MIAMI—Blanca Commercial Real Estate has been tapped to lease the BAC Colonnade Office Tower in Coral Gables, just as the building prepares for a series of upgrades. The assignment comes 18 months after Boston-based TA Realty acquired the 205,9250-square-foot building located at 2333 Ponce de Leon Boulevard in downtown Coral Gables.

A series of physical improvements will get underway this quarter and be completed this year, including a remodeling of the tower's entrance lobby, as well as the addition of a fitness center and ground-floor café. Ownership will introduce a new concierge service that will be accessible to tenants 24 hours a day.

GlobeSt.com caught up with Danet Linares, vice chairman of Blanca, to get her thoughts on how BAC Colonnade is keeping up with newer buildings. Beyond the improvements, Linares offers some strategic reasons that are difficult to replicate in part one of this exclusive interview. In part two, Linares will go deeper into the Coral Gables office market.