Women To Watch: Trend Tracker® With Jessica Goldman Srebnick
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MIAMI (CBSMiami) -- In this edition of "Women To Watch," Trend Tracker® Tara Gilani shines the spotlight on a happily married, busy working mom of three sons who in her spare time, runs a company dedicated to reinvigorating neighborhoods across the country.
Jessica Goldman Srebnick is CEO of Goldman Properties. Founded by her late father Tony Goldman, their specialty is hospitality and reviving communities. Beloved for his commitment to many cities, including Miami, Tony Goldman's legacy is safe in his daughter's capable hands.
"We are neighborhood revitalizers," said Jessica Goldman. "We go into neighborhoods very early on like SoHo in the 1970's, Miami Beach, South Beach in the 1980's, Philadelphia in the 90's. Wall Street in the 90's, we came to the Wynwood section of Miami in 2006. I like to say we curate neighborhoods and so it's bringing in really like-minded, interesting tenants to help create a culture and a community like what we have in Wynwood."
Tony Goldman was a brilliant visionary. To Jessica he was more. He was dad.
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"My dad was an enormous influence on my life. My dad was one to empower others and inspire others and be one to be the example and so I like to think I don't follow in his footsteps. I create my own footsteps but he has created a path for me."
For Jessica, life is about making contributions, making change, making progress.
"Our company's philosophy is really about seeing the best in everything and creating hope where there is none and creating prosperity and creating just these incredible worldwide destinations."
Art is a key ingredient in all Goldman recipes, especially in Wynwood.
"With Wynwood, it was all about the art and what we did was we just took the art to a whole other level and we invited the greatest street artists in the world to come and paint on our walls. For us it was the perfect canvas. They created what's now the Wynwood Walls which is where we sit and then we took it outside the neighborhood and you can see the neighborhood has become one of the most important neighborhoods in the world for public art."
"Forget the Midas touch," said Gilani, "Jessica has the Goldman touch.
She and her dad put Wynwood on the map."
Gilani especially loved frolicking in front of a mural by Kenny Scharf.
"Heavenly," said Gilani. "I love it. What's not to love?"
Jessica agrees and said, "It's open to the public. It's free of charge. It's not intimidating, it is everywhere. Who doesn't want to be around an environment that is so inspiring and beautiful and thought-provoking."
Muses Gilani: "CEO and neighborhood revitalizer by day, Mom of three boys by night. How does she do it?"
"My husband," said Jessica. "I couldn't do what I do without the love, support, amazing advice and wisdom from him. He's my prince: Scott Srebnik."
Jessica was a retail executive before she got into the family business, 17 years ago.
"No silver spoon here," said Gilani.
"I'm all about female empowerment and equal opportunity but I also think that it's very important to just do your best and prove that you are you know – I'm the right person for this job, that I earned this job of CEO not because I was somebody's daughter not because I was a woman, but because this is the job that I was really born to do," explained Jessica.
Jessica Goldman played Gilani's lightening round with an open heart.
Goldman, from the heart, answered the Trend Tracker®'s round of questions: I am, "creative," I want, "more time.," I will, "make a difference." I promise, "to do my best."
Cheers Jessica Goldman, a Woman To Watch!