In the Office

Before Kathy Pampuro, a vice president at Boyle Investment Co., started with the company, she met with executive vice president Mark Halperin several times.

"He said ‘I think this will work out, let’s give it a try for 90 days,’" Pampuro says.

That was in 1986. After more than 20 years with company, Pampuro has worked on many deals and developed long-term relationships in Memphis’ office market.

Pampuro, who is responsible for leasing Boyle’s office properties, is also active in the office real estate community, serving as a board member of the Memphis Area Association of Realtors Commercial Council.

When Pampuro started with Boyle, the Memphis office market was somewhat soft and there were several real estate companies new to the market, such as Koger and Trammell Crow Co.

Office leasing was different then.

"That was before we had a lot of computers and databases, so it was basically getting out the Yellow Pages and looking at every business as if they were a potential tenant," she says. "There was a lot of cold calling."

But the business philosophies Pampuro has applied to her job haven’t changed over the years.

"Work hard, consistently do your best, pay strict attention to detail and get the job done with no loose ends," she says.

Another part of Pampuro’s job is helping to ease the transition for office tenants by doing complete work.

"People generally don’t like to move," she says. "So you have to pay attention to the details and make sure they do what they need to do to get in on time."

Honesty is another key part of Pampuro’s business philosophy, even when it hurts.

If a company needs to be in a space by a certain time and Boyle can’t meet those demands, then Pampuro will tell the company that. Similarly, if there is lease language that can’t be changed, Pampuro makes sure a potential office tenant knows that.

"If it costs us a deal, it costs us a deal," she says. "It’s always best to be honest instead of not being able to do what you say you can do."

Pampuro has been involved in many deals over the years with Boyle, but the one she is most proud of involved the U.S. Postal Service.

Boyle had built the U.S. Postal Service’s Southeast Regional headquarters, which involved 200,000 square feet at Humphreys Center.

"It was my first day back in the office after having my first child and it was also my birthday," Pampuro says. "The people that we had been working with at the U.S. Postal Service on this transaction waited until I came back to sign the lease and simultaneously exercised their option to purchase."

One of the reasons Pampuro has been with Boyle so long is that she genuinely likes working there.

"I enjoy representing and being part of such a long-standing, well-respected company as Boyle," she says. "Every day I get to work with remarkable, quality people who have years of experience in the real estate development, leasing and management business."

Pampuro also likes the office tenants she works with.

"I enjoy the relationships with our tenants that we have established over the years with such large corporations such as Marsh, Morgan Keegan and ServiceMaster, as well as with the smaller, locally owned businesses," Pampuro says. "Many of our tenants have been with us for more than 25 years and that is an accomplishment of which we’re extremely proud."

One of those long-term tenants is Louis Clay, president of Clay & Land Insurance, Inc.

Pampuro helped the retail insurance agency find office space in 1988.

Clay remembers one time the business needed more cabinets for its office space. He told Pampuro and she found one of Boyle’s tenants nearby that was looking to sell some cabinets for a good price.

"It was nothing to do with me and the lease and Boyle, it was just her acting as a support system," Clay says, adding that she handles business the way it should be done.

"She doesn’t just wait for me to call and complain before making contact," he says. "She’s really helped me all these years, with things not related to my lease, but with our general business."

Of all her traits, one stands out.

"It’s her relationship with the client," Clay says. "It’s to where it’s not just paying rent, it’s getting full support. I think she does that for tenants; in fact, I’m sure she does."