CREW Chicago
Member Spotlight, August 2009

  Jana L. Langston
  Principal
  Sight on Site, LLC

Identify your profession, company, position and primary responsibilities  [Please also include a sentence or two describing your educational background, family status, etc]:

Along with fellow CREW member, Marcia Rubenstein, I am the owner of Sight on Site, LLC.  Our firm assists owners and operators of real estate with all issues and challenges related to four primary areas:  Identifying opportunities to improve revenue, decrease costs and minimize risk; determining the strategies to optimize the performance of distressed assets; developing and implementing real estate processes, tools, and best practices for real estate investment organizations; and offering interim solutions for investment management, property management, and facility management.

I grew up in the South – in Texas – and was fortunate enough to attend The University of Texas to obtain my BA in German.  (Ja, richtig, Deutsch!)  My initial plan was to be a teacher, until I completed my student teaching as a German teacher and decided I might want to do something else for a while.  So, I got my MBA at UT and loved the coursework and the change in direction my life took.  My first post graduate job took me to New York City where I worked for a paper company. 

After a couple of years in NYC and a year in Michigan, I was working my way back South when the company I worked for moved me to Chicago. This resulted in another change in direction in my life, as I ended up marrying the attorney who worked on the closing of my house.  So, I bought much more than a house – I bought a maintenance man, too!   We have no children (by choice), but have had a few dogs through the years.  We currently have two:  one named after me – BB (which stands for Texas Bluebonnet) and one named after my husband – TJ (which stands for Tank Junior).  They’re great and always supportive!

The part of my career I find most gratifying is:

I enjoy taking on challenging situations, determining the strategies  and initiatives required to resolve the issues, and then implementing them.  The more complicated and difficult the situation, the better.  I truly enjoy organizing and making things run better and more efficiently.

The strongest influence on my professional career is:

My friends and colleagues, especially the women of CREW who have been very supportive and thoughtful throughout my career. 

The traits I look for in my relationships:

Sense of humor, integrity and respect.

The best advice I’ve given is:

Always treat everyone with respect – the way you would want to be treated.  And, never burn a bridge!  The world is very small and the person you work with, negotiate against, and/or collaborate with at a meeting today may be your boss, colleague, client or needed contact in the future.

The worst advice I’ve received is:

 Nothing occurs to me other than “get married before you get too old.” 

When not engaged in professional endeavors:

I love to swim, walk (frequently with my dogs), and read.   I also spend a lot of time on the CREW Programs Committee (as Co-Chair this year) and at my local library where I am President of the Friends Board.  The Friends Board works to raise money for programs for children, teens and adults.  

Books I’ve been recommending lately are:

The Forgotten Garden by Kate Morton – I loved the way this book unfolded with chapters alternating between events around the early 1900’s, then the 1970’s and then around 2005 for a woman and her granddaughter.  It reminded me a bit of Possession, one of my very favorite books.

I also recommend The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society by Mary Ann Shaffer and Annie Barrows.  The book is set in the 1940’s just after World War II and is a series of wonderful letters that describes the occupation of Guernsey for five years during the war by the Germans, as well as the developing relationships between the various characters.  It is a really fun book.

I am passionate about:

Teaching and traveling.  When I decided to go the business route versus the teaching route, I vowed that I would ultimately return to teaching and have been fortunate to do so due to a former Chicago CREW member, Michelle Corey Paul.  I have taught an undergraduate real estate course at DePaul University for a few semesters as well as a seminar  on leasing.  Additionally, I have begun teaching a BOMA class on Property Management.  I really love it, so when I go into semi-retirement, I hope to teach a few classes a year.  

I also truly enjoy traveling.  I was lucky to have been posted in London for six months and was able to travel the countryside on weekends.  I’ve taken a number of fabulous trips – including one to Antarctica during Thanksgiving 2007, where I witnessed the rescue of the passengers from the Explorer before it sank. 

How long have you been a member of CREW and what makes you stay a member?

I have been a member of CREW for over 10 years.  I stay involved in CREW because I love the women, the programs, and the camaraderie.