Jennifer Malboeuf Crampton says she got her passion for real estate from her dad.
“He owned an equipment rental company in Gloucester, and did a lot of construction and building on the side,” Crampton said. “That was his real passion in life. I used to tag along with him on jobs. I knew I wanted to do something real estate-related. I got that bug from him.”
After earning a bacehlor’s degree in finance from Bentley University in Waltham, Crampton worked for a short time as a commercial real estate broker before joining MMA Financial and its predecessor organizations for eight years. While at MMA, she focused on affordable housing development, closing transactions totaling more than $425 million.
In 2008 she joined Wells Fargo, where she is vice president and senior relationship manager for the company’s Low Income Housing Tax Credit (LIHTC) group within community lending and investment. Wells Fargo is the largest LIHTC investor nationally. Crampton has closed more than 50 transactions across the country for the company, totaling $830 million in equity invested.
Currently, she is focused on expanding Wells Fargo’s presence in New England and the greater Northeast region, most recently originating affordable housing transactions in Boston and Cambridge. In both deals, Crampton positioned Wells Fargo as the equity investor and supported federal LIHTC for the developers. These deals marked the first LIHTC opportunities for Wells Fargo in New England.
“I just love seeing an old building being rehabbed and preserved, or seeing a new building being constructed,” Crampton said. “It is so rewarding,” particularly when the buildings are being constructed for affordable housing. “I feel it is a way of giving back to the community. We’re providing safe, clean housing for folks who really needit.”
It is a passion that extends beyond her professional role. Crampton volunteers regularly with Friends of Boston’s Homeless. She is also an active volunteer with Wells Fargo, most recently supporting a community center repair project with Rebuilding Together Boston.
Within the company, Crampton has been identified as a top performer, and recently selected for a prestigious Wells Fargo Golden Spoke Award, which recognizes outstanding service to customers, shareholders and colleagues.
Although she is often the only woman at the table, Crampton said real estate in general, and origination in particular, are great careers for women.
“It’s a place where they can get both sides of a transaction – the technical aspects and the more personal aspects,” she said. “I have the pleasure of being able to manage relationships at the bank. I am very focused on relationships with customers for the long-term. Being able to do that is very rewarding, and I think something women are particularly well suited at.”
But no matter what the career choice, Crampton’s advice to young women just starting out is always the same: “Jump in, learn all you can, ask questions, find a mentor and don’t be afraid to try new things.”
