Erin Fitzgerald founded the Minneapolis Renaissance Coalition last year to inspire developers, investors, and stakeholders to reimagine downtown Minneapolis. This year, she left her position at JLL to launch her own firm, Willow Peak, which focuses on commercial real estate consulting, development, and investment. Willow Peak aims to transform underutilized office buildings through a mixed-use strategy, offering a “holistic approach” to navigate the complexities of the current market. Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey praised Fitzgerald for her instrumental role in supporting the downtown area. Fitzgerald’s move comes amidst high office building vacancies, with the Minneapolis central business district’s vacancy rate at 22.6% and Class A space at 27.7%, accounting for 53% of the metro’s available sublease market.