How Personal Energy Helped Tony Giordano Close $125M in Deals

Artificial intelligence, shifting consumer behavior and a changing commercial real estate market are reshaping how professionals find prospects, market properties and build their businesses. But Tony Giordano's message at ICSC@Western was that technology alone will not determine who succeeds. The differentiator, he said, remains the energy people bring to their work and to the relationships that support it.

Giordano, president and founder of Giordano Industries, used his luncheon keynote to argue that mindset, marketing and emerging technology should work together—not compete with one another. In a business that increasingly relies on digital tools and constant visibility, he said, personal energy can still influence whether people pay attention, engage and ultimately choose to do business with someone.

"Energy is everything," Giordano told the audience.

His central point was straightforward: Tools can expand reach and improve efficiency, but they do not replace the human qualities that help professionals establish trust, sustain relationships and create momentum.

Rebuilding After The Financial Crisis

Giordano grounded that message in his own experience following the 2008 financial crisis. He described rebuilding his career after going from "everything to nothing," a setback that forced him to reconsider not just what he did, but how he presented himself to the market.

That period led him to put greater emphasis on marketing and on developing a stronger presence in an increasingly digital marketplace. Rather than treating visibility as an afterthought, Giordano described it as essential to rebuilding a business and reconnecting with potential clients.

The approach produced results, he said. Giordano closed $48 million in transactions in his first year as a real estate agent and $125 million in his second year.

Those figures illustrated the practical side of his keynote. His message was not that enthusiasm alone creates success. Instead, he linked energy to the sustained effort required to market consistently, meet people, strengthen a personal brand and continue moving forward after a setback.

Marketing Beyond The Tools

The commercial real estate industry is now facing another period of adjustment, with artificial intelligence, evolving customer expectations and broader market shifts changing the way companies operate. Giordano did not dismiss the importance of those changes. He addressed marketing and emerging technology as part of the modern business environment.

But his remarks suggested that the growing availability of technology makes a professional's personal approach more important, not less. As digital tools make it easier to communicate at scale, they can also make it harder to stand out. A strong message, consistent outreach and a visible personal brand may reach more people when supported by technology, but those efforts still depend on the person behind them.

For Giordano, energy is what gives those activities credibility. It shapes how people show up in meetings, how they speak about their business and how effectively they make others want to engage.

The Human Side Of Growth

Giordano's keynote ultimately returned to a basic premise: commercial real estate remains a relationship-driven business, even as the systems supporting it become more sophisticated.

The industry may adopt new technology and respond to new consumer habits, but professionals still need to earn attention and trust. Giordano argued that energy plays a direct role in that process because it affects how people connect with clients, colleagues and prospective partners.

That does not mean every professional needs the same style or level of outward intensity. The larger takeaway was that presence matters. In an environment shaped by rapid change, leaders who bring focus, resilience and genuine engagement to their work may be better positioned to turn new tools and shifting conditions into opportunities.

For Giordano, that is why energy remains more than a motivational concept. It is a business asset.

Check back with GlobeSt.com for more coverage from ICSC@WESTERN in San Diego.

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