You’ll learn about gauging risk and spotting opportunities in this conversation with Kaitlin McCarthy. Kaitlin established Ionic Development Company, which is a certified Woman Business Enterprise, in 2022. She has more than 10 years of experience managing large development and construction projects in downtown Boston. Before she founded Ionic, Kaitlin served as vice president at The HYM Investment Group. She has worked on projects such as The Sudbury with 368 apartments and 55 condos, and One Congress, which is the world headquarters of State Street Bank.

Kaitlin grew up in Connecticut and had an interest in architecture from early on. She studied engineering at Northeastern University in Boston, and leaned into construction management, working for a company called Turner Construction after graduating. While there, she became fascinated with the concepts and many pieces that went into creating a space. To gain skills to help her with the development perspective, she went to Harvard for a MBA.

After finishing her studies there, Kaitlin went into management consulting and worked for Boston Consulting Group. While she gained insight into business and strategy, she also realized she missed the building aspects. With that in mind, in 2017 she connected with HYM Investment Group, a large real estate developer in Boston.

During the pandemic, Kaitlin used the time to step back and realized she wasn’t seeing any women-owned developers in her area. She had an “aha” moment and thought, “Maybe I can go out and try this on my own…to make a difference in what the scene of Boston real estate development looks like.” In 2022, she took the leap and started her own company, Ionic, a real estate development firm.

Even though the market is going through a challenging time, Kaitlin has found opportunities to pursue development management assignments and projects. From brainstorming the answer to handling office buildings to using technology in new ways, she focuses on the task at hand and maintains a willingness to take a risk. She believes a mindset to try new things and think differently will help set her company apart in the coming years.

You can connect with Kaitlin and her certified Woman Business Enterprise (WBE) Ionic Development Company through LinkedIn.

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