Inside View: Sydney Johnson, Cushman & Wakefield/NorthMarq

A director of brokerage services at Cushman & Wakefield/NorthMarq

Sydney Johnson rarely thinks twice about being one of a handful of female industrial real estate brokers in the Twin Cities.

"I just think of myself as a broker," she says.

Johnson joined Bloomington-based United Properties (now Cushman & Wakefield/NorthMarq) in 2006 as senior associate and worked up to a director of brokerage services. She and her team have completed more than 300 industrial transactions totaling more than 4 million square feet.

Johnson, 50, focuses on landlord and tenant representation and both sales and leasing. Her primary focus is on the Twin Cities' west metro industrial market. She received CoStar Group's Power Broker Award four times. Before entering the real estate business, Johnson was an account manager for W.W. Grainger Inc., an industrial supply company.

Q: How did you make the transition from Grainger to broker?

A: When I was at Grainger, I sold electrical panels, HVAC equipment, anything that goes into a facility, especially an industrial facility. When a college friend, who was an industrial broker at United Properties, was looking for a teammate, he said, "I can teach you the real estate business. You have the skill set for everything else. You have the sales experience, and you've basically been in every industrial building in this area."

A: There's always something to learn, and the real estate market is always changing, so you have to keep up with that, which is exciting. But as far as sales go, it's still sales. It's negotiations and understanding the product and the client's needs and getting them what they want.

Q: What are some of your larger deals?

A: I represented a national food company in its lease renewal. I helped a homebuilder with several expansions. I'm representing a national appliance dealer that's looking at a relocation. I'm representing a highway materials company that was looking to purchase a building and we're currently under contract. I'm also working with a lot of med-tech and biotech companies.

Q: I understand you also find time to mentor young women and let them know what opportunities are available.

A: I'm mentoring a young woman right now, and I've also had people contact me and say, "I've heard that you're in industrial brokerage and you're one of the only females, can I come and talk to you? Can I find out what a day is like?" It probably has to be somewhat intimidating coming in, knowing it's male-dominated, but there are opportunities for women.