Adriel Velazquez

As a Transaction Administration Manager, I enjoy the challenge of solving various puzzles that come my way serving as both an accounting analyst and an operations leader at Colliers | Chicago. Throughout my career at Colliers, I’ve seen all sides of commercial real estate transactions, and the institutional knowledge I’ve gained through my experience has helped me grow the department beyond its original capabilities. During my tenure, I’ve been instrumental in overhauling the financial operations department by eliminating inefficient tasks, improving accuracy, and most importantly, spearheading the conversion of department operations to an entirely digital platform.

I have been able to grow in my career at Colliers by choosing to take initiative in tackling and completing complex projects and tasks. I enjoy being a leader of a team, which allows me to foster a supportive and respectful culture while teaching my team members how to execute tasks efficiently and accurately. Ultimately, I believe that hard work is rewarded with results, as I am evidence that success can be achieved by putting a nose to the grindstone.

If I can end my workday knowing that I’ve improved someone else’s day, I consider that a win. For me, my work holds more meaning than merely churning through a series of tasks or completing a checklist. I am constantly establishing best practices for myself and my team to develop ways to work smarter, not harder. I find that by asking the right questions, gathering pertinent information and sharing what I’ve learned with my colleagues, I can make valuable contributions that help me and my team to grow and improve processes. Not only do I love to learn, I also enjoy teaching, and I have been able to build strong and effective teams as a result of training and mentoring my coworkers.

My career has been an adventure, and I’ve learned disparate skills and knowledge that shape who I am today. My philosophy is to dive into any new challenge with an open mind and a positive attitude, which has repeatedly led to success. In each role I've held, I’ve always sought to take on complex and challenging tasks because I genuinely care about producing high-quality work.

In my current role at Colliers, I am supervising a transaction team that is transitioning from processing local and regional transactions to becoming Colliers’ national hub for all real estate transaction processing. I am excited to help the team implement Colliers’ Deal Tracking System nationwide, which will streamline the collection and storage of deal data throughout Colliers’ U.S. offices.

It’s not easy making order out of chaos, but throughout my career I’ve thrived in environments where I’ve been responsible for wide-ranging tasks that rely on my strong ability to problem-solve quickly and efficiently. As a transaction administrator at Colliers, I perform numerous tasks that assist in completing the financial component of commercial real estate deals including: reviewing legal documents, performing accrual accounting, processing invoices, resolving commission disputes, booking deals and verifying deal payments.

I take pride in being someone who works diligently to find solutions and creates structure to solve inefficiencies and streamline operations. My team can rely on me to take initiative in completing tasks and offer solutions when it seems like we’ve hit a dead end. I enjoy working together with my team and am always finding ways to help us work together more cohesively and productively.

Many people define success as achieving individual accomplishments, but for me, I believe the most meaningful achievements occur within a team. As a Transaction Administrator at Colliers, I am fortunate to work in a supportive environment where I can collaborate with my colleagues to process financial transactions from start to finish.

Ever since I was a boy, I knew I wanted to be an accountant because I loved numbers at a young age. I thoroughly enjoy what I do because it allows me to utilize my strong skillsets including an attention to detail, a diligent work ethic, an eye for precision and a commitment to accuracy. In my role, there’s always an answer to be found, and I enjoy the challenge of finding it.

In my previous role at Athenian Sea Carriers, I worked effectively with clients and suppliers to provide excellent client service. I was known as an effective communicator who did what it took to get the job done correctly and efficiently.