2025 People to Watch: Erin Fitzgerald, Willow Peak

The impacts of the Covid-19 pandemic and the subsequent increase of hybrid work have hit downtown Minneapolis' office sector hard. However, one commercial real estate leader isn't shying away from those challenges, and instead, is searching for ways to overcome them.

Former JLL broker Erin Fitzgerald last year founded the Minneapolis Renaissance Coalition, a group of over 150 individuals from the public and private sectors aiming to revitalize downtown Minneapolis. The group is focused on reinventing office spaces to restore vibrancy in the area and revitalize the Warehouse District as an entertainment hub.

Aligning with those goals, Fitzgerald also founded her own commercial real estate investment firm, Willow Peak. The company made its first acquisition last month: a 96,000-square-foot office building at 300 First Ave. N. on the edge of the Warehouse District and the North Loop neighborhood. The company and partner Onward Investors plan to reposition the building for a mix of uses.