Tere Blanca’s Serendipitous Start In Commercial Real Estate

/in , /by

April 7, 2016
“Well-meaning friends tried to discourage me, but I listened to my gut.”

Tere Blanca has over 25 years of experience in South Florida’s commercial real estate market. During that time, she’s done everything from land acquisition to master planning design and from construction, marketing and lease up to the sale of office and mixed-use assets.

Before launching Blanca Commercial Real Estate in 2009, she served as senior managing director for Cushman & Wakefield of Florida for five years. There she successfully led the firm’s South Florida operations, achieving significant revenue growth and increased profitability. Blanca also held the position of senior vice president at Codina Realty Services, ONCOR International where she was consistently among the top producers during her 14-year tenure.

GlobeSt.com caught up with Blanca, founder, president and CEO of Blanca, to learn more about her journey and the challenges along the way in this exclusive interview. Stay tuned for part two of this article, in which Blanca will share her career challenges and how she overcame them.

GlobeSt.com: How did you get your start in commercial real estate?

Blanca: It was purely serendipitous! I was in San Diego working in sales at a tech company and not feeling completely fulfilled, when a friend suggested commercial real estate. I looked into it and liked the fact that it would enable me to draw from my background in finance as well as my sales experience. I had the luck of a fantastic mentor who took me under his wing, and I absolutely fell in love with the industry! It was one of the best decisions I have ever made.

GlobeSt.com: What have been some of the key turning points in your career?

Blanca: Certainly a key turning point was opening Blanca Commercial Real Estate in April, 2009, during a time when the real estate market was in crisis. Well-meaning friends tried to discourage me, but I listened to my gut.

I felt that the time was actually ideal for starting my own firm and helping people who were in deep distress, navigating through incredibly difficult situations. They needed professionals like me who were willing to roll up their sleeves and see them through the storm.

But in many ways we also face turning points on a daily basis, in light of a myriad of factors including our firm’s continued growth, the nature of our dynamic industry, changing client needs, and emerging trends which include innovative technologies. The collusion of these elements creates ongoing turning points and an incredibly exciting ride.