Each year, Midwest Real Estate News inducts a new class into its Commercial Real Estate Hall of Fame. Here is a look at the busy career of one of our newest inductees, Kelly Diehl, managing principal for the St. Louis and Kansas City, Missouri, offices of Cushman & Wakefield.
Cushman & Wakefield Managing Principal Kelly Diehl is a CRE, business and community leader in St. Louis and the only woman to lead a global commercial real estate services firm locally. She leads a team of more than 300 brokerage, property management, project management, valuation and other professionals who closed more than $1.34 billion in transactions in 2022 in St. Louis and Kansas City on more than 38 million square feet of commercial real estate.
Diehl’s career began at Turley Martin Company, a legacy Cushman & Wakefield firm in St. Louis, where she quickly rose to Senior Vice President. She also served as Managing Director of Altus Properties before assuming her current role in January 2020.
Among all the enjoyable parts of the business, to Diehl, one stands out above the rest. “Real estate is fascinating, and not all organizations realize the importance and nuances of it being a major component of their overall success,” she said. “It’s really gratifying to partner with them to develop and execute a strategy where they’re best positioned to achieve their business goals.”
She is a Certified Commercial Investment Member (CCIM), holds BOMA’s Real Property Administrator (RPA) designation and has served on the board and as President of BOMA St. Louis.
Perhaps the reason for continued success in the business? She never stops learning.
“I recognize I am not the most important or smartest person in a room,” Diehl said. “I focus on listening to understand what is important to each individual when working towards a goal and then parlay that into developing an action plan on how to move forward to achieve consensus. What’s more, there should be a constant evolution on how to improve best practices, rather than the ‘this is how we have always done it’ approach.”
Diehl also has the benefit of her involvement in multiple facets of the business, from operations to brokerage to asset management to human resources. The lessons and understanding that come from that perspective enhances how to better serve clients and lead Cushman & Wakefield’s St. Louis team.
Outside of Cushman & Wakefield, Diehl’s involvement in community organizations is expansive. She is a St. Louis Regional Business Council board member, sits on Greater St. Louis Inc.’s chair’s council and is a member of the St. Louis Forum. She is also on the American Heart Association’s Go Red committee and is a past board member of the Mary Ryder Home. After her son’s passing, Diehl and her family established a scholarship at Chaminade College Preparatory School, and she is involved with Wreaths Across America, an organization of Gold Star Mothers that works with thousands of schools, scout, civic and religious groups across the U.S. to place wreathes at veterans’ graves.
Furthermore, Diehl and her husband like to travel, and she is an avid reader. Her focus at the moment is taking horsemanship courses with the goal of having her own horse to enjoy.
