Cassie Durand
Top Retail Producer Award Winner
In a room full of producers, one of the things that makes Cassie Durand stand out amongst the crowd is her commitment to being viewed as a valued partner and consultant by her clients, rather than simply a broker. That’s one of the many reasons Durand was CBRE Retail’s Top Producer of 2022.
“Ultimately being seen as a consultant, and in some instances, almost like an employee of my clients’ business, is my biggest differentiator,” said Durand. “It helps me not only win new business through my reputation and experience, but also retain business over long periods of time.”
Alongside her team, Aylin Gucalp and Steven Larsen, Durand works with major retailers, supporting both domestic and international brands with their strategic U.S. expansion and market entry. Cassie’s tailored approach helps brands hone in on their unique challenges and opportunities and then implement a multi-market solution informed by both data and local market knowledge.
“The largest benefit to being consultative for your clients is becoming indispensable, and that stickiness equates to significant value over time. For the majority of my clients, I’ve been with them since the development of their business plan, or while they delivered their first unit in the U.S.,” said Durand.
Her work with international brands has been extensive, with a client roster that includes Byredo, Gentle Monster, Whistles, Sunspel, Vuarnet and OKA. Durand’s domestic clientele include some of the top brands in the experiential, direct-to-consumer and medical categories, including M&M’s World, CAMP, Dolby, WarnerMedia, Mejuri, Lively, Wild One, Kindbody and Bond Vet.
“Anyone who knows Cassie knows that she works tirelessly and is a strong advocate for her clients,” said Laura Barr, one of Durand’s colleagues, friends and senior vice president in CBRE’s San Francisco office. “Compared to a traditional methodology, Cassie has an innovative approach that folds analytics capabilities into her strategy to help provide solutions for even the most complicated of transactions.”
Beyond flagship and multi-market work, Durand also has a great depth of experience in executing short-term deals and other creative deal structures and sees tremendous opportunity for retailers in this rapidly changing retail environment. On the landlord side, Durand has extensive experience representing prominent ownership groups throughout New York.
“This accolade is a testament to Cassie’s unwavering determination, exceptional skills and keen leadership qualities, all executed with a healthy dose of humility,” said Todd Siegel, one of Durand’s local partners and senior vice president in CBRE’s Chicago office. “I’ve been honored to call her a friend and have had a front row seat to watch her remarkable career growth.”
In addition to being CBRE Retail’s Top Producer, Durand was named to GlobeSt.’s Influencers in Retail list for 2023. Durand is also a former winner of the CBRE Retail RISE-ing Star Award, which is given to an Associate or Senior Associate who is in the first years of their career and has demonstrated growth at the company in multiple ways.
“Cassie is a consummate professional and one of CBRE’s brightest and most client-focused,” said Todd Caruso, Retail Investor and Services Lead, Americas. “Her efforts and unique perspective on market strategy make it no surprise that she has reached such a high level of success.”
“Ultimately being seen as a consultant, and in some instances, almost like an employee of my clients’ business, is my biggest differentiator,” said Durand. “It helps me not only win new business through my reputation and experience, but also retain business over long periods of time.”
Alongside her team, Aylin Gucalp and Steven Larsen, Durand works with major retailers, supporting both domestic and international brands with their strategic U.S. expansion and market entry. Cassie’s tailored approach helps brands hone in on their unique challenges and opportunities and then implement a multi-market solution informed by both data and local market knowledge.
“The largest benefit to being consultative for your clients is becoming indispensable, and that stickiness equates to significant value over time. For the majority of my clients, I’ve been with them since the development of their business plan, or while they delivered their first unit in the U.S.,” said Durand.
Her work with international brands has been extensive, with a client roster that includes Byredo, Gentle Monster, Whistles, Sunspel, Vuarnet and OKA. Durand’s domestic clientele include some of the top brands in the experiential, direct-to-consumer and medical categories, including M&M’s World, CAMP, Dolby, WarnerMedia, Mejuri, Lively, Wild One, Kindbody and Bond Vet.
“Anyone who knows Cassie knows that she works tirelessly and is a strong advocate for her clients,” said Laura Barr, one of Durand’s colleagues, friends and senior vice president in CBRE’s San Francisco office. “Compared to a traditional methodology, Cassie has an innovative approach that folds analytics capabilities into her strategy to help provide solutions for even the most complicated of transactions.”
Beyond flagship and multi-market work, Durand also has a great depth of experience in executing short-term deals and other creative deal structures and sees tremendous opportunity for retailers in this rapidly changing retail environment. On the landlord side, Durand has extensive experience representing prominent ownership groups throughout New York.
“This accolade is a testament to Cassie’s unwavering determination, exceptional skills and keen leadership qualities, all executed with a healthy dose of humility,” said Todd Siegel, one of Durand’s local partners and senior vice president in CBRE’s Chicago office. “I’ve been honored to call her a friend and have had a front row seat to watch her remarkable career growth.”
In addition to being CBRE Retail’s Top Producer, Durand was named to GlobeSt.’s Influencers in Retail list for 2023. Durand is also a former winner of the CBRE Retail RISE-ing Star Award, which is given to an Associate or Senior Associate who is in the first years of their career and has demonstrated growth at the company in multiple ways.
“Cassie is a consummate professional and one of CBRE’s brightest and most client-focused,” said Todd Caruso, Retail Investor and Services Lead, Americas. “Her efforts and unique perspective on market strategy make it no surprise that she has reached such a high level of success.”