JLL's Regional Leasing and Marketing Director takes a multifaceted approach to property management

Elizabeth Pilgard,
Multifamily Property Management, JLL

With a career spanning retail, hospitality, and property management, Elizabeth Pilgard has varied experiences, all of which are coming into play in her role as Regional Leasing and Marketing Director at JLL’s newest service, third-party property management.

Elizabeth also oversees revenue management for the team. That means lots of different meetings and plans going on every day. 

“In my day-to-day, there’s no typical day,” she says. “We’re very much a start-up in a large company.” 

Her days might include a meeting of the corporate team, a conversation with their digital marketing agency or the on-site team at the properties. 

Among her charges is the residential component of The Plaza Coral Gables out in Coral Gables, FL and the Platform 4611 apartment community in Uptown Chicago. 

“I very much operate with an open-door policy,” she says. “So much involves reaching out to the teams, seeing what they need, helping them overcome objections. What is the strategy for the on-site teams to succeed, for them to meet and excel in their budgeted revenue goals? What does that leasing experience look like from the moment someone is searching for us online? What are the keywords someone is searching for? What does it look like once they do hit that button? How is our team communicating with that prospect?”

Customer service is ingrained after nearly a decade of increasing responsibility in property management at another major owner/manager of residential properties — and from pre-real estate jobs in retail and hospitality, during and right after earning a degree in fashion marketing management from the Illinois Institute of Art, as she determined her career path.

A passion for design and floor plans, combined with a sales and customer service skillset proved to be a perfect combination when she interviewed at a property management company for a leasing consulting job. 

“Yes, I went to art school, but it was a very focused program in fashion marketing and management. I had to take business development classes. I had to put together real-life projects, with a business plan,” she recalls.

There she met another contact who led her to her previous company, where she rose through the ranks, working first in New York City as a leasing consultant, then back in Chicago as a leasing manager and then director, taking over ever-increasing responsibility, especially revenue management, marketing and working closely with the development team. 

“Where do you put the outlets? Does this floor plan make sense?” she says, sometimes pointing out flaws such as undersized kitchens, poor bath placement and more. “That goes into setting that property up for success.”

The result was learning “perseverance and a thick skin,” given that she’s just turning 35 soon. Often, she was the youngest person in the room, presenting to ownership. 

“That’s helped me to grow and continue to build that skill set,” she says. “And ultimately, it led me to JLL.”

After nearly 10 years at one company, it was time for a new challenge, she says. She saw the post for the Regional Leasing & Marketing Director role and applied. 

“The people I spoke with felt was a really great team to work with, that I would learn a lot from them, and we would work very well together,” Elizabeth says. “The other component was that fact that we’re new in this business line. I’m involved in building this platform.”

To do so, she brings her previous experience, while absorbing JLL’s culture. Elizabeth had been an active member of women’s groups at her former company and is looking to do so again as she becomes more settled at JLL. 

Outside of work, she spends a lot of time with her dog, and planning her next international trips. 

“Throw me in the middle of a foreign country where I’ve never been, and I do not speak the language, and/or the culture is completely different from the States, and I’m so happy,” she says.