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Michele Pino
Commercial and Site Selection Specialist
Land Advisors Organization | Scottsdale, AZ

“Your reputation is built on reliability, honesty, and hard work. With that also comes a duty to help other women succeed.”

Michele Pino has been a Commercial and Site Selection Specialist with Land Advisors Organization since 2006. She helps school districts, solar developers, public entities, and hospitals, medical and commercial users plan strategic location decisions.

She brings more than 16 years of statewide experience in economic development to her role at Land Advisors Organization. She was the executive director of the Arizona State University Research Park, where she worked on real estate development and business attraction. She also served eight years in State Government at the Arizona Department of Commerce as director of small business development and director of national business development. There, working with local municipalities, she assisted corporate entities in their site location decisions statewide.

Michele is a certified economic developer and a licensed real estate associate. She is a member of the Arizona Association of School Business Officials, and a board member of WESTMARC and Valley Partnership.

Michele holds a master’s degree in international management from the Thunderbird School of Global Management, and undergraduate degrees from the University of Arizona: a B.A. in Russian/political science and a B.S. in business

Question: Tell us a little bit about your current role and the career path that led to it.

I had an unusual path to real estate as a former paralegal for 12 years and economic developer for seven years with the State of Arizona. But those skills helped me succeed for the past 17 years in real estate site selection. At Land Advisors, I have had the opportunity to work on some very complex land projects, such as mining, TSMC suppliers, and health care, as well as rewarding work with the K-12 Districts helping with real estate disposition and strategic placement of future schools.

Question: What recent project or accomplishment are you most proud of?

Our healthcare team worked with an integrated team on the $900M Valleywise bond and rebranding initiative in 2018 and 2019. As part of the real estate effort, our team was engaged in the site selection efforts for seven replacement properties, disposition of older facilities as well as the purchase of existing buildings. The effort took three  years.

Question: What is one characteristic that you believe every woman in construction should possess?

Integrity. Your reputation is built on reliability, honesty, and hard work. With that also comes a duty to help other women succeed.

Question: What message do you have for other young women interested in following in your footsteps? 

Commercial real estate is not easy (nor is working on commission) but join a good company with smart people and learn. Over time, you will develop your own path and expertise.

Question: What was your favorite job and what did you learn from it?
This is my favorite job, which has taught me how to be self-reliant and confident. I love the puzzle of understanding the issues involved in transacting a deal, the freedom of working where and how I wish within a great company, and the variability of clients and deals.

Question: Do you have a mentor? Are you a mentor to someone else? 

My mentor is the CEO of our company, Greg Vogel. He is an expert in all things land and relentless in his pursuit of information and he has led by example. We are always mentoring in our own life or should be.