received my Bachelor of Science degree from the University of Minnesota. 
2. Tell us about your path to corporate real estate.
   I started out in marketing/advertising working for a company called RJ Brandons and moved to event planning for a complex called Riverplace in Minneapolis, MN.  From there I moved to facility and property management.  I’ve managed all types of real estate (retail, office, residential, industrial).  I’ve been on both the service providers side (working for Ryan Companies, Cushman & Wakefield and CBRE) and the corporate side at Land O’Lakes.
3. What is the scope of your responsibilities at your organization?
   I currently lead our Real Estate team.  We are responsible for all acquisitions, dispositions, leasing, lease administration, and facility management for all warehouses and economic incentive.  We have roughly 271 leases and 139 owned locations. 
4. What is your favorite part of your role or the industry as a whole?
   I enjoy that every day is different, and every project is a new challenge.  I love working cross-functionally across all our business units and teams, to find the best solutions for our business’ units.  I work with an outstanding team that has a lot of talent.  They do an excellent job of coming up with solutions for all of the crazy things that come up in real estate each day.  Never a dull moment.
5. What is one skill specific to your job could you share with the rest of the membership?
   Leading with influence and not authority.  Ultimately in the end it is always the business unit’s decision.  We help provide all the information and make recommendations, but ultimately the decision is theirs to make.
6. Tell us about a CRE or FM project in which you played a role of which you were particularly proud.
   We had a difficult disposition: the building was on the market for two years.  The area it was located in had really changed.  We worked with the city’s economic development team, brokers and private developers.  Ultimately it was decided that auctioning the building would bring the business the highest value.  It turned out to be the best solution for the community and the business.
7. What led you to join IAMC?
   I was encouraged to join IAMC by my director when I accepted the position at Land O’Lakes.  I really appreciate the networking and knowledge sharing of other corporate real estate professionals.  I take something away from each forum that I can use in making our real estate team stronger.
8. Fun Facts:
   1. Tell us about one thing you have on your bucket list. Travel to Italy and Spain
   2. What was your first job? Waitress at Bridgeman’s Ice Cream Parlor
   3. What would your superpower be? Being able to predict the future