Jennifer Petrovich relocated to Austin, Texas, 5 years ago in a bet that the fast-growing city with a reputation for smaller real estate offices would be a better fit for her career. It appears to have paid off.
Petrovich was hired as vice president at CLD Realty from Edge Realty, where she'll be handling landlord leasing, tenant representation and investment sales. Petrovich most recently earned the 2023 Rising Star Award from Austin Bisnow, the 2024 Women in Business Award from the Austin Business Journal, and was recognized as a 2024 Retail Heavy Hitter, also from the Austin Business Journal. Nonetheless, her roots in the real estate industry extend long beyond her working career.
Petrovich comes from a family specializing in retail development in California, having joined her dad on a trip to Minnesota and Seattle to sit in on negotiations for an OEA and REA between Costco and Target when she was 9 years old. She attended her first ICSC conference at the age of 12.
After graduating from Columbia as a Division 1 volleyball student-athlete, she pursued tech consulting before moving to Madrid, Spain, where she interned at a luxury residential brokerage. She worked her way up to becoming an agent while also learning Spanish. At the age of 23, Petrovich moved back to the U.S. and began working for the family business.
Over the next four years, she was involved in leasing over 4 million square feet of retail space.
Austin appeals to Petrovich because the area has a lot of boutique real estate firms. Many major brokerages even have smaller offices in the city.
As a woman in a male-dominated industry, she says, "Finding the right culture fit is important to me."
She adds “This new opportunity gives me the flexibility and creative freedom to broaden my reach beyond just Austin and San Antonio.”