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Seattle Culture

The Corporate Rocket

Mortenson Market Lead Cori Palmer rose through the ranks at lightning speed

By Rob Smith January 21, 2025

Woman with long brown hair, wearing a brown blazer and white shirt, smiles confidently in an office setting, celebrating the success of landing a job after college.
Photo by David Huff Photography

This article originally appeared in the January/February 2025 issue of Seattle magazine.

Talk about a rapid rise. In 2009, Cori Palmer was a freshly minted graduate from the University of Puget Sound with a bachelor’s degree in psychology. It didn’t take her long to land a job as a business development associate at Mortenson, a Minneapolis-based construction company with a sizable Seattle presence.

Five promotions later, Palmer is now the market executive at Mortenson’s Seattle office, where she leads a team that helped develop several notable buildings, including citizenM hotels in South Lake Union and Pioneer Square and the Tilt49 office tower in the bustling Denny Triangle neighborhood.

Along the way, she served on the board of directors of Commercial Real Estate for Women (CREW) before serving a three-year term as chapter president. She remains involved in that organization (especially in areas related to diversity, equity and inclusion), and also currently sits on the board of directors for the Bellevue Downtown Association. Palmer says she’s particularly interested in creating opportunities for women in a traditionally male-dominated commercial real estate industry.

“I am passionate about the advancement of women,” she says, “and broadening overall diversity in the industry.”

Palmer, her husband, and children live in Monroe, where they enjoy gardening, biking, camping, boating, playing on the water and romping through the snow. Meet Cori Palmer, in her own words.

Leadership

A good leader is someone that listens first. In our fast-paced world, it is easy to enter a situation or conversation with a decision or predetermined opinion already in mind. If you can make a practice of really hearing your team’s perspective and ideas, you’re better prepared to take those alternate perspectives in mind and blend them with yours to make the best decision for the organization.

Overrated Traits

We are in desperate need of a variety of leadership styles. The more diversity of thought and leadership we can build into our industry, the more it will be a place where we’re bringing more creative solutions and an environment where everyone is welcomed and has the space to grow. Outspoken and decisive leaders have historically been more readily celebrated and recognized as the style to emulate. While those traits certainly remain important, maintaining that balance of leadership personalities is key. There is a lot to be learned from showing up as a leader who is empathetic, listens, and welcomes other perspectives.

Prominence

Women achieving more prominent roles in their organizations falls into the responsibility of all genders. Women must be confident vocalizing their aspirations, not just once, but repeatedly and to anyone that will listen so that there is no question of their goals. They then need to show up and exhibit that desire through their actions without fear of judgment. Similarly, others need to foster an environment that welcomes that conversation and openly ask women about their career objectives. They need to provide sponsorship while acknowledging barriers that may be in the way so they can take action to alleviate those barriers.

Lessons Learned

There are several women I’ve had the opportunity to learn from and continue to be inspired by. There are three key lessons from those women that continue to be true and I now share with others:

  1. You are (or should be) your own best advocate. No one else knows what you want more than you do, so don’t hesitate to speak up.
  2. Get comfortable with being uncomfortable and saying “yes.” Always (or almost always) take the risk, even if it seems daunting or challenging and makes you uncomfortable. The worst that can happen is you fail, but in every case, you’ll have learned something along the way.
  3. There is no such thing as a perfect balance of work and life. Work and life both go in phases, and at some points one may require more time, energy, and attention than the other, and that’s OK. The days that you feel like you’re excelling at work are likely not the days you’re showing up as you’d like to at home and vice versa. We can’t expect ourselves to do it all perfectly every day, and no one else should, either. Getting comfortable with that relieves you of the expectation and pressure to do it perfectly.

Advice

It’s OK to be different and not fit the stereotypical mold. While it may feel uncomfortable for you and others at first, you’ll feel so much better showing up as your authentic self rather than overthinking it constantly trying to “fit in.” I think this holds true particularly in a male-dominated industry. Don’t second-guess that floral phone case you picked out, your pink shirt, or your skirt and heels if that makes you feel comfortable and confident in your skin. Fellow leaders will come to learn and respect that you bring something different to the table and that diversity of leadership, thought, and perspectives makes businesses stronger. Others appreciate the authenticity and opportunity to get to know you, and your actions help set the example for others, women in particular, to feel more comfortable showing up as themselves.

Get comfortable with being uncomfortable and saying “yes.” Always (or almost always) take the risk, even if it seems daunting or challenging and makes you uncomfortable.

Networking

Relationships are vitally important and come into play at different times of your career and for various reasons — mentorship, sponsorship, camaraderie and support, friendships, business opportunities, etc. I have found that active engagement in organizations is a great way to connect with other professionals in your same industry and have personally resulted in mentorship, business networking, and friendships. Following up and fostering those relationships is crucial so that you can genuinely call on them when needed. It’s easy to want to draw a direct correlation between networking and making a business deal, and in some cases, it may be that clear of a tie, but more often it’s the history and woven web of relationships that result in personal and professional success. Considering our largely virtual world and workplace, I’ll add that I don’t think any virtual interaction matches the relationship building potential of in-person interaction when you’re building new relationships. The opportunity to share an experience, tackle a problem, or have a hearty conversation with someone builds a faster, stronger connection than that same experience virtually.

Do Differently?

Looking back, I would have been more purposeful with being curious, asking more questions, and intentionally exploring my options for career opportunity. I would have figured out how to get comfortable speaking up sooner and louder so that others knew and could support me in getting there.

Unwind on a Saturday afternoon?

You can find me spending quality family time with my husband, 6-year-old son, 4-year-old daughter, and our sweet golden retriever. Preferably outside in the yard playing or tending to our vegetable garden, or out on the water enjoying what a beautiful place we live in.

Autobiography Title

Blueprints of Motherhood: Constructing a Career and a Family.

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