Britney Mroczkowski, 32

Britney Mroczkowski

32

Vice president of retail development for BTI Partners

Real estate is in Britney Mroczkowski’s blood. Obviously not literally, but close.

Her grandfather was John Greco, founder of the Kash N’ Karry grocery chain. Her mother is commercial real estate developer Cindy Greco. It would only make sense if Mroczkowski would follow them into the family business.

But Mroczkowski who decided at an early age real estate was going to be her career, wanted to blaze her own trail despite the inherent and inherited advantages of her upbringing.

And that’s what she done.

Mroczkowski is the vice president of retail development for BTI Partners. In that position, she is in charge of the retail component of one of the biggest projects underway in the region, the Westshore Marina District.

The 52-acre Westshore Marina District is a massive development under construction in South Tampa, off Gandy and Westshore Boulevards. The development will include 1,300 residential units, waterfront walking trails and a full-service marina.

It will also include the 70,000-square-foot town center Marina Landings, which opened earlier this year. To date, several retailers and restaurants have either opened or are close to opening, including Cru Cellars, Sand Surf Co., Salon Color Bar, Duckweed Urban Grocery, Chuck Lager America’s Tavern and Qwench Juice Bar.

Mroczkowski says “they handed me land and basically said, 'build something amazing here.'”

So, she hired the contractor, hired the architects, designed it with the team and leased the space. “My goal here was to build, really, the heart and soul of the district…not just of the Westshore Marina District, but of all of South Tampa and Tampa Bay.”

Mroczkowski credits her mother for pushing her to take a real estate class as a student at Florida State University and for being a role model.

Greco helped manage the family’s real estate portfolio of retail properties after the grocery chain sold. She managed existing shopping centers, built new ones and expanded the portfolio to develop Eckerd Drug stores, a car dealership and hotels. She's a residential agent today. “I was lucky to see firsthand how she ran several businesses at once, " Mroczkowski says, "which was really inspiring to me at a young age.”

City of residence: Tampa

Birthplace: Tampa

Years in the Area: 32

Marital Status/Children: Single/No Children

Alma Mater/Degree: Florida State University – Bachelor of Science, Real Estate & Marketing

What community group or organization are you most involved with? Certified Commercial Investment Member (CCIM) – West Coast District, Florida Chapter.

What’s the weirdest job you’ve ever had? In high school, I worked at a woman-owned and run horse and cattle feed store. I would load trucks with 50-pound bags of feed and hay alongside a female crew after school.

What’s your top tip for being productive? Admittedly, I am not the most organized person in the world. What helps me the most is every Monday I start a new word document listing everything I need to get done that week. I update it every morning and reference it throughout the day. It’s a simple way to keep me in check in a job that requires my attention on many different projects at once.

If you could have a side hustle, what would it be? I do have side hustle! Three years ago, I built a Tiny House on the vacant lot next to my house with the sole purpose of using it as a vacation rental. It has been extremely successful and has already paid for itself multiple times. I hope to add to my portfolio and have several more income producing properties in the next few years. I also just received my general contractors license and would like to utilize it for my own projects and possibly for others in the near future.

What’s your favorite off-hours activity? I love spending time with my retired show-horse, Matthew. I have had him in my life for 20 years now and visit him on the weekends. Sometimes we will go for a ride, but mostly I enjoy just being at the barn and spending time with him. He is enjoying his well-deserved retirement, spoiled with treats and pampered all day. 

Have you gone to the movies in 2021? If yet, what did you see? Yes, my best friend and I have a tradition to see all the new Fast & Furious movies together. We went to Cinebistro and watched F9, the latest movie in the saga.

What’s the top item on your bucket list? Create passive income from a personal real estate portfolio so that I can travel the world. This may sound cliché, but I have been to 32 countries and counting so far. My work in real estate has always been rewarding but comes with a lot of stress. So, I have learned that you need to find time for yourself and find a personal passion outside of work. International travel has become a huge passion for me outside of real estate. Eventually, I would like to grow my personal real estate portfolio so that I can focus more time on travel.

What’s your favorite podcast? Construction Brothers

Where is your happy place? My mom’s house in Lutz on Bird Lake. This is the house that I grew up in and it holds so many amazing memories. The property is on a lake and is so peaceful. I feel happiest when I am at the lake with my family, surrounded by dogs with a glass of wine in my hand. We hope to have this property in our family for generations to come.

Describe yourself in three words? Daring, Determined, Visionary

Who is your mentor for your career and why? I have been lucky enough to have several mentors throughout my career, but I would like to showcase my mother, Cindy Greco. Although we have never worked together, she was also a commercial real estate developer. She worked with her father, John Greco, who founded the Kash N’ Karry grocery store chain with his family. Working alongside her father, she helped manage the real estate portfolio of retail properties even after they sold the grocery chain. They continued to manage existing shopping centers and build new ones, and she even expanded their portfolio to develop Eckerd stores, a car dealership and hotels. She also ran the business component for the hotels and car dealership. I grew up going to work with her almost every day running between businesses and properties. From a young age, I sat in meetings with her, whether it was to look at a new property or hire new employees. I was lucky to see firsthand how she ran several businesses at once, which was really inspiring to me at a young age.

I have never worked directly with my family because it was important to me to pave my own way in the industry. However, I give so much credit to my mom for being an inspiring role model, pushing me to take my first real estate class in college and always being there with thoughtful advice throughout my career. I fell in love with the real estate industry, just like she did. Now, I am proud to represent all retail properties in our portfolio at BTI Partners.

What is the biggest lessons you have learned from your mentor? My mom is a fierce businesswoman who knows how to take charge and get things done. I have always admired her strong will and passion to grow her business. However, when she turned 40, she decided to sell her portion of the real estate portfolio to focus on our family. As a single parent, she traveled with me during my middle and high school years competing horses across the country. Her sacrifice away from the business world allowed me to achieve my dream of becoming a World Champion equestrian. After I graduated college, she went back to work with a new focus on residential real estate. I have watched her start her career from the beginning again and grow to be one of the top residential agents in Tampa Bay.

Her resilience and determination to achieve anything as been the biggest lesson I have learned from watching her throughout my life. If she sets her mind to do something, she always finds a way to do it. I have followed in her footsteps and taken this approach many times in my career. I am very lucky to be working with a great company with an inspiring principal, Noah Breakstone, who also encourages me to achieve whatever I set my mind to.