Pamela Van Vleck

Pamela K. Van Vleck’s initiation into the world of real estate actually began at a young age back in her home state of Minnesota, but her efforts during her early years were concentrated in sales management and as an escrow agent for a local development/real estate company.

Her road to a commercial real estate career in Florida has been a long and winding one, much like the mountain passes in Jackson Hole, Wyoming, where she moved in 1980 and got her start in the business.

“We did any type of real estate transaction our clients needed — residential, commercial, leasing, managing — whatever it took,” Van Vleck said of her days in the resort town where she handled sales and management for Coldwell Banker.

When she married her husband, Gene, in 1985, the pair moved to Phoenix to open their own firm focused on assisting commercial developers.

It wasn’t long before Salt Lake City-based MHP Properties Inc. came looking for a local brokerage to represent them and found what they needed in Van Vleck and her husband.

A merger occurred, with Van Vleck being named director of sales and property management/broker for the company’s 3 msf portfolio of office, retail and industrial space. MHP secured a Class A bank project and brought Van Vleck to the Las Vegas area.

Unfortunately, after leasing up the project and selling their assets in Phoenix, the 1989-91 recession set in and MHP decided to pull back into Salt Lake City, leaving Van Vleck and her husband with a choice. Salt Lake City wasn’t an option, and Jackson Hole and Vegas weren’t appealing options, either, so the couple moved to Southwest Florida, a favorite vacation spot.

Van Vleck and her husband started work for Cameron Real Estate Services Inc. in Naples, handling property management and sales and leasing of retail, office and industrial properties.

The pair eventually convinced Cameron to open a Fort Myers office, and it was there that they met Charles Ashby, owner of Grubb & Ellis affiliate VIP Realty, which covered Port Charlotte to Marco Island. Ashby asked Van Vleck to build a property management division for him, and the national Grubb & Ellis affiliation helped convince her to seal the deal in 1998.

Today, Van Vleck and her husband are partners in the firm. She is director of property management and commercial sales manager for the brokerage division. Her partner and husband runs the property management division. Van Vleck is responsible for a 2.8 msf leasing and management portfolio and guided the brokerage company of 14 commercial agents in Fort Myers and Bonita Springs to more than $259 million in sales during 2003.

“I’ve always had a passion for this business. It always presents a new challenge and continues to motivate me daily,” she said. “We are fortunate to have a group of talented advisors and a great team of property management staff to provide all of our clients full service for all of their real estate needs. It gives me great pride to help people — whether they are our clients or our employees — achieve their goals.”

Van Vleck said taking on the role of commercial sales manager helps her stay connected to the Southwest Florida marketplace and brokerage community. “I love being on the brokerage side. It allows me to stay in the market,” she said.

Van Vleck is a licensed Florida real estate broker. She is a past member of CREW, the Greater Fort Myers and Southwest Florida Chambers of Commerce, a recent graduate of Leadership Lee County, having also served on its steering committee, a member of the Real Estate Investment Society and the Commercial Investment Realtors.

In 1996, she and her husband were named the No. 1 property management team in the nation by the National Association of Realtors.

She obtained her private pilot’s license, and has written articles for Suite Life Magazine last year titled “Protecting Owners from Hazard Liability.” and “Professional Commercial Property Management and How It Benefits You as a Property Owner.”

She has been published in “Who’s Who of American Women,” since 1998 and recognized in 1984 by the International Who’s Who of Business & Professional Women for her achievements in commercial real estate.

After more than 30 years in the commercial real estate business, Van Vleck said she plans to continue her work in the field.

“I don’t foresee myself not having an involvement in commercial real estate, whether as an investor, manager or broker,” she said. “I know I will slow down at some point, but not anytime soon. I’m enjoying the journey.”