Meet Kaitlin Erickson of H.G. Fenton Company in Mission Valley Road

Today we’d like to introduce you to Kaitlin Erickson.

Thanks for sharing your story with us Kaitlin. So, let’s start at the beginning and we can move on from there.
The summer after I turned 12, I wanted a TV, and my dad, being of the mindset that you work hard and earn what you have, said I should find a job so I could buy it myself. I assessed how I liked to spend my time, what I was good at and what skills I could offer that would be of value. With my mom’s encouragement, I offered babysitting services to a few neighbors and within no time I became a mother’s helper for two of them. I bought the TV that summer, and the next summer I added to my babysitting network and started working at the local daycare center. Looking back, this was a key step in my journey where I started creating both personal and professional goals and developing a network of relationships. As an Employee Lifestyle professional for H.G. Fenton Company, a 111-year-old San Diego real estate company with just over 200 employees, I continue to use these skills today.

I can’t remember a time when I didn’t have a job. While in college, I was Vice President of Recruitment for my sorority, but at the time, I wasn’t even aware that such a role could be a career. I graduated with a degree in business focused in marketing, finance and statistics and began working for a global medical device manufacturer in human resources. I coordinated and supported recruiting efforts across 10 different offices worldwide.

It was my family, again, who steered me to my career with H.G. Fenton. My mom was the president of an organization that leased their building from the company and she always spoke so highly of the business partnership they shared. When I mentioned that I was considering an opportunity with them, she told me that I would be lucky to work for H.G. Fenton because it was a well-respected company who took care of their customers. I had no idea it was over a century old or how much it had contributed to San Diego’s built environment over the years, from pouring the foundation of the Spreckels Theater to laying Coronado’s sidewalks. The more I learned, the more I liked. It had a values-driven culture and an employee lifestyle where people flourished. In February 2014, I jumped at the chance to become a part of the team.

In my current role I lead the employee experience alongside our outstanding Employee Lifestyle Team (ELT). As Employee Lifestyle Director, I am a key partner to the business and a resource for our employees, supporting them in driving for results through strategic hiring, training, coaching and talent management. Each role I’ve had on my path here has taught me something about honing my own craft, building my own brand, and illuminating my purpose: to connect with people, connect them with each other and help them achieve personal and professional success.

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?
Of course not! The fun and exciting roads we travel in life are rarely the smooth ones, but those bumps are often what propel us to where we need to be.

Just weeks after starting my freshman year at the University of Denver my family decided to move from Denver to Los Angeles. Losing the security of my family being within arm’s reach, I was thrown into a new environment every summer, encouraged to get out into the world and find a new job, meet new people, make new friends and build a network. Had I known then that these building blocks were equipping me to be a networking guru and would support my growth into a recruiting leader and then ELT Director years later, I probably would have been far more appreciative!

I would encourage anyone who hits a similar snag in their career or life plans to take this lesson from me. You can’t see what better opportunities are ahead waiting for you if you stay stuck in the comfortable and safe path. Be fearless!

So let’s switch gears a bit and go into the H.G. Fenton Company story. Tell us more about the business.
At H.G. Fenton Company, we create lifestyle opportunities where employees flourish, residents live well and businesses succeed. Our team of over 200 employees work in residential and commercial real estate management, maintenance and development. People are often surprised to learn that we have 14 apartment communities that provide over 3,300 homes as well as over four million square feet of commercial real estate. We also have two new apartment communities currently in development.

We’ve been in business for over 100 years, and we plan to be in San Diego for 100 more.

I’m inspired by our legacy and excited for what our future holds. I am proud to be a part of a company that holds our values in the highest regard, and uses them as the driving force behind our success. You won’t see these values printed on our walls because they live and breathe in the air across all our operations. What I also love is the way we set each other up to succeed, showing support at every turn. We share a close bond that comes from trust, integrity and a willingness to be open to change. We’re not corporate. We’re not conventional. And we’re never boring.

I am thankful every day for my dad’s early encouragement, the bumps I had to navigate during my college days and my mom’s professional advice that drove me to this career and the fulfillment of helping people make their mark at H.G. Fenton Company.

Contact Info:

• Address: 7577 Mission Valley Road, San Diego, CA 92108
• Website: Hgfenton.com
• Email: [email protected]

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