Contact Details

Tanya Bell is co-founder and partner of Grand Real Estate Advisors. Tanya has been an active member of the commercial real estate community for more than thirty years.  Her career has taken her from a role as a real estate broker, to sales manager, to developer and asset manager and back again!     A collaborator by nature, she very much enjoys the process and variety of her work, which she likens to that of a movie producer. A number of Tanya’s projects have received industry recognition:  the complete renovation of the Drake Marble Building into award-winning office space for Northwest Area Foundation and Drake Bank to River Bend Business Center, a 170,000 square foot business park located along the picturesque Mississippi River in St. Paul.  Now she does this for her clients.  Whether working as a lead volunteer or paid consultant her recent projects have been Twin Cities Habitat’s new HQ as well as the ReStore location(s); Common Bond Communities’ new HQ; planning and disposition of excess real estate for Luther Seminary and currently working with Junior Achievement MN.  Smaller but equally as enjoyable efforts have been helping YOXO Toys and Gov Docs lease new headquarters and many more opportunities to serve our clients.   Prior to founding Grand Real Estate Advisors, Tanya was Vice President of Acquisitions and Development at Wellington Management, Inc. for thirteen years.  In all, she led her group in over $175M in new construction and redevelopment projects and over $115M in acquisitions of real estate assets.  Tanya launched Wellington’s residential real estate practice with the award-winning Emerald Gardens, a 212-unit condo development on the border of Minneapolis and St. Paul and The Metro Lofts.   Before that, Tanya started her career at CBRE, a global commercial real estate firm specializing in corporate advisory services and office leasing with notable clients including Delta Environmental Services (now Antea Group), MN Women’s Foundation, MECC (Minnesota Educational Computer Corp), MN Nurses Association, Aetrium, American Express Advisors and Perkins & Will.  She was there 16 years.   Civic and community involvement has always been a priority for Tanya. She has been and is involved with a number of groups and organizations that include:   First National Bank; Western Bank Advisory Board Twin Cities Habitat for Humanity, past board member Friends of the Saint Paul Library, board chair and board member, Chair of Opus and Olives and MN Book Awards Landmark Center Property Committee Midway Chamber of Commerce Saint Paul Chamber of Commerce past board member and executive committee member – Volunteer of the Year in 2000 Ford Site Task Force Task Force Member for District 12 (St. Paul) Regular speaker for MN Real Estate Journal