NAIOP has been an invaluable asset to my career and my business over the years. When I started in commercial real estate, NAIOP quickly became my professional family in Colorado and, later, across the country.
To help get to know me, Development magazine asked if I would share my thoughts on NAIOP and our industry.
You will be the last chair of NAIOP before the association’s rebrand later this year. What are your goals as chair in this pivotal year?
Celeste Tanner
Our board has taken the courageous step of bringing our name and branding into the 21st century so that we can better represent our increasingly diverse membership and best serve commercial real estate in this rapidly evolving phase of the economy and industry. The successful launch of this rebrand will be key in 2026.
I firmly believe the time has come for us to realign the negative perceptions of commercial real estate development with the realities of our positive impact on the communities where we develop. On average, people in the U.S. and Canada spend 85% to 90% of their time in buildings, and they interact daily with public services or utilities like roads, power and water that are built or funded by developers. When we are better understood as partners with municipalities and communities, community members can more easily understand all the ways we support daily life.
Being a NAIOP member means having access to 21,000 other members across North America. I want to ensure that NAIOP members leverage all of the organization’s resources, including knowing they can reach out to other NAIOP members across our network to learn more about projects, public policy, new markets and new technologies.
As a fully connected force, we are unmatched in our ability to lead the advancement of commercial real estate that is better for our communities and our investors.
Why should our members be engaged legislatively?
There are literally hundreds of proposed changes in law and regulation that impact commercial real estate each year at the local, state and federal levels. Whether it’s through tax policy, code implications or proposed regulatory changes, everyone in commercial real estate is affected by public policy decisions.
NAIOP’s government affairs team gives members real-time access and connectivity to potential challenges and opportunities at all levels of public policy, and we have further invested in our state and local team members to ensure greater connectivity between chapters so they can share best practices in working with municipalities on trending legislative issues.
Your company, Confluent Development, spans multiple sectors. What insight does this give you into the work that NAIOP members do?
NAIOP represents an increasingly diverse mix of developers and investors in commercial real estate. Through my time at NAIOP, I have met individuals at companies of all sizes developing everything from mixed use to data centers to senior care to film studios.
As a diversified developer, Confluent also works across a wide range of segments; that broad focus helps me appreciate not only the headline challenges being faced in the core real estate verticals, but also their impact on the growing alternatives in the market. Confluent is better and more durable because of this diverse lens, and I truly believe NAIOP is as well.
Celeste Tanner
President/Chief Development Officer,
Confluent Development
2026 NAIOP Chair
Getting to Know the ChairYears in the industry: I started in this industry in 2003, just as we were emerging from the “Tech Wreck.” I was fortunate to learn about the industry during Denver’s development boom in the subsequent five years leading into the Great Financial Crisis. I was truly fortunate to start with some of the best development professionals in the industry at that time; our current team at Confluent includes several members of the development team I originally worked with 20-plus years ago. Favorite activity outside of the office: Living in Colorado, we are all encouraged to spend as much time outdoors as possible. My personal favorite is finding great hikes, preferably with a creek or two along the way. Family: I have the most amazing family, starting with a brilliant husband who always encourages me to think about things just a little differently and who has tirelessly supported me on my meandering real estate journey. Our two sons, 25 and 15 years old, are unwavering in their ability to think creatively and apply solutions practically to achieve results. Last book read: I recently started rereading a book of poetry that I cherished in college: “Sparks From a Nine-Pound Hammer” by Steve Scafidi. His poetry creates a ribbon out of words that ties poetic history and opens new crevices in your imagination, pursuing “… some divine impossible stretch of the imagination/where you and I are one.” Meet Celeste Tanner and learn about her vision for NAIOP: naiop.org/tannerchair26. |
