Danet Linares

I would say taking over Southeast Financial Center early in my career was pivotal. It was a million square foot project, and they wanted to hire somebody above me, but I said no, give me a chance. I told them I'd been doing the leasing of this building for several years, I knew all the tenants and the brokers, I knew where the bones were buried. They gave me the opportunity instead of hiring someone above me, and I was able to take the building up to 97% leased. That really helped launch my career, because from there I went to Miami Tower, and it was all like building blocks - I just kept building my reputation and my contacts and relationships in the market and outside the market.

My first boss, Tim Prunker, told me that there are not many women in commercial real estate in Miami and South Florida. He said to look at the real estate landscape and look at people that I wanted to be my mentors, almost from afar. Terry Blanco was one of them, and I ended up working with her as her partner. Another very prominent commercial real estate professional, Barbara Libertor Black, was another one, and we've become very good friends. So his advice to identify mentors and learn from successful women in the field really shaped my career - those three people have been great mentors who have had a positive impact on me personally and professionally.

I would say you have to work hard - things don't come easy, but you have to have a passion for what you do. When you have a passion for what you're doing, it's not work, it's really something that you love, and you will really excel. But don't be afraid to start at the bottom. I did, and I was able to successfully work my way up the ladder. Really pay attention, be a good listener, just absorb as much as you can. Listen to what's going on, be very present. And understand this is not a 9-to-5 job at all. I've had the opportunity to mentor women in our office, like Nicole Kaiser who started in our marketing and research department, then became a broker, and was just promoted to vice president. Watching people succeed that you were able to help along the way is extremely rewarding.

Giving back to the community and helping others has been extremely rewarding to me. I've been heavily involved in organizations like CREW, International Women's Forum where I was president for two and a half years, and the Downtown Development Authority where I served on the board for 14 years. I started the Hard Hats and High Heels fundraising event for Habitat for Humanity to help single moms obtain homes - we just celebrated 10 years of that event last year. I'm also involved with United Way, The Underline, Clio Institute, and Miami Foundation. Recently, I donated my aunt's antique Singer sewing machine to the Freedom Tower museum for their 'Threads of Hope' exhibit. My aunt sewed until she was in her 80s to make ends meet after coming from Cuba, and now it's displayed in a glass case representing the immigrant story. When the college president asked me to tell the story, it really resonated with people because so many knew someone - their aunt, mom, or somebody - who sewed during that time to make ends meet. It was very meaningful to give back my heritage and help continue that legacy and story for future generations. Seeing young professionals grow, whether it's people in my office or other brokers in the community, has been extremely rewarding.