Meet Luisa Smoot of The Pullman in Union Station

Today we’d like to introduce you to Luisa Smoot.

Luisa, can you briefly walk us through your story – how you started and how you got to where you are today.
Growing up in Boulder, Colorado, meant I did all things adventurously and outdoors. I spent summers in Lake Powell getting my water fix in, as well as in the Miami sunshine since my mom is from Cuba. I am the youngest of three so most of my early years were spent running around to my brothers’ and sisters’ sporting events. I later took up several sports myself including soccer, basketball, tennis and swim team. It took moving to Arizona my freshman year of college to realize how fortunate I was to grow up in Boulder. I was exposed early on to an active, outdoor lifestyle and I am forever grateful for that!

Six years ago, I was a recent graduate of the University of Colorado and was starting to question how I was going to apply my sociology degree to the real world. At the time, I had two needs: working with people and helping them in some capacity.

My first job with Greystar was as a leasing professional at a new community in Boulder. While my experience renting homes were slim to none, I was confident about my ability to essentially sell Boulder. I am a Boulder native, so it was easy for me to give people plenty of reasons as to why Boulder was the best place to live. I instantly loved the dynamic environment of working in new construction and lease-ups. The sales aspect of the job fueled my inner hustler and I quickly realized that I had found an industry that fit me.

After completing the lease-up in Boulder, I moved to Denver to work on Elan Union Station, which was Greystar’s new development above King Soopers. From Denver, I moved to Salt Lake City to work on what was the city’s first high-end luxury lease-up. It was a very rewarding experience to work with Greystar in a new market. After completing that project, I moved back to Denver to work at The Grand in the Union Station neighborhood. I have remained in Denver’s Union Station neighborhood as I work to open our doors here at The Pullman.

We’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you?
In the fast-paced world of lease-ups and new construction, you can always expect a few bumps along the way. We do our best to predict accurate move-in dates, yet sometimes unforeseeable circumstances can affect these deadlines. And while new buildings typically function smoothly, there can be challenges.

With that said, working in lease-ups has taught me to concentrate on the things we can control and, most importantly, to always focus on making the customer happy. As a team leader, keeping our staff motivated and optimistic is a must. On a personal level, there were some natural struggles after moving to Salt Lake City. I didn’t know anyone there, so it was a transition being entirely independent. Looking back now, I am extremely grateful for the opportunity – it taught me to be happy with spending time with myself. I was able to focus on my career, and certainly, a lot of growth and career development came from that transition.

So let’s switch gears a bit and go into The Pullman Story. Tell us more about your work.
The Pullman is Union Station’s first high-end, boutique building and offers a lifestyle component to residents that is beyond what has been seen before. With 168 beautifully designed apartment homes, the boutique style of the building enables our entire team to get to know the unique lifestyle needs of each resident. House cleaning, car detail, dog walker, in-home nail tech, or a Peloton bike at your front door? Our dedicated lifestyle team will make any resident request happen.

The community is named after the luxury Pullman train car and our goal is to recreate the same luxe experience and elite service component that came with the invention of the sleeper car. At that time, the services offered to cross-country travelers were something that had never been experienced. We hope to replicate that same unparalleled experience here, going well beyond what is the norm for typical apartment living.

As the community manager at The Pullman, I wear many hats. First, I am a leader to an amazing team. I started on the project six months prior to our doors opening, and my first priority was to compile a team of employees that fits The Pullman’s story. For The Pullman specifically, I needed a team of caring, genuine, customer service-focused individuals who showed up to work daily with positive attitudes and go-getter mindsets. The lease-up component of this project makes the environment fast-paced, while the lifestyle element requires attentive, hands-on individuals who can be proactive in rolling out systems to make our residents’ lives easier. The people inside our doors are what make The Pullman special, so I knew that the team we put together was the most important piece of this project.

In addition to my leadership role, I take care of the financials, building operations and also work hand-in-hand with our development, asset management and marketing teams, as well as the general contractor and architects.

In our industry, the main thing that sets me apart is my consistent experience working on new development projects. Unlike communities that may have been open for a while, new developments entail additional experience and innovation. This includes the complete setup of a building – from the operations to the overall experience. As a lease-up manager, I work with my team to roll out innovative programming to make our buildings feel unique.

Beyond that, I have to be hyper-focused on the performance of our deals against other assets in the market. We often give tours to other developers, investors and architects, so it’s important to know specific building details so I can speak to any questions thrown my way. As for Greystar, I am most proud of the attention to customer service that we instill in all of our team members. Greystar prioritizes going beyond expectations to best serve our residents.

Contact Info:

• Address: 1959 Wewatta St, Denver, CO 80202
• Website: https://livethepullman.com/
• Phone: (303) 380-1959
• Email: pullmanmgr@greystar.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thepullmanapts/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thepullmanapts/

Image Credit:
The Pullman

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