Tenant representative Vicky Ban says she always has been interested in real estate, but it wasn't until she worked as a graphic artist for CBRE in New York City that she decided she wanted to become a dealmaker.
Working as a creative for major companies, including CBRE and Pei Partnership Architects, where she designed the 96th birthday card for the late iconic architect I.M. Pei, was fulfilling. But she decided to follow her entrepreneurial spirit and pursue a career as a broker.
Ban said she got a firsthand, behind-the-scenes look at how business was won and deals were done while creating deliverables and media for some of CBRE's top brokers, including Mary Anne Tighe and Bob Alexander. During her six years as a graphic artist, she said several colleagues recommended that she get into the brokerage part of the business.
Having worked behind the scenes with successful brokers "allows me to anticipate issues that might come up and then communicate more effectively and move deals forward and more efficiently," she said in an interview. "That experience taught me how deals are structured and positioned and ultimately to work with deals at a high level."
In 2021, during the pandemic, Ban moved to the Miami area as part of the growing wave of professionals and businesses that relocated from New York to South Florida. Having secured her real estate license while at CBRE, Ban joined Vestian as a broker representing occupiers in September 2024.
Having grown up in South Korea, Ban moved to San Francisco in 2001 to attend the Academy of Art University, where she earned a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree. She earned a master's degree in graphic communications from New York University in 2012.
In the Miami area, Ban has established a niche book of business with South Korean companies seeking office, industrial and other commercial spaces in the United States. The Miami area's position as a gateway to the United States and Latin America and a logistics center with PortMiami, airports and a well-established distribution network — combined with Florida's business-friendly environment, growing corporate ecosystem, and weather and lifestyle — make it an appealing location for companies from her native country, Ban said.
This interview has been edited and condensed for clarity.
How did you get into the commercial real estate business?
I started my career in New York, in Manhattan, working for AF New York and Pei Architects with I. M. Pei. I had always been interested in real estate, and my background was in marketing and graphic design. I later joined CBRE as a senior graphic designer on the New York marketing team, where I supported executive leadership in the brokerage, including Mary Ann Tighe, Bob Alexander and Paul Amrich.
In my role, I worked closely with them on high-level marketing strategy and presentations, which gave me a firsthand look at how they structured transactions and ran their business. Many of the brokers I worked with encouraged me to transition into the brokerage, telling me, "Vicky, you have to be a broker — you’re not meant to sit in the back office."
After starting in New York, why did you move to the Miami area?
With so many people moving during COVID, I relocated from New York to South Florida because I saw the real momentum shifting and capital flowing South and companies rethinking where they wanted to be. So, I felt like it was the perfect time for me to relocate to South Florida. Thanks to our technology, it didn't really change anything, honestly, because it doesn't really matter where I physically sit.
Why have you carved out a niche in working with South Korean companies in the United States?
I want to be the bridge between the U.S. and Korea as more Korean companies locate and expand here. I lived half of my life in Korea and half in the United States, so I bring a unique perspective and can help companies with nuances of doing business in the U.S. In the U.S., tenant brokers are generally paid by the landlord, whereas in Korea, depending on the transaction structure, tenants often pay the brokerage commission directly. Since big brokerages like CBRE and Cushman & Wakefield get involved, sometimes they follow the U.S. model.
Looking back, is there anything you wish you had done differently from a career standpoint?
I would have liked to have stepped into the entrepreneurial mindset right away, because with my background from Korea, all in my career, I focused on structure, stability and doing everything by book. I had to make sure my resume showed I went to a school, and you have to work for the big corporate company and make good pay at a job so that my Asian parents were super proud of me. But if I knew earlier, I would've rather have started an entrepreneurial mindset, because I've learned your career excels when you stop trying to follow the perfect path.