Meet Leo: A Day in the Life

He’s our fearless leader and an eternal optimist (with a streak of colorful language along the way). Often spotted pacing the halls with earbuds in, or hidden behind the gigantic screen that takes up most of his standing desk, Leo is a force to be reckoned with. 

And today’s his birthday, so as the journalist of the Cohen Group NW shenanigans, I give you one small perspective - a snapshot into the daily work of a human whirlwind. 

8:16AM  Typing away on transaction followups, Chris hears the thump-thump-thump on the stairs just before Leo bursts into the admin office with a cheery “What’s up party people?”. He rattles off developments about two of his current transactions, and the Team Lead and Director of Ops work through what needs to happen and who will handle what. It’s quick, efficient and shows the comfort these business partners have with each other over the dozens of deals they’ve closed together.

9:19AM  The Slack app buzzes on multiple devices as Leo drops a message in the team group chat, congratulating Layla on her client that just went under contract.  As the leader of the Cohen Group, Leo is a motivator, coach and tough-love-butt-kicker to each member of the team.

9:57AM  Leo’s on the phone, working through his follow up list. He has an affinity for sending video messages - they’re conversational and personal to the recipient, without being as immediate as a phone call. 

11:47AM  The boss pokes his head into the admin office again - he’s heading out for lunch (possibly a custom bowl of goodness from Whole Foods) and to walk his springer spaniel, Walt.

1:02PM  Back in his office, Leo’s making calls, talking with other real estate agents and mortgage brokers. The enormous curved monitor on his desk displays incoming texts from past Building Bellingham guests, friends in the industry that he bounces ideas off of, business owners our team collaborates with, and group chats with up-to-the-minute information on pending deals. 

3:42PM  Leo and Cooper just finished up a recording session for Leo’s video series on preparing to sell a home. This one went quickly - other shoots turn into memorable mashup videos like this one #curbappeal. Cooper’s known Leo the longest of all of the CGNW crew, and whether a shoot is fantastic or a flop, the social media Jedi and the boss always have a good time. 

4:12PM  Leo sends a Slack message to Tiffany - “Got a minute?”.  He drinks a protein shake as they talk over next month’s Building Bellingham recording session and tweak the questions to better match this particular guest’s story. Along the way, Leo has an idea for the next real estate event the team is hosting, and he and the event coordinator also go over a few details about the housewarming party for one of his buyer clients.  

6:02PM  It’s dark and windy outside, but in the CGNW office, work is still happening. Cooper, Leo and Chris review the visual dashboards that track exactly where the Cohen Group is in terms of sales, production, projects and more. 

6:14PM  The conversation has switched to the Sea Smoke project and the new listing that just came on the market. Leo’s been meeting with investors, vendors, and the development team and there’s plenty going on behind the scenes to showcase the new neighborhood.

6:21PM  The last thump-thump-thump on the stairs, the last light switches off, and the last key turns in the front door. There might be another call this evening with a client, or a few texts exchanged with Chris, or a forward of a Gary V Instagram post to the media crew, but for now, the day’s work is done...and it all starts again tomorrow.