James Malone and his wife Shelly, pictured with their children Jackson and Jordan at his mother’s wedding in Austin, Texas last year.
James Malone is the Managing Director of seven offices in the Greater Los Angeles Region for Colliers International. He has over 20 years of professional experience in real estate brokerage, corporate services, real estate development and law. James’ industry experience includes corporate account management, tenant representation, agency representation, leasing and marketing of large mixed-use developments, as well as commercial litigation.
Q. What sage advice would you have for anyone starting out in the industry?
A. Learn something new every day. Seek advice from those who are where you want to be later in your career and listen carefully.
Q. Do you have a particular business or life motto?
A. As a UCLA football alum, Coach Wooden’s philosophy was always visible in and around the athletic department, and I was fortunate to have been able to meet him and speak with him a couple of times when I was in school. His favorite quote of mine is, “Be quick, but don’t hurry.”
Q. What does a typical work day look like for you?
A: Ideally, I spend my days connecting with our professionals and finding ways to help them better serve our current clients and attract new ones. But, as we all know, you get that one email or phone call that takes you off track…
Q. If you had the opportunity to take a year sabbatical to live for one year in a foreign country, all expenses paid and no limitations from daily life, in order to improve yourself – where would you go and why?
A. Ideally, it would be a place where I had to learn a different language and culture, with a great climate and great food. So, my choice would probably be Brazil.
Q. At what moment did you know you achieved career success in the industry?
A. Hasn’t happened yet. I feel like I’m still working to get there.
Q. What are some misconceptions about your profession?
A. As a manager of commercial real estate brokers, I get a few eye-rolls when I tell people what I do. But, for all of the misconceptions about working with brokers, I don’t think you’ll find professionals who are more dedicated to their craft and who create more value for their clients than commercial real estate brokers do.
Q. What’s your favorite simple pleasure?
A. Watching football.
Q. Other than your cell phone or computer, what technology could you absolutely not live without and what technology do you find to be completely over-rated?
A. Bluetooth is probably the best invention ever. The ability to connect almost anything wirelessly is an absolute game changer. Star Trek became real. I definitely think e-scooters are over-rated, only because I am afraid that I will seriously injure myself on one of those things!
Q. What topic could you spend hours talking about?
A. Football – college, pro, my son’s flag football team, fantasy football, you name it.
Q. Who do you go out of your way to be nice to?
A. I try to be nice everyone. You never know when you will need someone’s help in the future.