Julie Fox – ICSC@FLORIDA 2025

NATHAN GRIFFIS

What's the first app you open in the morning?

JULIE FOX

What's the first app I open in the morning? It's a really, really, really good question. Probably the weather app.

NATHAN GRIFFIS

The weather app. Okay.

JULIE FOX

To check what my day is going to look like.

NATHAN GRIFFIS

So I think I heard you, you recently transitioned out of Philly, right? So where are you living now?

JULIE FOX

I live in Delaware now, okay.

NATHAN GRIFFIS

So you're going to be more interested in the weather in Delaware than you had to worry about it in Philly?

JULIE FOX

No, I like to plan accordingly. I like to know if it's going to rain or be sunny if I can play tennis that day.

NATHAN GRIFFIS

Okay. So tennis, you know, all right. So how often do you play tennis?

JULIE FOX

Not as often as I'd like, but I used to play competitive high school tennis.

NATHAN GRIFFIS

Really? Oh, okay. A lot.

JULIE FOX

Of fun. But now I like to play for recreation.

NATHAN GRIFFIS

Okay, well, that's great exercise. I played in middle school, but didn't go anywhere with it. I thought there was a better plan for my life, but that's...

JULIE FOX

Do you play?

NATHAN GRIFFIS

Pickleball? I don't, but I hear I really should. Our Christmas party this year will be at a pickleball place. Looking forward to trash talking because that's really my sport—not any particular sport. I'm going to ask you a fun one.

NATHAN GRIFFIS

What's the weirdest or most memorable ICAC conversation you've ever had? I feel like you’ve run into some people and had some weird ones.

JULIE FOX

I will tell you, one of the very first ICAC Las Vegas shows I went to as a young broker. I was walking around with one of our partners, and an older gentleman came up to him, looked at me and said, "Oh, that's nice. You have arm candy today?"

NATHAN GRIFFIS

Yeah, okay. That's where we're at.

JULIE FOX

It was very memorable because it made me realize that to navigate this industry, I had to be intentional—focus on being good at what I do and also building my network.

NATHAN GRIFFIS

No better way to shut up people than to actually put up and do a great job. That was a weird one. There are some jerks in our mix, but we’re seeing change.

NATHAN GRIFFIS

In our firm, 43-44% are female. When our CEO went to college, out of 75 classmates, there were only 3 or 4 women. Clearly, there are more women in the industry now. Yesterday's panel highlighted how women can influence from the inside out. What podcast or book had the most impact on your growth?

JULIE FOX

I enjoy Nancy Axios’ podcast. Since Covid, she’s interviewed many women in C-level positions or running their own firms. I love understanding their journey, motivations, and what inspires them—the 'why' behind their work.

NATHAN GRIFFIS

Probably someone called them eye candy at some point.

JULIE FOX

Exactly, exactly.

NATHAN GRIFFIS

I view people responding well to chips on their shoulder—like that incident probably motivated you to conquer it.

JULIE FOX

I'm going to make a name for myself.

NATHAN GRIFFIS

Yes. Turn bad situations into good ones. How do you feel your role impacts the commercial real estate industry?

JULIE FOX

About ten years ago, I led a roundtable discussion on women’s issues—work-life balance, leadership. It sparked the idea to create a networking support group for women in retail real estate, which grew to 375 women nationally with nine regions hosting events throughout the year. We also created subgroups for investment, retail, and landlord leasing.

NATHAN GRIFFIS

That's impressive. Looking back on your career, what do you want the industry to say about your involvement?

JULIE FOX

I want the industry to say I made an impact by helping more women enter, grow, and achieve leadership positions, providing support and networks that didn’t exist when I started.

NATHAN GRIFFIS

What's one trend in retail or mixed-use development that’s overhyped or underhyped in 2025?

JULIE FOX

Pickleball concepts are coming into the space rapidly. There’s room, but differentiation beyond offering a court is key—a whole experience is needed.

NATHAN GRIFFIS

Agreed. Public-private collaboration is also a factor in development success.

JULIE FOX

It’s here to stay, but not everyone will succeed. Differentiation is critical.

NATHAN GRIFFIS

Chicken concepts have similar cycles—hot trends appear, some fall off quickly. For leadership, what book influenced you?

JULIE FOX

John Maxwell. I believe in servant leadership—leading by example and being about what you say.

NATHAN GRIFFIS

We have tickets for his events. He’s humble enough to acknowledge his less successful books and is always working on more.

JULIE FOX

That’s amazing. His humility is inspiring.

NATHAN GRIFFIS

Julie, thank you for joining us, sharing your insights, and maybe someday some pickleball opportunities!

JULIE FOX

Yes, as tennis people, we should!