We hit the JACKPOT with Carlie – who’s been with us since her teenage years!

That’s right, she started as a leasing intern when she was just 19 and has since worked her way up to Regional Property Manager.

Carlie is a Pittsburgh native who is very close to her family. Her nephews and niece mean the world to her and she could talk about them for hours. She met her husband in preschool and immediately developed a crush on him. Even though they were best friends for years, it took her awhile to finally gather the courage to say she wanted more. Six months later, they were officially dating and they got married at 19, right before she embarked on her journey at Walnut Capital.

Before joining the team at Walnut, Carlie nannied for a while. She tried going to college but it didn’t feel like the right path. She later accepted a position at a wig factory where she would have styled hair that was shipped out to customers. But fate had other plans for her – a week before she was supposed to start her new job, she got a call from Diana, our Executive Assistant, who knew Carlie’s family. They wanted to bring her in for an interview and Carlie jumped at the opportunity. The rest is history, and she’s been a valuable member of the team ever since.

When she started as a leasing intern, it was just her, Alissa, and Diana hanging out in the office. On the weekends, she would answer phone calls and handle maintenance requests with Gregg, while Kellie went out and about showing apartments.

After completing her summer internship, Carlie was over the moon when she was offered a full-time gig as a leasing agent. She was responsible for creating and sending out leasing packets all via snail mail! On top of that, she helped people fill out their applications, provided top-notch support for those who needed help with other documents or questions, and also took people on tours at our Oakland properties.

Carlie may come across as confident and outgoing now, but believe it or not, she was actually quite shy in her early years with the company. She was intimidated by some of her coworkers and kept to herself. However, as she settled in and became more comfortable in her role and within Walnut, she began to blossom. Now she’s the kind of person that everyone is drawn to - friendly, intimidating at times (but only when it’s needed), and extremely supportive.

Diana taught me everything I know. And I think it’s so cool that Gregg and Todd are so trusting in what we do and ask for our opinions on the projects.

She’s a key player in developing our impressive properties like Walnut on Highland and Bakery Living. Her passion for new challenges and expertise have contributed to her years with us. They added a new premiere property every year from 2013-2017, and then added Highland Village in 2019. She served as interim property manager at Walnut on Highland as they performed construction on the building and hired on staff and she helped pre-lease and design Bakery Living Orange with Alissa. The list goes on and on!

When other developments were taking place, Carlie and Alissa were still pretty involved but switched to the managerial side of things. Carlie now oversees all of residential and does a lot with the operational side of things. Promoting her to Regional Property Manager was meant to bring the Maintenance and Leasing teams together because there was some disconnect over the years.

We weren’t on the same page. So the goal was to have me as a bridge between the two. That’s one of the things I’m proudest of – that 10 years later we are one team.

She does quite a bit with the accounting team too. She lets them know what projects are needed at each property, what it will cost, and they go from there figuring out the budget.

Walnut has given her the chance to grow and learn how to adapt to change, which is exactly why she loves working with us. She says that she hasn’t had the same day since she started here. There’s always something new happening, and she’s great at putting out the fires that take place – big or small.

One of my strengths is problem solving. I make sure our occupancy is good, see what specials we might need to run, if we need to do something about AC in a unit. I help our teams make informed decisions.

Some of her favorite memories are the trips she’s taken with the leasing and marketing teams to the Finger Lakes. They’ve been going almost every year for the past 6 years, and there’s always something wild and fun happening.

The holiday parties are another highlight for her, where everyone in the company comes together for a special night of celebration. And how could she forget the slumber parties when they were working on the Walnut on Highland project?

Her more recent favorite memories and prodest acheivements are seeing her team members turn into managers. She watched the, do exactly what she did -- work their way up. So many Walnut Capital employees have stuck around all these years and have continued to grow within the company. And Carlie is the best representation of an employee who helps Walnut Capital thrive. 

During her off-time, she loves to let loose by hitting the casino and trying her luck! She also lends a hand to her husband with his plumbing business and assists him when needed. Every now and then they’ll jet off to Vegas for a few days of fun and relaxation!

Carlie is an irreplaceable part of our team. Her dedication and passion have helped us achieve so many things – company and project wise. She knows when to hold ‘em and when to fold ‘em when it comes to making important decisions for our properties and new residential developments. We’re grateful to have her on the team, and we can’t wait to see what she does next!