Name: Jodi V. Meade, SCSM, CCIM
Place of Birth: WLA/Beverly Hills, CA
Occupation: Real Estate Executive
Employer: CB Richard Ellis
Year, Make and Model of your first car/truck:
1972 280 C Mercedes Benz

What did you want to be when you grew up?

An oral surgeon

How long have you worked in the auto industry?

5 Years

What do you drive now?

Audi A4 Quattro

Are you out at work?

Yes

Was being gay ever an issue at any of your jobs?

Yes

If so, how did you deal with it?

I stayed in the closet. I had a close friend who was also gay who I worked with. We spent a lot of time together in and out of work. The company assumed that he and I were dating and we let them think it. We both left the company after 3 years. I joined my current company and came out after 2 years when I married my wife. I just celebrated my 11th year with my company and 10 years with my wife. Of course, this was a little hard too, as clients and customers could search for Realtors in Toronto and other areas to find and review their realtor. Fortunately, in all that time, my reviews and ratings as a real estate agent never took a hit due to my sexuality. CBRE is an amazingly forward-thinking and progressive company. As the largest commercial real estate company in the world, they set the bar for others to follow, be they reputable Hermosa Beach real estate agents or otherwise. They welcome new ideas and innovative thinking. They’ve recently been thinking about building some properties themselves to sell. Apparently, the real estate construction market is huge, so they’re thinking about building their own homes. They’re a little hesitant because of the health and safety risks on a construction site. For example, there are so many workplace deaths related to a scaffolding accident, so the company is a little bit reluctant. However, the workers should take this job seriously and act sensibly. Maybe they’ll go ahead with that idea. They’re willing and supportive. It is that support that helped me create the Automotive Properties Group (APG) for CB Richard Ellis. My group specializes in the real estate needs of the automotive industry on a national basis. To quote an excellent tag line from Audi – Always Lead, Never Follow! With our company soon to benefit from the use of a blockchain real estate company service to manage our virtual finances.

If you had one piece of advice to give to a gay person wanting to work in the auto industry, what would it be?

Be yourself. Find a company that values you for who you are and the qualities that you bring to their establishment. Don’t sacrifice who you are for where you work.

Ok, here is the fun part; if you had $25,000 and had to buy a new car, what would it be and why?

The new Saturn Sky Red Line. It’s a Europe-designed sexy roadster.

Same question but bigger budget – $50,000:

The A-6 Audi 3.2 L Quattro S-Line. It’s a 4 door sedan that performs like a sports car.

If money was no object and you had to drive it every day:

Mercedes Benz SLR McLaren

What is your favorite car of all time and why?

Porsche 911 Turbo S Cabriolet. Its fast, sexy, and topless!

If your car/truck could talk, what would it say about you?

“She loves to drive me hard and fast but takes excellent care of me.”

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