Who are the most productive commercial real estate professionals in our region? They are the CRE stars who are inducted each year in the Midwest Real Estate News Commercial Real Estate Hall of Fame.
Each week, we look at a new inductee in our Hall of Fame. Today, we highlight the career of Jenna Barnett, managing director of the Indianapolis office of Newmark Knight Frank.
Years in the business: 16
Building a strong reputation: During her 16-year career, Jenna Barnett has represented some of the most influential local, national and international companies in the country. While doing this, she’s developed a reputation for building strong relationships with her clients. Simply put, her clients keep coming back because of the results Barnett delivers.
Why has Barnett been so successful? She has a background in finance, construction and technology, which gives her a deep understanding of the complexities that go into the commercial real estate decisions her clients face.
Growing a team: Barnett became an ownership partner of a local commercial real estate firm in 2009. Here, she steadily grew and mentored a brokerage team that boosted its revenue every year. This did not go unnoticed. In 2011, Barnett agreed to a formal partnership with Newmark Knight Frank.
“I am an entrepreneur at heart, and love getting to understand each client’s unique business and developing a strategic plan that enables clients to achieve short- and long-term goals,” Barnett said.
Colleague and friend: Barnett’s career has been marked by long-lasting relationships with her clients, relationships that are built on trust. Barnett’s peers say that her clients consider this real estate veteran to be a colleague, confidant and friend. It’s not surprising, then, that Barnett counts some clients with which she has completed more than 40 transactions.
In 2017, Newmark decided to launch a corporate-owned Indianapolis office. The company chose Barnett as the executive managing director of this office, which opened in January of 2018.
Doing right by her clients: “I believe my success is related to doing the right thing for my clients,” Barnett said. “As a tenant rep broker, I always put my clients first. That has resulted in a career full of repeat clients and referrals. I’m a firm believer that if you do the right thing and treat people right, good things will follow.”
The honors: Consistent. That describes Barnett’s production. She has been a top producer with Newmark six years and was selected to the company’s Chairman’s Circle in 2017. Along with her CRE accomplishments, Barnett is a long-time executive board member for Noble of Indiana, a non-profit organization that serves individuals with developmental disabilities. She is also heavily involved in her church and children’s school.
Out-of-office hours: When not working, Barnett enjoys spending time with her family, her husband and 12-year-old and 14-year-old sons. She also spends plenty of time with extended family, usually centered around a lake, beach or snow skiing. Barnett is also a huge baseball fan and enjoys watching games ranging from 12U travel league to her beloved Chicago Cubs.