Colliers Broker Eric Yarbro, A ‘Vibrant Voice’ For Minority Advancement In CRE, Dies At 57

Eric Yarbro, a Colliers International executive managing director with more than 30 years of experience in the commercial real estate industry, died over the weekend. Yarbro, whose cause of death wasn't disclosed, was 57.

Yarbro was also the founder of real estate firm Madison Square Realty and worked to advocate for the advancement of minorities within the commercial real estate industry.

Project REAP Chairman Lamont Blackstone announced Yarbro's death in a statement, and described Yarbro to Bisnow as one of the “brightest lights for Black and minority advancement,” in commercial real estate.

Project REAP is a real estate training program for multicultural talent to give them the skills and networking opportunities to establish themselves in the industry. Yarbro was on its board of directors and had been a long-serving volunteer and instructor, Blackstone said.

“He excelled in every environment within which he operated. And he always was thinking of how a relationship could advance REAP,” he wrote in an email. “That is why I recruited him to REAP's board, and that is why his passing is a devastating loss."

Yarbro joined Colliers in 2014, according to his LinkedIn page, and previously worked at CBRE. His clients included General Motors Corp., the U.S. Postal Service and Western Union. A Harlem local, he was also the co-leasing agent for the revamped 100-year-old Victoria Theater at 125th Street between Frederick Douglass Boulevard and Adam Clayton Powell Jr. Boulevard. He also served as the co-chair of the Real Estate Board of New York’s Harlem and Bronx Committee.

Colliers Executive Managing Director Jason Lund expressed condolences to Yarbro’s family and said he was a "beloved member" of the Colliers team.

“He will be remembered by all of us for his unwavering commitment to excellence, integrity, diversity and inclusion,” Lund said in a statement.

Last year, Yarbo told Bisnow that his advice to minorities within the industry was to believe that they are entitled to the same opportunities as others.

“Don't ever let anyone tell you otherwise. It's always going to be your perspective, and if you think you're less than and you have to apologize for who you are, results will reflect that,” he said. “If you believe that you have the same level of entitlement to the best opportunities, then you're going to get the best opportunities that come up.”