Beth Azor – ICSC@FLORIDA 2025

Nathan Griffis:

So, Beth. Okay, so we do the for the record name, title, and where you work.

Beth Azor:

Beth Azor of Azor Advisory Services. I own shopping centers in South Florida, southeast Florida.

Nathan Griffis:

Okay. So do I have permission to record and edit and publish this conversation?

Beth Azor:

Yes. As long as I tag you in all the like, I'll do.

Nathan Griffis:

Fantastic. Well, I'm so glad that we had some people that were aggressive and tracked you down and brought you here. We're glad to sit down with you. So I shared with you this morning as we were crossing in the lobby — I'm seeing the Beth Azor disciples everywhere. So talk a little bit about the impact and your goal and passion to invest in the future of women in development, but in all things. You’re a champion in the industry. Tell me about that passion and where it came from.

Beth Azor:

Well, I've been in the industry 39 years, and I've had different passions along the way. Early on, it was a selfish decision because I would try to hire people from competitive firms to bring them on board. But we had a different culture, and it never worked out. So I realized I had to train people to bring them up the way I wanted to. When you start training people, you get disciples because they’re invested. Back then in the late ’80s, you couldn’t get into commercial real estate unless you were a relative of someone.

I created a training program that gave people the opportunity to join a firm without a connection. Many of them felt very loyal to me because of that — some didn’t, some jumped for $5,000 more — but most were very loyal. I didn’t hold them back either. If they had an opportunity, I was happy for them. During my 18 years at Terra Nova, we created a lot of future directors of leasing who are now sprinkled across the industry, which I’m very proud of.

When I went on my own, I didn’t have a big firm to support that anymore because it’s very costly. But because people knew I liked to help young people, I started an internship program. Over 21 years, I’ve probably had more than 50 interns, and I’d say 25 are still in the industry doing bigger things.

I’d bring them on as interns, and after a year or two, call my friends and say, “Hey, do you need a trained leasing agent?” Since my portfolio is small, I couldn’t keep them all, but people opened their doors to someone who had trained with me.

During Covid, I learned that only 3% of commercial real estate investors in the U.S. are women — and half of those are inherited or signing on their husband’s guarantees. That means I’m part of 1.5%, and that’s deplorable. So I’ve started a new mission to encourage women to overcome the fear and understand they don’t need $1 million to invest in a commercial real estate deal. My new mission is to get more women to invest like I do.

Nathan Griffis:

Yeah, and you’re seeing that. I heard about the house that you rented and the events you put together. It sounds like an amazing passion and vision. The other thing that’s always encouraged me every time I’m around you — I’m from Cleveland, and I follow you on social media. I see what you’re doing in my hometown, and I appreciate it. You constantly have a drive. Where does that come from?

Beth Azor:

My mom had an unbelievable work ethic and my dad was a dreamer, so I got the best of both worlds. I love accomplishment — it drives me. Adding value to people or projects drives me. The Cleveland opportunity came during Covid when we were all on Clubhouse, this live audio app. I created something called “Space Tank,” where I matched landlords with small business owners during Covid because people feared their shopping centers would be empty.

One of Dan Gilbert’s (owner of the Cleveland Cavaliers) team members heard about it and said, “We need this girl in Cleveland.” They had a mall that was 15% occupied and the NBA All-Star Game coming in six months. At first I said no — I’d never worked on a mall before — but they convinced me to come consult.

I ended up working there over three years. They wanted five or six pop-ups for the All-Star Game; I did 26. And we kept going. Over those three years, I signed 49 leases — 45 of them were with Black-owned, women-owned businesses. It was the most impactful thing in my career. Women would come out crying, telling me they went from making $1,500 a month in their basements to $7,000 in their stores. It was incredible.

I’m known as the “Canvassing Queen.” People used to say prospecting only worked for me because I owned centers in South Florida. But in Cleveland, I knew no one. No brokers, no signage, nothing — and I met 3,712 business owners to do 49 leases. It proved the system works.

Nathan Griffis:

Yes, your tagline actually has value. I had planned to ask what you’re most proud of, and I think you just gave me the answer. Tell me about one of the women with a store there — I know you’ve got a story.

Beth Azor:

Oh my gosh, there are so many. We have seven nurses who have retail stores — they still do nursing but also run businesses. One woman runs a plus-size boutique for sizes 18 and above. She’s a singer, not a nurse, and hosts events in her store. The work ethic of these women wanting to improve their families’ lives is unmatched. It’s a whole different world from South Florida — I’m from Wisconsin originally, so when I went back to Cleveland, I said, “I’m back to my Midwest roots.”

Nathan Griffis:

Yes, Heather Morris and I were talking about that Midwest charm. I’m from Ohio, and I think that grit and hustle are real. Thanks for giving back to my community.

Beth Azor:

My pleasure.

Nathan Griffis:

I know you’re busy, but thank you for taking the time to share your passions. One last question — for someone coming to this event, what’s your advice to get the most out of it and experience ICSC at your level?

Beth Azor:

Preparation. So many people, young and old, come to this show without doing any prep. ICSC provides a list of everyone registered, and you can filter it. If you’re a student from my alma mater, FSU, you can find all the FSU people here and reach out before the event. If you contact 100 people, you’ll probably get ten meetings with people you already share a connection with.

Then, Google those people. Put their names on alerts. Learn something personal — maybe their son just won a soccer tournament — and mention it when you meet. People love that. It’s not stalking, it’s showing effort. It takes only a few hours the week before the show, and almost no one does it.

Also, know who you’re meeting with. Don’t come up saying, “Do you want to sell your shopping centers?” Know what I buy — visit my website. The lack of effort in our industry amazes me. I always teach my interns: put some effort into your job. It’s not going to fall out of the sky.

Nathan Griffis:

Well, thanks for that. I did some prep, I promise. I really appreciate your time — you’re an inspiration to so many, both men and women.

Beth Azor:

I love men too! But since 97% of investors are men, I’m just trying to even the scales a little bit. Thank you, Nathan, for having me.

Nathan Griffis:

Have a great day.

Beth Azor:

You guys need to sponsor my conference.