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(205) 314-5534 2100 3rd Avenue North, Suite 700
Birmingham, AL 35203
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Deborah McGill Smith joined Cushman & Wakefield / EGS Commercial Real Estate in 2008 and serves as a Vice President in the firm’s Industrial division. She specializes in industrial and land brokerage and brings a unique skill set to her clients due to her extensive background in the public sector and economic development. Her specialization in both site selection and site acquisition started early in her career when she assembled approximately 1,100 acres on behalf of the City of Prattville and the Retirement Systems of Alabama for the premier location of the Robert Trent Jones Golf Trail in Prattville. In 1997, she was hired as the first director of the Jefferson County Economic Development Authority to acquire, develop and recruit companies to the 737-acre Jefferson Metropolitan Park in McCalla, one of Alabama’s premier industrial parks. Deborah also led the acquisition and development efforts on behalf of Jefferson County for an additional 337 acres in Birmingham that is now the location of three major data centers.

During her tenure at Cushman & Wakefield / EGS, she has continued to utilize her expertise in land acquisition and development and has assisted clients including Pharmavite, Hibbett Sports and UAB Health Systems on site selection for new locations. Deborah has worked on numerous high-profile disposition assignments and sizeable industrial site location projects; including the recent site selection for Daimler and Mercedes-Benz U.S. International (MBUSI) for their new Global Logistics Center, a new 300+-acre campus development and over 2.5 million square-feet in new facilities that serve the main manufacturing campus for MBUSI. Deborah provided coordination services for site grading, utilities and infrastructure for its new campus. Most recently, she completed site selection for Medical West and UAB Health Systems for a replacement hospital in West Jefferson County and continues as a consultant for coordinating permit, development and infrastructure requirements. She is currently assisting the Alabama Farmers Federation (ALFA) in the search for a site for the proposed new Alabama Farm Center.

Deborah is one of the most sought-after real estate brokers in Alabama for site acquisition and disposition assignments due to her extensive knowledge of sourcing land, land ownership and her ability to negotiate with landowners. In addition, her seventeen years of experience in the public sector and economic development provides her with an in-depth understanding of permitting, infrastructure and addressing environmental issues with both brownfield and greenfield sites.

Deborah has her SIOR designation and now serves as the President for the LA/MS/AL/NW FL Chapter. She is also a member of NAIOP, where she has served as chapter president and on the National Board of directors in the past. Deborah currently serves on the Board of Directors for the Associated Builders and Contractors (ABC) and is an Advisory Board member of Truist bank. A demonstrated leader in the industry, she maintains her national Certified Economic Developer certification from the International Economic Development Council where she also volunteers time instructing certification real estate courses.

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