The Real Deal

• Email this article
• print
• Comments(0)

The Closing: Tere Blanca

Senior managing director and branch manager of Cushman & Wakefield of Florida. As senior vice president at Codina Realty Services, part of ONCOR International, she leased about 2 million square feet of office space and sold about $200 million in commercial properties over 14 years. Blanca also serves as chair-elect (2008 to 2009) of the Beacon Council, a public-private agency that promotes economic development in Miami-Dade County.


What is your full name?
Teresa Isabel Blanca.

What is your birth date?
January 8, 1961.

Where did you grow up?
Puerto Rico and Venezuela.

Where do you live?
Coral Gables.

Do you have any other homes?
Not that we use. We have some investment property.

What does your husband do?
He [Francisco Javier Juncadella] is the owner of City Construction Group with his partner.

How do you balance raising your daughters while also running one of Florida's largest brokerages?
You have to be extremely organized, and one of the reasons I can do it is because I have a terrific staff. I have a nanny who has been with me for 15 years, and I have two housekeepers. I have a lot of help, and that way I can come home and spend really good time with them.

What did you want to be when you grew up?
I thought I was going to be a banker. My grandfather was a fairly prominent banker in Cuba, and he was certainly a great mentor for me, so I thought I was going to follow in his footsteps.

What was the first job you ever had?
A real boring one. I was filing checks when they used to file checks manually at a bank. I sat with 10 other ladies who would sort through checks and file them individually by client and account number. I did that for about six months, and thankfully they promoted me into customer service.

What is something that people don't know about you?
I could have been a chef if I wasn't doing commercial real estate. I love to cook. I really have a passion for it.

What's the best piece of advice you ever received?
Not to be reactive about things. Take a walk for a while, and think about things and respond at the right time.

How much money do you have in your wallet right now?
Not more than $100. I should go get some money.

What kind of car do you drive?
Mercedes E500.

What is your greatest strength?
I think it's wanting to excel and not giving up. I'm committed to doing my best at everything I do.

What about your greatest weakness?
Not taking enough risks sometimes.

How do you unwind?
My husband wants me to unwind more. I unwind by going out on our boat and listening to music and relaxing out in the bay.

What kind of boat do you have?
A 30-foot Sea Ray.

What is your biggest vice?
Beautiful clothes and shoes. For work, I love Dolce and Gabbana. I love comfortable, beautiful Italian shoes or even French, such as Gucci. I have all the brands — it's my vice.

What do you consider to be your greatest success?
My children.

What was the last book you read?
'Raising Confident Girls: 100 Tips for Parents and Teachers,' by Elizabeth Hartley-Brewer.

What do you have on your night table?
Three silver frames — one with a picture of my oldest daughter, one with a picture of my youngest daughter and one with a picture of my mother walking down the aisle with her father. My grandfather died many years ago, and my mother passed away last year, so it's a beautiful picture.

No alarm clock or telephone?
I usually have my BlackBerry as my alarm clock.

Who is your hero?
My husband. He has this incredible peace and solidarity to him and has been a wonderful support for me.

How long have you been married?
Three years. This is my third marriage. I finally found the right person. I never felt like this before.

What is your pet peeve?
I don't like sloppiness. I take pride in my appearance, my environment at home and work, and I certainly take pride professionally in giving our clients and my brokers, who I see as my internal clients, the best I can.

If you could do it again, what would you do differently?
I try not to think that way. I've certainly learned from the mistakes I've made throughout my life, but I don't dwell on it. But divorce is a horrible thing to go through — individually and for the children — and if I could have changed any of that, I would have.

How would you like to be remembered?
Hopefully as someone who inspired people to be kind and give their best. I think that hard work and a sense of working smart and giving the best of us in the profession that we are in and at home makes for a full life. I like to inspire my children to follow their passion and the same with the people around me professionally.