Karla Smith

Executive Vice President & Principal

Karla Smith joined SRS in 2020 and is an executive vice president and principal in the Dallas/Ft. Worth office. She joined SRS’ Board of Members in 2021 and specializes in big box and national tenant representation throughout the states of Texas, Oklahoma, Louisiana, and Arkansas, as well as handling surplus disposition for various national retailers. In November 2023 Karla was honored with D CEO's prestigious recognition as one of the Dallas 500 for 2024 and being one of the most significant and influential industry leaders in north Texas.

With more than 18 years of experience in retail real estate, Karla was previously with CBRE. She was a partner at UCR prior to its merger with CBRE in 2015, and has accumulated an impressive list of clients as well as accolades for her work in the industry. Karla currently manages new store site selection for many national and regional accounts such as Target, At Home, Macy’s, Pacific Dental Services, AT&T, Frost Bank, Grain & Berry, and Luna Grill. She also worked on an extensive rollout strategy for north Texas since 2004 with Sprouts Farmers Market, and expansions for Cabela’s, Lifetime Fitness, Pet Supplies Plus, Planet Fitness, Blockbuster, Fuddruckers, Core Power Yoga, CVS Pharmacy and Aaron's Rent to Own.

Karla is highly regarded in the industry, and her advice is sought after by many professionals. In 2023 Karla was recognized twice by Globe St as a Retail Influencer and a Women of Influence and was published in D Magazine’s October issue of Women Leaders in Commercial Real Estate. She is a contributor in two inspirational industry books offering tips to professionals interested in entering the CRE industry; Winning Ways in Commercial Real Estate and Blaze Your Own Trail, and is an often-quoted resource for publications such as D CEO and the Dallas Business Journal. Locally, Karla is a sales leader at SRS, leading the Dallas Ft Worth office and frequently in the Top 10 of tenant reps throughout SRS’ 28 offices. She has been selected as a Power Broker by Real Estate Forum and chosen as one of the Dallas Business Journal’s Heavy Hitters and D CEO’s Best Commercial Real Estate Broker numerous times. Her lease for Target in Preston Center in Dallas, a particularly complex location with unique issues, won the 2018 Best Retail Deal for Dallas in D Magazine, and she was regularly recognized in the Top 10 by CBRE and UCR during her tenure.

Karla is a graduate of the University of Texas at Dallas and is involved with many industry organizations. She has served as an ICSC Texas Programs Committee Chair, and as the Retail Committee Chair and on the executive board for NTCAR. She is an advocate for the next generation in CRE and dedicates time and energy to mentoring and supporting upcoming sales professionals in real estate. She leads SRS’ SOAR program, a companywide community for women in brokerage focused on support, opportunity, advancement, and relationships and is also a co-founding member of Deals in Heels, a local networking group of professional women in retail real estate that educates and encourages the growth of women in the industry. In her free time, she enjoys spending time at the lake with family and friends and giving back to the community through organizations such as Arise Africa, the Salvation Army, Our Friends Place, and New Friends New Life, an organization dedicated to fight exploitation and human trafficking. 

Notable client relationships include:

• Pacific Dental - Since 2005
• Target - Since 2007
• Macy's - Since 2015
• At Home - Since 2017
• Frost Bank - Since 2018
• AT&T - Since 2018