About

Deborah McGill Smith serves as an Executive Vice President and Partner of Cushman & Wakefield / EGS Commercial Real Estate, Cushman & Wakefield's exclusive Alliance firm in Alabama. 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 site selection for Daimler and Mercedes-Benz U.S. International (MBUSI) for their Global Logistics Center, a 300+-acre campus development and over 2.5 million square-feet in facilities that serve the main manufacturing campus for MBUSI. Deborah provided coordination services for site grading, utilities and infrastructure for its new campus. Other notable site selection projects include the site selection for Medical West and UAB Health Systems for a replacement hospital in West Jefferson County and the 500+-acre site in North Jefferson County for the proposed statewide Agricultural Farm Center Complex.

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 effectively work with landowners and companies to develop impactful projects in Alabama and throughout the Southeast. 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 large development sites.

Deborah has her SIOR designation and currently serves as Regional Director for the LA/MS/AL/NW FL Chapter, having previously served as the chapter’s President. She is also a member of CREDA (formerly NAIOP), where she has previously served as chapter president and on the National Board of Directors. 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. She has also been recognized among the Birmingham Business Journal’s “Top Birmingham Women” in both 2009 and 2022.

Deborah holds a Master of Public Administration from Auburn University at Montgomery and a Bachelor of Science from Troy University.