Molly Santucci says, “I’m never going to assume I’m the smartest person in the room.”
Molly Santucci likes to joke that her career began when she was just a toddler.
Her grandparents owned several small apartment buildings in Seattle and her parents managed them. As a result, Santucci grew up collecting quarters from laundry machines and painstakingly saved them in bank sleeves — “Coinstar was too expensive,” she says — and that taught her the value of money.
Today, at just 32, Santucci is principal of TMR Investments, where she works with her father, Joe Manca, a longtime Seattle commercial real estate executive who also serves as principal. The private equity firm has focused on multifamily investments in the Western U.S. since 1981 and has completed more than $1 billion in multifamily transactions. Its five-state portfolio is valued at more than $850 million.
Santucci has worked at the multigenerational family business for 11 years and has served as principal since August 2022, but joining TMR was never a foregone conclusion. She cut her teeth with internships at Brooks Running and SRM Development before joining TRM as its first employee under a new ownership partnership. She began as an investment analyst and then methodically worked her way through every facet of the company.
Santucci faced a trifecta of challenges. She was young, a woman and the daughter of an established industry veteran who also co-owned the company. Establishing credibility was task No. 1.
“I had to work really hard to be patient, stay consistent and pay attention to details,” Santucci says. “I had to establish myself as my own individual and that it wasn’t just me coming on because Dad wanted me on board.”
Santucci, who balances her work responsibilities with an active family life with a young daughter, also serves on the board of CREW Seattle, a trade industry organization working to advance women in commercial real estate. Women account for only 38% of the commercial real estate industry and continue to earn less than men, despite base salaries narrowing.
CREW’s own research recently found that women across the United States identified gender discrimination in the workplace as their primary barrier to success.
Santucci, though, doesn’t dwell on that. She’s involved in CREW’s mentorship program and actively mentors women in her own company. She had a mentor herself, Kris Beason — a longtime Seattle commercial real estate leader — and works to dismantle the “role model gap” for the next generation.
Her No. 1 piece of advice? Trust your instincts early on, especially around imposter syndrome. She also urges young women to begin networking early in their careers.
“There’s power in leaning in and approaching things with a low ego of just asking questions or being curious if something doesn’t feel right,” she says. “We don’t trust our own instincts enough early on. I know I didn’t.”
As she guides TRM into the future, Santucci remains anchored by what the company calls its “secret sauce” that prioritizes human relationships over cold metrics. She describes her own management style as “firm but fair.”
“I’m never going to assume I’m the smartest person in the room,” she adds. “I want people that are badass on my team, just wicked smart. Ask questions and poke holes. I’m very low ego. I’m just trying to continue to get better myself as well.”
