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• No. 1 Leasing Sales Associate in Florida

  Ingrid Fulmer, Coldwell Banker Commercial NRT’s

  No.1 Associate Has Blazed Her Own Trail to Success

   

  Recently named the #1 Florida sales associate of 2013 by Coldwell Banker Commercial NRT, Palm Beach sales associate Ingrid Fulmer has risen to the top of Florida’s highly competitive commercial real estate industry through hard work, determination and an unwavering attention to detail and customer service. With more than 30 years of experience in commercial office leasing, tenant representation and investment sales, Ingrid has leased more than 19 million square feet of commercial space and has been involved in over $2.2 billion in real estate transactions. She specializes in representing landlords and tenants in Class A and Class B lease negotiations, which makes up half of her business.

  Her 2013 client list reads like a who’s who of Palm Beach County. She helped the Chico’s retail company move into a 65,000-square-foot corporate headquarters for its Boston Proper brand in Boca Raton. She also handled commercial real estate transactions involving D.R. Horton, law firm Brinkley Morgan, attorney Jonathan Brooks, Renaissance Health Publishing and American Friends of Magen David Adom, Israel’s ambulance, blood services and disaster-relief organization.

  “Ingrid Fulmer is a dynamic leader in the commercial real estate industry who brings positive energy and commitment to all of her clients,” said Clark Toole, president, Florida, Coldwell Banker Commercial NRT. “Her top-ranking production is a tribute to her talent and her extensive knowledge of the Palm Beach area.”

  Ingrid’s real estate career started in 1980, when she began an administrative job at Arvida Corporation. She soon moved into the leasing department and, enjoying the work, decided to attend real estate school. When her boss and mentor was transferred the following year, she found herself running the commercial leasing department at age 22.

  “Commercial real estate was definitely a male dominated industry back then, and you didn’t see many women in the business,” said Ingrid. “But this just fueled my determination. I learned early that it was important to work harder and smarter than the next guy if you want to stand out and succeed. Over time, that work ethic really paid off.”

  With an intense attention to detail, Ingrid rose through the ranks, eventually becoming Vice President of Commercial Leasing and Sales. She was responsible for implementing marketing, leasing and sales programs for Arvida and third party developers and institutions.

  While Ingrid officially joined Coldwell Banker Commercial NRT in 2002, she technically never left Arvida – the real estate division of the company was acquired by Coldwell Banker Residential Real Estate, the sister company of Coldwell Banker Commercial NRT.

  Since then, Ingrid has consistently been ranked as a top real estate producer, and was the number one Coldwell Banker Commercial NRT sales associate in Florida in both 2007 and 2013. Last year, she was named to the “Women of Influence” list by Real Estate Forum and ranked as one of the “Top Women” in Florida commercial real estate by the Florida Real Estate Journal.  Ingrid is a past recipient of the Rotary OPAL Award for Business (Outstanding People & Leaders).

  Given the level of international investment in Boca Raton’s business community, being fluent in German has helped her land several major multinational companies as clients.

  “I actually didn’t even learn English until I went to kindergarten,” she says. “My dad was from Vienna, Austria and mom was from Germany, and we only spoke German when I was growing up. While that certainly made kindergarten a bit of a challenge, being fluent in another language has really helped me in the business world.”

  Ingrid believes her success over the past 30 years comes down to four guiding principles, which she offers as advice for those just starting in the industry:

  1. Embrace Your Differences – Never allow yourself to be intimidated when you’re different from everyone else in the board room. Whether you’re the only woman, the only minority, the only one with an accent, it doesn’t matter. Think of that as an advantage – you’re unique, you stand out. Use that to your advantage.

  2. Be an Expert – Commercial real estate is such a big field, it’s important to become an expert in one area and really focus on that specialty. Find your niche – it might be a certain area, project type, client profile. Learn all you can about it and position yourself as the expert. Then stick with it, and give referrals for the rest of the business that comes your way.

  3. Stay Involved – Your job doesn’t end until the deal is signed, so stay fully engaged and involved throughout the entire process. Don’t leave things like market research, touring properties, evaluating offers or writing contracts to someone else to handle. Deals can fall apart at any point, so be there to make sure it all runs smoothly until the deal is closed.

  4. Have Integrity – Your reputation is your most important asset, and is very difficult to repair once it’s gone. Conduct yourself with integrity and never compromise your values. Ever.

  “I couldn’t have gotten where I am today if I had compromised on any of these values,” she said. “If I were to give advice to new agents who are just starting out, I would tell them to determine what values they hold true, and never waiver from them.”

  In addition to being an award-winning commercial real estate agent, Ingrid is also a committed volunteer and board member with the Rotary Club, PROPEL (People Reaching Out to Promote Education & Leadership) and the George Snow Scholarship Fund, where she raises money for much-needed scholarships for young people in the community to further their education and pursue their dreams.

  For more information, contact Ingrid Fulmer at 451.479.5970 or visit ==> Ingrid-Fulmer.com.

  Posted on March 15, 2014 in Blog