Name:  Sean McCann

Company: Hines

Position: Associate

What does your company do?  Hines is a privately owned global real estate investment, development and management firm.  In Utah, Hines is active in opportunities across all product types, both in ground-up development and acquisitions.

What do you do for your company?  I’m a developer serving as a project manager for new construction projects and asset manager for our operational properties.

What are you working on right now?  Currently, I’m overseeing development of 201 Mountain View Park, a 727k SF industrial property in West Valley City.  I’m also the asset manager for the Kearns Building, a 160k SF historic office building in Downtown Salt Lake, and Cottonwood Corporate Center, a ~500k SF office park in Cottonwood Heights.  Always working with the team on diligence for the next project and excited for the future pipeline.

Best career advice you’ve received?  It’s all about the team.  Working with a solid, strong team that you mesh well with can make the most challenging times manageable.  Find a group that complements your skills and personality, lean on each other, keep things light, and the performance and positivity will come naturally.

Best career advice you’ve given?  I’m hard pressed to imagine I have any advice worth giving, but experience has taught me that nothing is overly complicated once you get over the initial hurdle of making an effort to understand it.  It’s easy to see something as a monstrous undertaking and write it off as too complex or difficult, which is why many people take that offramp.  If you’re willing to make the attempt and take it one piece at a time, learning any concept or pushing past any challenge is easier than it appeared at the onset.

What is one thing people don’t know about you?  My favorite hobby is swimming with sharks.  As a native Californian, I spent most days in the ocean, picked up freediving and underwater photography, and never really outgrew my 5 year old mentality that thinks sharks are the coolest thing ever.  I’ve had the chance to dive with blue sharks, mako, great hammerheads, and great whites (cage for those guys) amongst a handful of others.