Timing, all the more, is everything in the Marketplaces Industry. A standout performer since coming aboard CBRE fresh out of the University of Pennsylvania 14 years ago, self-described “urban planning nerd” Laura Barr found herself in the right firm with the right discipline right away.

Emerging on the heels of the Great Recession, Barr was optimistic about possibilities in the distressed field, armed with an innate confidence and diplomas in what were considered fringe disciplines not long ago: a bachelor’s in urban studies and a master’s in city planning. It was a time when the retail world was reexamining the creation of place and community retail by necessity, Barr recalled.

While at Penn, she had interned with CBRE’s Philadelphia office. In 2010, she moved to San Francisco, where she’s since left her mark as a top producer, innovator and company thought leader, shaping urban developments like San Francisco’s Ghirardelli Square for Jamestown and Union Square for multiple investors and tenants, the San Francisco Giants’ Mission Rock, the Golden State Warriors’ Thrive City and Presidio Bay Ventures’ Springline.

Barr, now 36, entered those disciplines because she deduced that a holistic approach would bring a more thorough understanding of the concerns of developers, property investors and municipalities. “I felt this would give me insight into how cities think about their evolution and how they approach their partnerships with the private side,” she said.

ICSC named Barr a 4 Under 40 honoree in December at ICSC NEW YORK in the wake of her August promotion to Americas retail leader of CBRE Advisory and Transaction Services, a big-picture post overseeing retail leasing growth strategy and retail tenant services. “I feel very ready for the role, both as a way to grow and as a way to dig into higher-level challenges,” she said. “It’s very exciting.” Barr will have wide latitude to create new tenanting strategies to make urban and suburban mixed-use projects responsive to fast-changing consumer needs, she said.

Global president of CBRE Advisory and Transaction Services Manish Kashyap praised Barr’s “dynamic and thoughtful leadership style,” adding that those traits will prove essential in expanding the firm’s market position while enhancing growth opportunities and client outcomes. Barr assumes responsibility for a CBRE business cohort responsible for more than $11.1 billion in 2022 transactions.

Barr sits on the boards of healthcare-amenity-focused real estate developer and operator Health Hospitality Partners; La Cocina, a Bay Area, nonprofit incubator for food-and-beverage entrepreneurs, primarily women of color; and Onsights, an artificial intelligence-fueled provider of e-commerce-style analytics for brick-and-mortar property owners and retailers. Onsights dovetails with what Barr called her “die-hard focus on quantitative analysis, producing an additional layer of actionable insight.” All three are retail-adjacent organizations driving bigger strategic thinking, she said. Such organizations also can be wellsprings of talent, she noted.  Faces from different walks of life are needed to create thought diversity that can keep retail companies thriving, she said. “There might actually be a better, smarter way to do things, so we need those fresh insights.”

In 2021, Barr captured CBRE’s inaugural Darla Longo Award, created to recognize next-generation producers nationally who exemplify ethics, who have shown the ability to overcome obstacles and who strongly engage in company platforms and values. Darla Longo has worked for CBRE for 45 years and now is a vice chair and managing director. She was the first woman elected to the company’s board.

Barr, who before her promotion served as senior vice president of retail and business line cohort leader within CBRE’s Women’s Network, has has sat on CBRE’s Americas Producer Advisory Board and co-chaired the company’s Futures Committee, the latter producing research on the impact of autonomous vehicles on real estate values. She has stayed at CBRE for nearly a decade-and-a-half for its support systems, mentorship and values and for the challenges it continues to provide her. “I’ve never been happier,” she said.

Barr is an avid reader, podcast consumer and learner. “I’m a deeply curious person, and I love to understand what makes the world tick,” she said, “and there is much to be learned at the intersection of the consumer sector and the built environment. This business is relatable and compelling. You can walk through neighborhoods and there’s a story behind every project and business.”