ITRA Global congratulates Connie Rankin, CEO of ITRA Globals Houston affiliate, and Debra Stracke Anderson, president and CEO of ITRA Globals Washington, D.C. affiliate, who were selected as 2013 Women of Influence by ALM’s Real Estate Forum magazine in its 20th Anniversary Special Edition. Anderson was also distinguished as an Industry Legend, identified by the magazine as one of 32 professionals who have become icons in the business.
Connie Rankin, LEED AP, CPM, is CEO of Customized Real Estate Services / ITRA Global, a Houston-based commercial real estate company that exclusively represents corporate tenants and buyers. Rankin founded the company in 2001 after 20 years on the landlord side of the table with PM Realty Group, where she was the first woman to be promoted to Executive Senior Manager. Her firm is the only certified woman-owned real estate company in the nation to earn LEED Professional Accreditation and developed Lead 2 Green to help clients create healthy work environments. CRES has earned a reputation as The Tenants Best Advocate with such clients as Shell Oil, City of Houston and the Womens Business Enterprise Alliance. In 2011, the company was selected as the Houston affiliate of ITRA Global, the largest commercial real estate organization devoted to representing the interests of corporate tenants and buyers.
In 2001, CRES was one of only 17 women-owned real estate firms nationally, says Rankin. Im proud to say that number has more than doubled.
Debra Stracke Anderson CCIM, SIOR, is president and CEO of Sloan Street Advisors / ITRA Global, a corporate real estate services firm she founded in 2000 after more than 20 years as an executive with major commercial real estate companies, where she led regional teams in winning awards such as Top National Leasing Team and achieving record occupancy rates. Her firm provides transactional representation, brokerage and consulting services exclusively for corporate users of office, industrial and retail properties in the Washington, D.C. region, in addition to representing clients on an international basis. The company was selected as the Washington, D.C. affiliate for ITRA Global in 2003. Anderson was elected the first woman Chairman of the Board in the history of the ITRA Global organization and led the organization through unprecedented international expansion. She currently works with the board in an advisory capacity as Chairman Emeritus. She has also served on the board of directors for several organizations that work to improve the lives of at-risk children.
To be included among accomplished professionals of this caliber is truly an honor, says Anderson. While the presence of women in commercial real estate has certainly increased from the days when I was often the only woman in the room at a business function, only a small percentage has achieved the C-Suite or an appointment to serve on a corporate board. Women have exceptional intuitive, creative and collegial gifts that bring tremendous value to our industry and to the business community at large. We need to insure that many more talented women are invited to the table.
ITRA Global is the largest commercial real estate organization devoted to representing corporate tenants and buyers. With coverage in major markets around the world, ITRA Global consists of seasoned professionals with an average of twenty years of experience and is differentiated by its focus on advocacy for the corporate tenant and buyer. More information about ITRA Global is available at its website, http://www.itraglobal.com.