Pacific Guardian Center Honolulu, HI 96813

I have had the privilege of working for Colliers International since 2010 as a member of our Office Services team. I decided to pursue a career as a commercial real estate advisor at Colliers as I knew there were much greater challenges and in turn, greater opportunities, for me to tackle.
Since joining, I have had the honor of becoming a Vice President of Investment & Office Services in Hawaii and have watched us grow from a group of less experienced, but hungry individuals, to a cohesive team of well-established and well-connected leaders in the Hawaii market. Hawaii is a unique place to participate in commercial real estate advisory as it has a unique culture of its own, but also sits as a gateway between the Asia-Pacific region and the continental U.S.
During my time at Colliers, I have averaged participating in over 100 combined sale and lease transactions per year since 2011. My role as both a tenant representative and landlord representative has evolved over the years. I find myself actively advising for many institutional occupiers, such as Hawaii Pacific Health, Hawaii Pacific University, and Hawaiian Electric Company. It is easy to give my all for clients like these and many others that are truly a pleasure to work with as each day brings something new to study and evaluate. I am also fortunate to represent a multitude of landlords, both smaller organizations and larger institutions, as well as sellers of commercial properties here on the islands. Seeing and learning from both the tenant and landlord sides has given me a unique perspective that I’ve found beneficial in solution-making for clients. The rewards associated with a satisfied client are hard to match and are the driver for continuing to do what I do. Also, the opportunity to become engaged in our special community with so many business leaders is something I am grateful for and would not have envisioned a decade ago.
As much as I love my career and colleagues, I am most appreciative for the blessings I have at home in my wife and daughter. They are the reason I do what I do and am thankful every morning to wake up with them in my life. My family enjoys spending as much time at the beach and in the ocean as we can, which is always good for our well-being. When I am not at the beach or at work, I can likely be found watching Michigan State University sports (despite the challenges in the 6 hour time change).
Go Green!

Karen M. Birkett is Vice President of the Office & Investment Services at Colliers. Karen services both landlords and tenants, which enables her to be very effective in all levels of lease negotiations, small and large. Karen has represented various landlords such as Bristol Group, Central Pacific Bank, Aloha United Way, Office of Hawaiian Affairs, Versa, and is responsible for securing new tenants as well as renewing existing tenants for over 100,000,000 square feet of office space in the downtown, Kapiolani, Iwilei and Kakaako areas.  In addition, Karen is the leasing agent for Na Lama Kukui, a unique building which attracts both retail and office users.
Along with the responsibility of representing various landlords, Karen has extensive experience in servicing tenants, both small and large. Past and present clients include Hawaii State Federal Credit Union, DTRIC, Charles Schwab, HMAA, Hawaiian Electric Company, MC&A, Halekulani Corporation, Waikiki Health Center, Edward Jones, HonBlue, Atlantis Submarine, Hawaii Pacific University, Allstate Insurance, Atlas Insurance, Kiewit Construction, Yogi Kwong Engineering, and Rider Levett Bucknall just to name a few. In addition, Karen has represented various law firms, financial services groups, non profits, contractors/engineers and numerous alternative energy companies.
In addition to assisting landlord and tenants Karen has been involved in multiple acquisition/disposition projects in Honolulu including The Arcade Building, Airport Center, Ocean View Center, Haseko Center, 1833 Kalakaua, Alakea Corporate Plaza Condominiums, Melim Building, 500 N. Nimitz, 501 Sumner and 810 Richards Building, just to name a few.
Prior to Karen’s success in commercial real estate, she spent 5 years in the residential and commercial mortgage lending business.  Before her years in the mortgage business, Ms. Karen spent many years in retail sales management, while at the same time owning and operating a variety of her own businesses, giving her the knowledge and understanding of what it takes to be a business owner. Karen’s experiences of owning various businesses, coupled with her many years of experience working for large corporations, has enabled her to understand the needs of all clients whether they are small business owners or large corporate clients.
Karen is originally from Whidbey Island, Washington, but has lived in Hawaii for over 30 years.

I have been an office leasing associate with Colliers since 2015. Prior to making the transition to commercial real estate brokerage I worked in the Institutional Trust Department at Bank of Hawaii which laid a solid foundation for servicing business clients. I am born and raised on the island of Oahu and graduated from Punahou School in 2007. From there I went on to earn a B.A. in Finance from the University of Hawaii.
I genuinely enjoy everyday of work I have at Colliers. Whether it’s working on the landlord side representing my clients such as Alexander & Baldwin and Kamehameha Schools or representing tenants to help solve their commercial real estate needs. The thing I find most rewarding is working with a client with a tough requirement. Being able to get creative and think outside the box of “you need “x” amount of square feet in this area” is refreshing. It helps to keep everyday exciting and allows me to bring new ideas to all my clients even if their requirements seem straightforward.
I pride myself as always making sure my client feels like they are number one. I am always responsive and make sure that their needs are always first priority. Others would certainly describe a part of my personality as empathetic and I believe I’m able to use that empathy to stand in my clients shoes and truly see their issues from their perspective. Ultimately I judge my success on the feedback I receive after a deal has closed. If I was able to solve a problem, take over the workload of the deal, and my client is satisfied that would mean I’ve done a good job.
When not working to relax I love to do anything related to the ocean. It could be surfing, bodysurfing, stand up paddling, or just really anything outdoors. I am also proud to be a volunteer as well as board member of Surfrider Spirit Sessions. A program which allows me to share my love of the ocean with at risk youth and give them a pathway to make positive life changes.