We were lucky to catch up with Jaime Sturgis recently and have shared our conversation below.
Jaime, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today We’d love to go back in time and hear the story of how you came up with the name of your brand?
The name of my company, Native Realty, is a nod to the fact that I am a South Florida native. I was born, raised and still live in Fort Lauderdale, so I lead our real estate brokerage with the mission to help the city I (and many of our brokers) call home reach its full potential. We started out by focusing on placemaking previously overlooked neighborhoods in Fort Lauderdale, such as Flagler Village, Sistrunk and 13th Street (now Studio City). That mission now expands to cities and neighborhoods throughout South Florida, and we have successfully replicated our approach across the region. Having Native in my company’s name reinforces that we have deep roots here and a burning passion to enhance the neighborhoods we spend our time in.
Jaime, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?
In early 2017, after several years pioneering the emerging markets of Miami, I decided to move back to my hometown, Fort Lauderdale, and continue shaping emerging markets in Broward County and Palm Beach County. I made the bold decision to leave a successful Miami brokerage and start Native Realty. I was in my 20s at the time and made a career-defining bet on myself to build a real estate firm from scratch. Native Realty is a full-service real estate firm with dedicated commercial leasing and investment sales divisions. We have disrupted the industry since I launched Native. We are redefining what it means to be a commercial real estate broker through our neighborhood placemaking accomplishments and by assuming pivotal leadership roles in the industry and community. Operating with the mantra “L.O.I. or die,” our team employs grassroots, guerilla tactics to change the narrative about previously overlooked and neglected neighborhoods. Instead of looking at individual listings and transactions in a vacuum, we take a holistic approach to the urban neighborhoods we live, work and play in. We identify such neighborhoods with untapped potential and generate leasing and investment sales activity in those emerging markets.
In late 2021, Native relocated its corporate headquarters to a new 4,000-square-foot Fort Lauderdale office that is double the size of our previous headquarters. The move was Native’s fourth headquarters expansion in four years to keep up with the firm’s aggressive growth. We continue to grow our team with talented brokers who share our passion and dedication. As Native’s leader, I am responsible for setting our firm’s ethical standards and providing an example for our brokers and staff to follow. I have to balance being a broker, serial entrepreneur of several companies, and community advocate.
I live in Fort Lauderdale with my wife, Lauren, and our two children. I met Lauren at Florida State University, and we were married in 2016. Lauren is a Registered Dietitian who started her own nutrition consulting business in 2014 and after achieving great success sold the business in 2021. She is integral in helping me manage the rapidly growing Native Realty. When not working, we love travelling. I am an avid surfer, diver, boater and mountain biker.
Any stories or insights that might help us understand how you’ve built such a strong reputation?
Around the time I launched Native Realty, I saw the same potential in Fort Lauderdale’s Flagler Village that existed in Wynwood, and set out to help the neighborhood realize it. Back then, Flagler Village consisted of strips of outdated and vacant commercial warehouses. I envisioned a bustling area with creative offices, restaurants/bars, art galleries, apartments and performing arts spaces. Many people thought I was crazy for thinking I could transform the neighborhood into the next big neighborhood. However, I was able to convey that vision to many entrepreneurs, business owners and landlords – completing more than 2 million square feet in transactions in Flagler Village over the last five years. In early 2019, I completed a milestone transaction that served as a defining moment in the evolution of Flagler Village and earned multiple awards and recognitions. I successfully brokered the sales of Flagler Uptown and The Hive to a major Miami investor who has been active in Miami’s urban core neighborhoods of Wynwood and the Design District. Each site sold for $6.625 million, for a total sale price of $13.25 million. The transactions set Flagler Village records on both a price per building square foot and land square foot basis. The record-breaking transaction was the culmination of my reinvention of both properties – and my efforts to change the narrative of Flagler Village. Both Hive and Uptown were old warehouse properties that I extensively renovated, repositioned, and attracted an exciting mix of creative retail, office and restaurant/bar tenants. They are now the signature buildings of Flagler Village, thanks to the eye-catching murals of legends including Jimi Hendrix, Mick Jagger and David Bowie that I brought in street artist Herbert Galarza to create.
Since we turned around Flagler Village’s reputation, institutional investment has been pouring into the neighborhood. We are in the midst of doing the same in other Broward County neighborhoods including Fort Lauderdale’s Sistrunk corridor and 13th Street (Studio City) and several other neighborhoods from Palm Beach through Miami. Our efforts in Flagler Village put Native Realty on the map and made the real estate industry – and business community – recognize that we were truly doing something different and impactful. My reputation, and the reputation of Native Realty, was further enhanced when I was honored as the Urban Land Institute’s Young Leader of the Year and won the South Florida Business Journal’s Terry Stiles Deal of the Year Award for the record-breaking sale of Flagler Uptown and The Hive. Many significant awards and recognitions followed.
Do you have any insights you can share related to maintaining high team morale?
Real estate brokerages are made up of agents who spend most of their time out in the field, which creates unique challenges when it comes to building and maintaining a strong culture. WE have worked hard to build a culture that feels like a true family at Native Realty. For instance, we invest significant time and resources into training and mentoring our agents, especially less experienced ones. Additionally, our office in Fort Lauderdale was thoughtfully designed and conceived to be a place our people want to hang out in. It is an annual honoree in South Florida Business Journal’s Coolest Office ranking, and anyone who visits our headquarters can immediately see why. We included a full kitchen and bar, as the days in real estate sales can be very long so finding time to unwind with a cold one is paramount. And yes, we have ping pong and pool tables. Creating a space where team members want to be is even more critical in the current environment of hybrid work schedules.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.NativeRealty.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/nativerealty/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/NativeRC/
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/native-realty-co/
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCB5JVqoA_1OklUt6WjMG5ng
- Other: https://www.google.com/search?q=native+realty+google+reviews&sca_esv=569384727&ei=AJUWZe6kNNChkPIP4Jy–Ao&ved=0ahUKEwjupPGYvc-BAxXQEEQIHWCOD68Q4dUDCBA&uact=5&oq=native+realty+google+reviews&gs_lp=Egxnd3Mtd2l6LXNlcnAiHG5hdGl2ZSByZWFsdHkgZ29vZ2xlIHJldmlld3MyBRAhGKABMgUQIRirAki9EFDFAliTD3ABeAGQAQCYAYoCoAG2CKoBBTMuNC4xuAEDyAEA-AEBwgIKEAAYRxjWBBiwA8ICDRAAGEcY1gQYyQMYsAPCAgsQABiKBRiSAxiwA8ICCBAhGBYYHhgd4gMEGAAgQYgGAZAGBQ&sclient=gws-wiz-serp#lrd=0x88d901a90c5a82f1:0x9e50d7db892094eb,1,,,,