Each year, Midwest Real Estate News inducts a new class into its Commercial Real Estate Hall of Fame. Last year was no exception. Today, we look at the busy career of one of these new inductees, Doug Fura, senior vice president with the Southfield, Michigan, office of NAI Farbman/Farbman Group.
Douglas Fura has specialized in the industrial sale and leasing market in metropolitan Detroit since 1982 and has completed a wide range of transactions, from the typical sales and leases of manufacturing and warehouse buildings to complicated build-to-suit transactions and the redevelopment of environmentally contaminated properties.
Fura has worked in commercial real estate—specifically, industrial real estate—for nearly four decades. More than half of that career has been spent at NAI Farbman/Farbman Group.
“I could easily spend all my time in commercial real estate, so finding balance has been the biggest challenge throughout my career,” said Fura. “One of my first bosses in the industry told me that true success comes from correctly balancing faith, family and work, in that order. As a workaholic with young children at the time, I took that advice to heart and have reassessed my priorities accordingly ever since.”
In addition to national and international clients such as Prudential Life, Pepsi Cola Company, International Paper, U.S. Postal Service, ABN AMRO and IBM, among others, Fura has successfully completed deals with hundreds of local investors, developers and corporations.
“I genuinely enjoy learning about what my clients do and how they do it,” Fura said. “Whether it’s a stamping operation, a robotics manufacturer or a logistics enterprise, the more I learn about a business or sector, the more value I’m able to offer similar organizations in future deals.”
According to Fura, no matter what the market looks like, thriving in commercial real estate is only possible through nurturing relationships, by putting clients first and working with integrity.
“While you’re bound to get kicked in the teeth every now and then, when you put your clients’ interests first, your own interests will ultimately be satisfied,” Fura said.
Additionally, much of Fura’s success has come by sticking to the same specialty of commercial real estate—industrial—his entire career.
“You wouldn’t want a foot surgeon operating on your brain, and that specialization of knowledge also applies to this business,” Fura said. “As you progress in your career, you’re able to expand out of geographical boundaries and focus on larger and more specific projects across the country.”