Saitta

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Karen Saitta

Vice President, District Manager of L.A. Basin

RREEF Funds

Claim to Fame: Oversees portfolio of over 2 million square feet of commercial property.

When you manage a sizable portfolio of Southern California properties, 12-hour workdays aren’t the exception, they’re the rule.

Karen Saitta doesn’t seem to mind; the rewards of taking a so-so property and making it something worthwhile are enough to keep her coming in at 8 a.m. every morning and working well into the night with countless calls, meetings and visits to properties.

“By creating value in property, you’re doing something that is very rewarding,” Saitta said. “It makes up for all the tenants that call you and complain all the time.”

One of Saitta’s favorite projects was the rehabilitation of the Torrance Promenade, a shopping center whose renovation took five years and ended when the mall was sold last August.

A New Jersey native, Saitta moved to California after college and has worked in commercial real estate since 1983. She started out in the Glendale office of CB Commercial (now CB Richard Ellis) as a broker. Seven years ago she left for RREEF, a fund advisor, where she negotiates leasing arrangements for retail, office and industrial property.

Saitta now works out of the company’s Sherman Oaks office. Her portfolio includes properties all over the region, from Anaheim to Valencia to Oxnard. In addition to making deals on leases, Saitta acts as a supervisor to other RREEF property managers.

“She’s very energetic and that shows because she’s a very effective lease negotiator,” said RREEF Director of Properties Kevin Archer who has been Saitta’s supervisor for the past 10 months. “She truly assumes an entrepreneurial role and does what’s best for the long-term investment of the property.”

Ann Donahue

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