Professional Profile: Paula Schmidl-Simandi - 1980

Name: Paula Schmidl-Simandi - 1980

Title: Commercial Broker

Company: Cushman & Wakefield of Stamford

Location: Stamford, CT

Birthplace: Philadelphia, PA

Paula Schmidl-Simandi, newly hired commercial broker for Cushman & Wakefield of Stamford, has been in the real estate business for 11 years and has established herself as a solid force in Connecticut. She started in residential real estate with Carriage House Realty, then became involved in commercial real estate with Sound Realty. Both firms were founded by Paula, who enjoys being her boss. On the contrary, she has just recently given up that privilege for her new position at C&W. Paula says, “I have been very successful on my own as an office leasing specialist and I feel that with the expertise of C&W’s many departments and their nation-wide network of offices behind me, I will be in an even better position to assist corporations with their office space requirements.” Helping to prove this statement, she has just completed a lease of 58,000 s/f to a major corporation which will be relocating its headquarters from New York to Stamford. Paula was born in Philadelphia, but grew up in Queens, N.Y. She attended Hunter College High School in Manhattan, during which her time she appeared on radio for WNYC. She went on to Vassar College to major in Drama and minor in Philosophy, followed by a short acting career which consisted of some off Broadway plays and a movie short entitled “Cocktail Party.” Her short was seen on 3D Ave. in New York preceding an Anne Bancroft film. In 1963, she gave up acting to teach elementary school for approximately six years. In that time, she was a member of the New York City Board of Education and received a Federal Grant to study Economics at the elementary school level. She began her real estate career in 1969 and has been very happy with her 11 years in the business. She is particularly please with her recent decision to join the commercial division of Cushman & Wakefield of Connecticut, Landmark Square, Stamford. “Selecting the right real estate professional to guide a corporation through the various stages of its relocation is one of the most crucial decisions to be made,” Paula said. On the personal side of her life, Paula is a strong believer in community involvement. She was a corporate fundraiser for the 1978 scholarship benefit sponsored by the Associated Vassar Clubs of Fairfield County, and also was a corporate fundraiser for the Whitby School. She was benefit chairman for the Whitby School and also vice president of the Parent’s Association. She has been a member of the North Street PTA Board and more recently she was chairman of the Hartman Theatre Fundraiser with featured Judy Collins in a sell-out concert.