Shopping Centers Today is the news magazine of the International Council of Shopping Centers (ICSC)
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Eight years ago I worked on some of our first urban develop- ments, and I would like to see that grow. That's something I'm very passionate about. My dad taught me the sky's the limit." Kelly says she views her role and the pressures that come with it as motivators, and she advises others in a similar role to feel the same. "To me, it's about humility, because you do have to realize you have an extra mile to go," she said. "And be entrepreneurial, don't be focused on the past, and be excited about where you're going." F rank S. Benson III has been a partner at Casto since 1974 and is a grandson of Casto founder Don M. Casto Sr. Today Benson's daughter Sarah, the oldest of his four children, is Casto's director of marketing and public relations. And his son, Frank S. Benson IV, will soon be joining the firm too. Sarah's path to Casto was not immediately evident. Af- ter graduating from Rollins College, in Winter Park, Fla., she moved to Los Angeles and became a residen- tial real estate agent. "The marketing aspect is where I really felt I shined," she said. After five years there she decided to move back to Columbus and join Casto. Her father followed a decidedly different path. "I was born to follow in my dad's footsteps, because my grandfather Casto was a huge influence on me, and I really had an interest in what he was doing when I was 6, 7, 8 years old," said Frank. "I knew that's what I wanted to do from the beginning, and I actually focused on it all through high school and going to col- lege. I think some children, in fact, do want to follow in their parents' footsteps." For Sarah, it took time, but even in her childhood, it was impossible to avoid the Casto influence entirely. Often this was through osmosis. "We happened to shop at a Casto's shop- ping center, and we'd drive by a Casto sign," she recalled. "So you're seeing it and taking it in. Whether the chip is there or whether it's following in their footsteps, it's just kind of right in front of your eyes — it's ingrained." She also was an early contributor in the office. "As a child, I loved more than any- thing to come to work with my dad," she said. "I remember running the switchboard at the reception desk at the age of 9. I would run the whole switchboard without anyone's help. The receptionist would sit next to me, but I would run that thing, no problem. It is so silly, but I loved to stop by the supply room and get a new highlighter or new Post-it notes or whatever for school. I thought that was such a neat aspect of coming to visit dad at work." Frank's earliest advice to Sarah was short and simple: "Work hard, believe in yourself and have fun," he would say. "If you are not having fun, then none of this is worth it, and you've got the wrong job." As was true of Don Casto's daughter Kelly, Sarah felt the pressure of the family ties. "Coming in as a partner's daugh- ter, in general, whether family or not, you're going to be scru- tinized and looked at under a microscope more than a general new associate," Sarah said. That pressure was mitigated some- what by Frank's insistence on setting up autonomy around children in the workplace. "You try to distance yourself somewhat from their actual day-to-day responsibilities," he said. "You stay there as a father and a support tool, but you're not the boss, and you're not the guy that's saying, 'Sure, go on vacation.' They need to be re- sponsible to somebody else, and that's good for me as a dad, and that's good for anybody's child that's got a dad in the busi- ness. Over the 10 years that Sarah has been here, we've kind of come back together where we work very closely on a daily basis now, but from the beginning it wasn't like that, and it shouldn't be." Sarah embraced the concept. "I preferred that method and appreciated it, and in turn I've been exposed to some of my big- gest role models in the business that happened to be women as well," she said. "I've learned from them; I've gotten great guid- ance and advice — and it hasn't just been like, 'Oh my, I need to ask my dad!' It's not that type of mentality." Finding her niche and how she could contribute was a key factor from the start. "Marketing and PR within the real estate business was where I truly fit, so I am making my mark on my own in that regard. I want to continue to see the business grow, I want to continue to see the business preserve its reputation." N ot all father-daughter combinations work side by side in the industry, but they may still share a common bond that augments the family relationship. Such is the case with Wil- liam (Bill) Beckeman, president and CEO of Burlington, Mass.–based Linear Retail Properties, and his daughter Bridget. Bill founded Linear Retail, which owns, acquires, develops and manages retail properties in New England, in 2003. He is trained as a structural engineer, but also spent years in property management with John Hancock Properties and as a partner with Finard & Co. He has two daughters. Bridget, 28, is a Har- vard graduate and has been an asset manager at Jamestown Properties since 2014. Her sister, Lily, 26, lives in New York City and is involved in the fashion industry. 58 S C T / A u g u s t 2 0 1 6