Christopher Durkin – Laurel Real Estate Services, LLC

Christopher Durkin was 10 years old when he first learned that a leaky faucet was actually an opportunity. His grandfather, a self-made landlord who built a successful but modest 20-unit portfolio from nothing, would load him into the truck on weekends and hand him a wrench before he’d even hand him breakfast. There was no lecture about real estate as an industry, no talk of cap rates or occupancy. There was just work: fixing what was broken, listening to what tenants needed, and taking pride in a building that ran well. Durkin didn’t know it then, but those Saturdays were laying the foundation for a career that would eventually put him in charge of nearly a thousand apartment units across Pittsburgh.

Today, as vice president of property management for Laurel Real Estate Services, LLC, Durkin oversees a portfolio that dwarfs his grandfather’s — but the values haven’t changed. Laurel is a Pittsburgh-based real estate investment and property management firm built on the principle that disciplined capital deployment means little without hands-on operational execution to back it up. Since 2011, the company has helped investors and institutional partners unlock value across commercial, multi-family, office, retail, and mixed-use properties, pairing a data-driven investment approach with a genuine commitment to the people who live and work in its buildings. That balance — between rigorous underwriting and real, human service — is the thread running through Durkin’s entire career.

From wrenches to leadership

After college, Durkin tried on a few other professional identities before dabbling in finance, sales, and marketing. None of it stuck the way real estate had. When he joined Laurel in 2017 in an entry-level property management role, the company owned a single property. He rose to property manager within his first two years there, and the promotions kept coming as Laurel’s portfolio grew through acquisitions and reorganizations: regional property manager, then director of property management, and finally, in August 2023, vice president of property management.

“Once you do a couple of deals, you know what to expect and how to do it,” Durkin says. “I’ve done six of those now, and that builds confidence for the next one and makes our targeted growth feel realistic.”

That confidence has translated into a leadership style built on delegation rather than control. Durkin now spends less time on day-to-day site management and more time setting vision, trusting his regional and project managers to run operations on the ground. It’s a shift he describes as moving away from a do-it-yourself mindset — recognizing that sustainable growth depends on empowering others rather than stepping in personally every time something needs fixing.

What makes Laurel different

Laurel’s roughly 900 to 950 units under management, along with ownership interests in about 400 more, sit almost entirely within the Pittsburgh market, spanning everything from Class A developments with the city’s highest rents per square foot to workforce housing serving other tenant bases in different neighborhoods. Durkin is quick to point out that those two worlds require entirely different approaches.

“What each market expects, and values in housing, is different from what a property in a different neighborhood expects and values,” Durkin says of Laurel’s diverse and growing Tenant base. “It is crucial to listen to Tenant feedback and provide opportunities for anyone to share their thoughts on their property and what is important to them. Never assume.”

Regardless of the property type, though, Durkin says the differentiator is the same: building genuine community. Property managers act as what Durkin calls leaders of their own ecosystem, responsible for fostering connection and giving tenants a voice rather than simply collecting rent and fielding maintenance requests. At some properties, Laurel backs that philosophy with amenities unusual in the industry, including a bi-weekly professional housekeeping service that handles linen refreshes, toiletry restocking, and general cleaning—a hotel-style touch included with rent that has become a genuine competitive advantage.

Staying ahead of shifting tenant expectations requires constant listening, something Durkin has practiced since his earliest days at the company.

“When I started here in 2017, quarterly, I would go out and do some comparison shopping of other properties,” he says.

That habit has only grown more important as the pace of change accelerates, particularly around flexible lease terms and shared amenities like study areas that younger renters increasingly expect.

Balancing technology & people

As Laurel works to become more efficient, Durkin and his team are weighing thoughtful adoption of new technology and AI against a company culture that remains deeply people-centered. A tenant app now helps residents communicate with management and with each other, supporting everything from maintenance requests to community events like pizza nights and off-site gatherings. But Durkin is careful not to chase every new trend for its own sake.

“Some organization out there is going to have the next best thing, and we can’t get caught up constantly trying to chase that,” he says.

Instead, Laurel invests in what actually strengthens tenant relationships and staff culture, from housekeeping services to frequent, informal touchpoints that keep communication open. That same open-communication philosophy extends internally, where leadership has moved toward a more inclusive style that welcomes employee feedback rather than enforcing decisions from the top down.

Renovating for the long term

Much of Durkin’s current focus is on an aggressive, multi-year renovation strategy underway at two of Laurel’s properties, a coordinated effort spanning accounting, project management, and property management teams. The projects involve full gut renovations, with new layouts, in-unit washers and dryers, luxury vinyl plank flooring replacing carpet, and upgraded finishes like stainless steel appliances and quartz countertops. The improvements are aimed squarely at market demand.

“We’re building communities in our properties, regardless of the property or the amenities,” Durkin says.

The company also has longer-term plans, including converting a surface parking lot into an open-air park with pickleball courts, a project still a few years out but consistent with Laurel’s approach of investing patiently in the tenant experience and creating value.

Looking ahead, Durkin’s ambitions remain tied closely to the people around him. He hopes to look back one day with pride at the role he played in growing Laurel’s portfolio, but he’s equally invested in building a workplace culture strong enough to attract and retain talent well beyond competitive pay. He finds particular fulfillment in mentoring newer employees, even as a packed calendar limits how much time he can dedicate to it directly.

“I enjoy onboarding somebody and telling my story,” he says. “I can attest to what always working hard, having thick skin, and good listening skills can lead you to in this industry.”

Outside the office, Durkin leans on faith, family, and time outdoors to stay grounded, especially fly fishing, which he treats less as a hobby than a form of awareness and reflection. As a new father balancing a demanding role with a growing family, he understands better than most that the values his grandfather taught him decades ago — patience, hard work, and genuine care for the people around him — are still the ones carrying him forward, one property, one tenant, and one team member at a time.