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2021 Next Generation Awards
Florida & Gulf Coast
Merritt Etner
Has paved her own way from day one of her career
Rejoined Cushman & Wakefield in Boca Raton just before pandemic
Helped improve business development and pitching by adding new resources and technologies
From day one of her career as a commercial real estate professional, Merritt Etner has paved her own way. She got started with Cushman & Wakefield as an office leasing representative, working with both landlords and tenants. While many new agents primarily support more senior brokers, Merritt demonstrated uncommon leadership and abilities by handling all of her own business development. After a few years with Cushman & Wakefield, Merritt accepted an opportunity with JLL, where she served in a similar role working with office and flex assets.
Last year, she made a major career transition, returning to Cushman & Wakefield to join its South Florida Industrial Team, based in Boca Raton. This change came just weeks before the world essentially shut down to COVID-19, meaning Etner had to work harder than most to learn a new asset class and the ins and outs of the industrial business. Through it all, she remained committed to learning everything she needed to know and has been an invaluable member of her team ever since.
Because Etner’s team is led by seasoned brokers, some in the business for more than 35 years, her fresh perspective and focus on technology was a very welcome addition. Over the past year, she has helped improve the team’s business development and pitching efforts by adding new resources and technologies. She has taken the time to research, vet, learn and implement several new programs and tools that add value for clients, including LandVision, a digital geospatial mapping and analytics tool. When things were shut down in South Florida, she also helped the team adapt to tour and show properties via Zoom and Facetime.
In her first year with Cushman & Wakefield’s South Florida Industrial Team, Etner played an important part in helping the team complete a total of 94 sales and leases totaling $313.5 million in 2020, shattering the previous year’s total of $252 million. The team ranked as top producers within Cushman & Wakefield and was honored in Connect Media’s Top Broker Awards earlier this year. Etner’s strong work ethic and valuable insight no doubt helped the team accomplish this feat.
These are just a few reasons we chose Etner as one of the Florida/Gulf Coast 2021 Next Generation Award winners. Connect Media’s fifth annual Next Generation Awards recognize young leaders in the commercial real estate industry who are likely to be influential for years to come.