David Valdez

Biography:

David M. Valdez is Executive Vice President of Blanca Commercial Real Estate, Inc., the leading independently owned commercial real estate services firm in Florida. With nearly 30 years of experience in the commercial real estate industry, Mr. Valdez provides strategic real estate advisory and brokerage services to firm’s clients.

Prior to joining Blanca Commercial Real Estate, David served in senior real estate management and brokerage positions at other leading corporations and brokerage firms, including nine-years as First Vice President and Managing Director at CBRE in New York City.

At Goldman Sachs, David was Vice President in the Corporate Services and Real Estate Division where he co-managed real estate transactions, including the strategy and lease-negotiations for all firm-leased properties in the Americas—a portfolio of over 110 leases for 14 million square feet of office and special-use space. At Goldman Sachs he also co-led a team in managing the purchase, repositioning, and asset management of the Embassy Suites (now Conrad) Hotel and a retail complex in Manhattan’s Battery Park City.

His areas of expertise include real estate leasing best practices, financial analysis, leasing procedures focused on creating negotiating leverage to achieve each client’s individual business objectives. David works closely with companies to measure and manage their total occupancy related expenses, and to secure optimal commercial results. He serves as a mentor to Blanca’s emerging brokers, shares best-in-class processes, and provides strategy and oversight in key assignments.

David has been involved in executing some of the largest office and special-use lease transactions within the South Florida and New York City office markets. On behalf of the firm, he has played an integral role within the leasing teams that advised major companies including McClatchy, The Miami Herald, Akerman, and White & Case.  Additionally, he served as the advisor for GMHC, and Lehman Brothers.

David Valdez also served for six years as a broker with the Codina-Bush Group in Miami.

David received a Bachelor of Arts from Whitman College and a Master of Public Administration from the Maxwell School at Syracuse University. At Harvard Business School, he attended the Goldman Sachs Nonprofit Leadership Program. At Harvard’s Kennedy School, he attended as an Alfred P. Sloan Foundation Fellow, a residential non-degree program as part of his Master’s program of study. David is also a graduate of the Leadership Miami program.

His first professional position was with United Technologies, Carrier International Corporation, where he served as the Assistant to JP Van Rooy, the President of the International Division.

Board Memberships & Other Affiliations:

• Former Member of the Board, Miami Art Museum (Miami, FL), Artists Space (NY) and GMHC (NY, Chair of the Real Estate Committee)
• Mentor, American Corporate Partners for Veterans On Wall Street (NY); Volunteer, New York City Mounted Auxiliary Parks Enforcement Patrol (Central Park, NYC).
• Elected to join the Board of Teatown Lake Reservation (Westchester, NY), term commencing October 2021.
• Past Chair, Board of Overseers, and Overseer Emeritus, Whitman College (Walla Walla, WA), serving on various committees over a 13 year term, including Student Affairs, and the Presidential Search Committee.