5 Women of Influence You Need to Meet

MIAMI-Meet five of the most powerful and prominent female executives in commercial real estate today in the Southeast. Chances are, you know them already.

This is an HTML version of an article that ran in the July/August 2013 issue of Real Estate Forum. To see the original story, click here.

DONNA ABOOD
Chairman & Founding Partner
Colliers International South Florida
Coral Gables, FL

Call her a pioneer. For years, Donna Abood was the only female CEO of a Colliers partnership worldwide. The 28-year commercial real estate veteran got her start at Abood & Associates in 1989, birthing the skills she'd need to lead Colliers through the ups and downs in Florida.

A dealmaker at heart, Abood still works on transactions every day, even while mentoring the next generation of CRE pros. She's inked more than 50 million square feet of office leases in South Florida over the years and has a reputation for her ability to lease any kind of office building. She sits on too many boards to list here.

“Gender has become less and less of an issue for both men and women at negotiating tables,” Abood says. “The attributes of women's empathy, ability to listen and ability to naturally multi-task make them more likely to be a strong player in commercial real estate.”

MARIDEE BELL
Vice President, Leasing and Marketing
Sunbeam Properties
Miramar, FL

Commitment. Dedication. Perseverance. These are the qualities that make Maridee Bell a woman of influence in South Florida's commercial real estate market.

This no-nonsense leader climbed the ranks from an administrative assistant to her current role at Sunbeam, where the 21-year veteran oversees leasing and marketing at Miramar Park of Commerce, one of the largest business parks in Florida. Over the past 12 months, she reduced the vacancy rate at the park from 8% to 3% through her hands-on, customer service-oriented approach to developing plans for tenants who need to expand or downsize in a changing market. “There are successful women throughout the industry who have paved the way for new women leaders and that is something to be proud of,” Bell says.

INGRID FULMER
Executive Vice President, Office Leasing
Coldwell Banker Commercial NRT
Boca Raton, FL

Ingrid Fulmer has consistently been ranked as a Top Real Estate Producer, and earned the 2007 designation of #1 Sales Associate in the Southern Region of the US for Coldwell Banker Commercial. As executive vice president of office leasing, she has been involved in over 2500 lease transactions in South Florida.

To date, Fulmer has represented both landlords and tenants in over 18 million square feet of property negotiations representing over $1.9 billion in real estate transactions. Fulmer is committed to the community via her volunteer and board work with the Rotary Clubs, PROPEL (People Reaching Out to Promote Education and Leadership) and the George Snow Scholarship Fund, where she is active in raising money for much-needed scholarships for young people. Fulmer is also is a past recipient of the Rotary OPAL (Outstanding People and Leaders) Award.

MARIBEL KOELLA
Owner & Principal Broker
NAI Knoxville
Knoxville, TN

With a 41-year career and over 30 years at NAI Knoxville, Maribel Koella is among the industry's most entrepreneurial pioneers and a household name in the East Tennessee CRE market. From her start in backwoods Appalachia appraising moonshiner's properties for foreclosures, she worked her way up to become the first female chair of the NAI Global Advisory board as NAI Global transitioned to CIII ownership.

Over the years, Koella broke many barriers to women's involvement in commercial real estate—she was the first female appraiser for the Tennessee Veteran's Administration and the first female SIOR in the state—and is a role model to many women today.

“I knew no women industrial brokers when I started. My models were men,” Koella says. “The standard response to my ambitions was to suggest I'd be happier in office sales rather than showing the dirty warehouses that interested me.” Koella is also dedicated to giving back to her community through involvement in numerous civic and charitable organizations.

LOUISE WELLS
Managing Partner
Morris, Manning & Martin LLP
Atlanta

“A force of nature” may be the best phrase to describe Louise Well's impact on Morris, Manning & Martin LLP, an AmLaw 200 firm with an international reach. She has helped shape the firm into a nationally ranked real estate law player with clients like Wood Partners and Cole.

As the firm's first female attorney, first female partner and first female managing partner, the 35-year real estate law industry veteran handles strategic planning, targeting new geographic areas, and hiring skilled attorneys. And as one who overcame many obstacles and challenges inherent to working women and mothers, Wells is on a mission to bring more women into the real estate and legal professions. In 2011, she set a goal to reach a staff that's 20% female by 2015; she managed to accomplish that objective in a single year. In 2012, women made up 38% of new partners hired/promoted, 35% of new hires and over 40% of summer associates.

MARIBEL KOELLA
Owner & Principal Broker
NAI Knoxville
Knoxville, TN

With a 41-year career and over 30 years at NAI Knoxville, Maribel Koella is among the industry's most entrepreneurial pioneers and a household name in the East Tennessee CRE market. From her start in backwoods Appalachia appraising moonshiner's properties for foreclosures, she worked her way up to become the first female chair of the NAI Global Advisory board as NAI Global transitioned to CIII ownership.

Over the years, Koella broke many barriers to women's involvement in commercial real estate—she was the first female appraiser for the Tennessee Veteran's Administration and the first female SIOR in the state—and is a role model to many women today.

“I knew no women industrial brokers when I started. My models were men,” Koella says. “The standard response to my ambitions was to suggest I'd be happier in office sales rather than showing the dirty warehouses that interested me.” Koella is also dedicated to giving back to her community through involvement in numerous civic and charitable organizations.

LOUISE WELLS
Managing Partner
Morris, Manning & Martin LLP
Atlanta

“A force of nature” may be the best phrase to describe Louise Well's impact on Morris, Manning & Martin LLP, an AmLaw 200 firm with an international reach. She has helped shape the firm into a nationally ranked real estate law player with clients like Wood Partners and Cole.

As the firm's first female attorney, first female partner and first female managing partner, the 35-year real estate law industry veteran handles strategic planning, targeting new geographic areas, and hiring skilled attorneys. And as one who overcame many obstacles and challenges inherent to working women and mothers, Wells is on a mission to bring more women into the real estate and legal professions. In 2011, she set a goal to reach a staff that's 20% female by 2015; she managed to accomplish that objective in a single year. In 2012, women made up 38% of new partners hired/promoted, 35% of new hires and over 40% of summer associates.