Shelly Just is a proptech leader helping to shape the future of commercial real estate at the intersection of operations and technology. Through curiosity, grit and a company-first mentality, she’s built a career focused on enhancing tenant experiences and leading organizations through meaningful transformation.
Today, Shelly serves as the Senior Vice President of Operations at HqO, a Boston-based proptech leader.
Here’s what you need to know about her journey….
Raised in upstate New York, Shelly grew up in a family that instilled the values of hard work, empathy and resilience. Team sports—soccer, lacrosse and volleyball—taught her discipline, adaptability and leadership from a young age. She went on to study Business and Marketing at the University of Vermont, where she began building the foundation for a career centered around strategic thinking, operational rigor and results.
After graduation, Shelly leaned on early mentors for career guidance—particularly her aunt, a commercial real estate executive who encouraged her to explore the industry. A coffee chat with Kevin McCall, CEO of Paradigm Properties, turned into an unexpected job offer. Rather than join a large global brand, Shelly opted to grow her career at Paradigm, betting that a smaller firm would offer more hands-on learning and responsibility.
Property Management: Her First Operating Ground
At Paradigm, Shelly started as an Assistant Property Manager supporting a portfolio of seven buildings. When an opportunity opened up, she stepped into a Property Manager role overseeing three assets—including 101 Tremont Street, one of the firm’s flagship buildings facing Boston Common.
Guiding 101 Tremont through a full repositioning—releasing tenants, overseeing renovations and supporting a successful sale—was a career-defining moment. It deepened her understanding of asset management and cemented her reputation as a strong operator with a bias for action. She credits Kevin McCall for instilling an “ownership mindset” early in her career: the idea that property managers are CEOs of their buildings.
While at Paradigm, Shelly also led research into proptech solutions to elevate the tenant experience. That’s when she reconnected with HqO, a company she had first encountered when they were subtenants at 101 Tremont. After reading about HqO’s international expansion, Shelly reached out to congratulate CEO Chase Garbarino—just as the company was beginning to scale.
Joining HqO
HqO was a <30-person startup at the time, with only a few buildings under contract. They were about to close a major enterprise customer and needed someone who could deliver a high-touch onboarding experience. With her background in property management and her deep belief in HqO’s mission, Shelly joined as the company’s first Onboarding Manager in July 2019.
From day one, she was focused on helping landlords and property teams successfully launch HqO’s Real Estate Experience platform—bringing a unique empathy for the customer and a clear operational lens to the early delivery model. As HqO grew, so did her scope: she built out the Implementation team, then led global project management, onboarding, technical delivery and customer support.
When COVID hit in 2020, HqO’s role shifted dramatically. What was once a “nice-to-have” became essential for landlords trying to stay connected to tenants in a remote world. Shelly played a key role in adapting HqO’s onboarding processes for a fully virtual environment, rewriting playbooks and scaling remote deployments to meet the demands of one of the company’s most accelerated phases of growth.
From Chief of Staff to SVP of Operations
In mid-2023, Shelly transitioned into the Chief of Staff role, working directly with the executive team to drive cross-functional alignment, manage strategic initiatives and serve as the connective tissue between teams. She supported the company through its Series D fundraising and helped orchestrate internal operational shifts at a time of meaningful transformation.
By early 2024, Shelly was promoted to Senior Vice President of Operations. Today, she leads all post-sales functions as well as business operations. Her ability to scale teams, evolve processes and execute with consistency has made her a cornerstone of the company’s operating rhythm and success.
Be Infectiously Curious. Be a Student of the Game.
Shelly’s guiding principle has always been to stay curious and learn from both market experts and her colleagues within the company. She believes the best opportunities come to those who raise their hand, lean into change and continuously seek growth—especially in fast-moving environments where roles evolve quickly and impact is earned through action.
She credits much of her growth to an ‘extreme ownership’ mindset—a principle consistently modeled by both Kevin McCall and Chase Garbarino. Seeing that same standard upheld across two very different leadership environments deeply reinforced the importance of taking initiative, embracing accountability and viewing change as opportunity rather than disruption.
3 Career Insights / Learnings:
Never Compromise on Standards– “Surround yourself with people who challenge you and set the bar high—and be humble enough to learn from them. I’ve had the opportunity to work with and for individuals who hold incredibly high standards, and I attribute much of my growth to that environment. Their example has pushed me to raise my own, stay open to feedback and continuously strive for better. Excellence is a habit.”
Reliability and Drive – “Be the person others trust to get things done. People want to work with reliable, driven teammates.”
Pay It Forward – “Mentorship has been huge for me. I try to be that mentor to others now. The people who gave me (and continue to give me) time and advice have made a huge difference in my career.”
Shelly is energized by the opportunity to help realize HqO’s mission: transforming the built world through technology, data and service. She’s driven by the challenge of delivering meaningful solutions for customers and creating smarter, more human-centered workplace experiences. With a passion for execution and a deep belief in the company’s vision, Shelly continues to lead with empathy, operational discipline and a relentless focus on progress.She remains energized by work that blends people, process and purpose—and is excited to keep pushing boundaries in the built world.
You can find her shaping the future of real estate experience at HqO, staying busy around Boston, or sharing ideas and insights on LinkedIn. Thanks for sharing your learnings. We can’t wait to see the teams, spaces and industries you continue to influence in the years ahead!