Today we’d like to introduce you to Brittney White.
Hi Brittney, can you start by introducing yourself? We’d love to learn more about how you got to where you are today.
My journey often comes as a bit of a surprise to those that get to know me. Growing up in the suburbs of Houston with real estate brokers as parents, I’ve been exposed to many facets of the industry. My first job started at the age of 15 years old while working for my parent’s local commercial and residential real estate company. That experience evolved into 21+ years of working a variety of real estate-related positions. I am now the Director of Build to Rent for Mynd Management, where I oversee the lease-up and operations of national BTR portfolios. I was recently recognized as one of the Top 50 Women Leaders of Houston for 2023 by the Women We Admire publication, which has been such an incredible honor, and I am deeply grateful for it!
I have always possessed a passion for professional and community development as an active member of charitable and non-profit organization initiatives. As a result, I have become a member of Houston CREMM & CREW Houston, which are both non-profit organizations focused on professional women in the commercial real estate industry. Through my company, I am a member of WAM (Women At Mynd), which is a committee dedicated to providing resources and feedback to women within the Mynd organization.
In addition to my industry-related involvement, I have always taken interest in other humanitarian and conservation initiatives. Currently, I sit on the Board of Directors for Texas Center for the Missing, a non-profit dedicated to bringing hope and healing to the missing and their families. This is the same organization that manages our statewide Silver & Amber Alerts when someone goes missing. In high school, I was accepted into the Peer Assistance & Leadership program (PALs) at my school, where I mediated peers and was assigned 3 kids to mentor each year from local elementary schools. These were typically children whose parents or teachers felt they would benefit from having a positive role model in their lives. Upon graduating, I began searching for other volunteer opportunities since I loved mentoring children and sought to find something similar. As a result, upon turning 18 years old, I became a “Big Sister” with Big Brothers Big Sisters Gulf Coast to an amazing 10-year-old girl named Haley. I remained her “Big Sister” for 8 years until she became an adult, and we are still a part of each other’s lives to this day!
I have also always taken interest in assisting the homeless members of our community. This prompted me to create and manage an unofficial clothing & warm items drive for the homeless of Houston, which ran for 9 years straight. We directly collected hundreds of items every winter and distributed them in person to those in need living on the streets and in homeless shelters. This was typically done with the help of whichever family/friend volunteers I could recruit to assist each year, with a sole purpose of Keeping Houston Warm, the name I affectionately gave to the drive. Through my network of friends and family, this drive often grew in size as people involved their companies and churches. I eventually began to receive donations from individuals in other parts of the country and even some from overseas! Unfortunately, I recently had to discontinue these annual efforts due to Covid.
Having only traveled to Mexico and Canada, at the age of 20, I took a trip to Australia’s Daintree Rainforest with a volunteer organization through my university called ISV (International Student Volunteers). In the program, I lived at a research center in the rainforest for a period of time, working to rehabilitate natural wildlife and vegetation. This is also where I first learned about climate change and the overall effect our actions have on our planet. This experience led to a passion for travel/ cultural diversity and a love of environmental conservation! Since then, I have visited 36 countries and 5 continents…so far! Because I have been a scuba diver from a very young age, I took special interest in exploring various oceans and seas all over the world, which is why I find ocean research and preservation of particular interest to me. My travels have been eye-opening to the needs and challenges the rest of the world faces, not just those in my immediate bubble. This is why I continue to champion for various causes around the world, in addition to those here at home!
An unexpected twist to my journey began when I developed an interest in Texas Hold ‘Em Poker in my early 20s. This interest opened the door to a part-time job I took on for many years as a poker dealer. While dealing poker, I had the opportunity to deal for corporate events, tournaments, local bars/restaurants, and even on cruises for a variety of cruise lines, further expanding my opportunities for traveling and seeing the world.
While I realize my life experience thus far has been a unique one, nothing could have prepared me for the most incredible experience of all; motherhood! At the age of 30, I gave birth to the most amazing little girl a mother could ask for. She serves as a constant reminder of how precious life is and how important the preservation of Women’s Rights can be for her and all young women around the world. This is why we actively attend and contribute to women’s marches/ protests as often as possible. As a single mother to a young daughter, it is important for me to demonstrate the strength we possess and impact we can have within our society, which is why I was so deeply honored to have been named as one of Houston’s Top 50 Women Leaders for 2023. She is my ultimate Mentee, and everything I do/ have done is to become the ultimate Mentor for her!
Thank you so much, Voyage Houston, for providing me with the platform to tell my story and taking interest! It’s been such an honor!
I’m sure you wouldn’t say it’s been obstacle free, but so far would you say the journey has been a fairly smooth road?
Certainly not! While being a woman in business has always come with its own unique set of obstacles and challenges, my biggest challenge has been juggling a growing career with becoming a single mother. Parenting is challenging enough, but to do so while also trying to work your way up the corporate ladder and being a hands-on parent, you tend to find yourself spread incredibly thin. Having a strong support system is everything, which I know not all single parents have. Kuddos to those with limited support, especially the ones with more than one child.
We’ve been impressed with Mynd Management, but for folks who might not be as familiar, what can you share with them about what you do and what sets you apart from others?
I eventually narrowed my focus to both commercial and residential property management, which I’ve been practicing for the past 14 years. I have successfully overseen challenging assets throughout various phases, some of which include; management of takeovers, sales, due diligence, refinancing, renovations, structural rehabs, lease-ups, acquisitions, new construction, and even pre-development.
I now sit as the Director of Build to Rent for Mynd Management, where I oversee the lease-up and operations of national BTR portfolios. Mynd is a tech-enabled real estate start-up company serving the $85B+ property management and real estate investment markets. While I oversee national portfolios, currently, the majority of them are located in and around the Houston area, which consists of 600+ assets. We take a unique approach to property management as we streamline our proprietary software systems and internal data/product teams to revolutionize the industry as a whole. I oversee the growth and management of the Build to Rent vertical (division) by marrying my strong multifamily background with the in place single family rentals (SFR) playbook. Build to rent is a new, rapidly growing asset class within real estate management and is taking the industry by storm. Imagine a developer who builds out a master-planned community of single-family homes, and instead of selling them off individually, they are retaining ownership of some or all of the homes and renting them out instead. Our company is then tasked with stabilizing these communities and managing them. It has revolutionized the way we operate since there is a huge demand for individuals wanting to live in an actual home but not wanting to deal with the overall cost and maintenance of home ownership.
My use of performance-driven business strategies, coupled with comprehensive industry knowledge, has resulted in recognition as Residential Project of the Year by Engineering News Records, Best Multi-Family Project Award Finalist by Houston Business Journal, Top 40 Under 40 Nominee by Houston Business Journal, Leading Ladies Awardee, Leadership Award in Historical Preservation and Rookie of the Year Awardee. I was also most recently recognized as one of the Top 50 Women Leaders of Houston for 2023 by the Women We Admire publication.
Where do you see things going in the next 5-10 years?
I feel that my current role possesses so much growth potential since I am building out and overseeing the playbook that no one has and everyone wants. We are establishing a brand that will allow us to streamline the way in which prospects are finding their homes, the way institutional owners are managing/ developing their assets and even changing the way we see multifamily management operate. I believe the Build to Rent vertical that I oversee is the future of property management. I also believe this will evolve into a stronger, more institutional version of short-term rentals, which we are already seeing in certain markets.
Contact Info:
- Instagram: @MissBonVoyage
- Linkedin: www.linkedin.com/in/brittney-a-white
Image Credits
Gary Huffman Professional Photography
Tyler Casper- Casper Productions
Darcie Waite
TX Charm Photography
