Urban Fast Forward

What Urban Fast Forward does

Urban Fast Forward is a Cincinnati-based, woman-owned commercial real estate brokerage and urban planning consulting firm founded in 2012 by Kathleen Norris, a fourth-generation real estate professional and former international arts executive. The firm operates a hybrid business model combining full-service commercial brokerage (site selection, property acquisition, strategic tenant recruitment, and disposition) with urban planning and community engagement services (neighborhood plans, comprehensive plans, corridor plans, zoning code rewrites, and market analyses). Its clients are primarily Cincinnati-metro real estate developers, restaurateurs and independent operators, local business owners, community development corporations and non-profits, and municipal governments, with selected planning engagements extending to Dayton and Springfield, Ohio.

The firm has no proprietary technology platform. Its technology footprint consists of a WordPress-based marketing website (urbanfastforward.com), downloadable PDF property brochures, and internal tracking maintained via spreadsheets by an operations manager. Revenue is generated through two streams: commercial real estate brokerage commissions on lease, acquisition, and disposition transactions (with publicly listed asking rents around $14–$16 per square foot per year on select listings such as 811 Race St and 1117 Broadway) and project-based professional services fees from municipal and non-profit planning engagements. Distribution is purely consultative: agents engage clients one-on-one, deal flow is augmented by co-broker and developer relationships, and a "Schedule a Consultation" form on the website serves as the primary lead-capture mechanism. There is no self-serve marketplace or transactional channel.

The team comprises approximately eight named professionals, including founder/Managing Principal Kathleen Norris, Senior Real Estate Executive Blake Bartley (whose bio claims leadership of tenant recruitment for over $500 million in mixed-use infill development), Planning Director John Yung, Operations Manager Phil Maxted, and four agents/planners with combined backgrounds in urban planning, hospitality, environmental science, and 25+ years of commercial real estate. Strategic partnerships anchor both service lines: 3CDC and Model Group for Over-the-Rhine development deal flow, and CUDA Studio, OHM Advisors, and Greater Ohio Policy Center for joint planning engagements. A client roster of roughly 60+ organizations and recurring regional business media presence support the firm's positioning as a differentiated boutique operator in the Cincinnati commercial real estate market.

Name

Urban Fast Forward

Legal name

Urban Fast Forward

Website

https://urbanfastforward.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2012

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Urban Fast Forward is a Cincinnati-based, woman-owned firm combining commercial real estate brokerage with urban planning and community engagement consulting, serving real estate developers, restaurateurs, municipalities, and non-profits primarily across the Cincinnati, Dayton, and Springfield, Ohio markets.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Commercial Real Estate Brokerage & Urban Planning Services

NAICS

Offices of Real Estate Agents and Brokers (53121), Rental and Leasing Services (532)

SIC

Real Estate Agents & Managers (For Others) (6531), Real Estate (6500)

akta.pro primary industry

Mixed-Use Property Management (BPAJAGAE)

akta.pro secondary industry

Residential Rental Brokerage & Tenant Placement (BPAJAAAF)

Keywords

• Commercial real estate brokerage
• Urban planning consulting
• Tenant recruitment services
• Community revitalization planning
• Commercial site selection

Headquarters

HQ city

Cincinnati

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Commercial real estate brokerage commissions: Revenue earned by representing landlords and tenants in leasing, acquisition, and disposition transactions across Cincinnati-area retail, office, and mixed-use properties (e.g., 1351 Wm Howard Taft, 811 Race St, 1420 Sycamore, 1810 Campbell Alley, 1739 Elm St, 207 Woodward). Brokers such as Blake Bartley and Kathleen Norris earn commissions on completed deals.
2. Urban planning & consulting fees: Project-based fees from municipalities, non-profits, and community development corporations for deliverables such as neighborhood plans, comprehensive plans, corridor plans, zoning code rewrites, and community engagement work (e.g., Beekman Corridor, Bond Hill, Camp Washington, Groesbeck, Mt. Healthy, Northbrook, North College Hill, Springfield, Westwood).

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Urban Fast Forward operates two interlocking service lines: a full-service commercial real estate brokerage that handles site selection, property acquisition, property positioning, strategic tenant recruitment, and property disposition for landlords, tenants, and developers across Cincinnati-area retail, office, and mixed-use properties; and a Planning & Engagement practice that delivers neighborhood plans, comprehensive plans, economic redevelopment plans, corridor plans, zoning code updates, and market analyses for municipalities, community development corporations, non-profits, and developers. The two practices are explicitly blended so that brokerage decisions are informed by urban planning and community engagement expertise.

Product overview

Urban Fast Forward is a single integrated service offering rather than a modular software platform; the company's work is delivered through two core, interlocking service lines — a full-service Commercial Real Estate Brokerage and a Planning & Engagement / Urban Planning Consulting practice — that together support Cincinnati-area property owners, developers, restaurateurs, municipalities, and community organizations. The brokerage service line underpins the company's Current Property Listings (lease and sale offerings such as 1351 Wm Howard Taft, 811 Race St, 1117 Broadway, 1420 Sycamore, 1739 Elm St, 1810 Campbell Alley, 1815 Logan Street, 1118 Sycamore, The Approach at Summit Park, and 207 Woodward Street) across neighborhoods including Over-the-Rhine, Pendleton, Downtown, East Walnut Hills, and Blue Ash, while the Planning & Engagement service line produces neighborhood plans, comprehensive plans, corridor plans, zoning code updates, and market analyses (e.g., Beekman Corridor, Bond Hill, Camp Washington, Groesbeck, Mt. Healthy, Northbrook, North College Hill, Springfield, Westwood). The two practices are explicitly marketed as a unique blended model in which brokerage decisions are informed by future-oriented urban planning and community engagement expertise.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Real Estate Brokerage Services Full-service commercial real estate brokerage assisting real estate developers, restaurateurs, business owners, community organizations, and municipalities with site selection, property acquisition, property positioning, strategic tenant recruitment, and property disposition for retail, office, and mixed-use properties in the Cincinnati metro area.
• Planning & Engagement / Urban Planning Consulting Urban planning consulting working with local governments, community development corporations, non-profits, public agencies, and developers to develop neighborhood plans, comprehensive plans, economic redevelopment plans, corridor plans, and market analyses grounded in community input merged with data.
• Current Property Listings (Lease / Sale Inventory) Active commercial real estate listings representing available retail, office, and restaurant spaces for lease or sale, including properties such as 1351 Wm Howard Taft, 811 Race St 6th Floor, 1117 Broadway 2nd Floor, 1420 Sycamore, 1739 Elm St, 1810 Campbell Alley, 1815 Logan Street, 1118 Sycamore, The Approach at Summit Park, and 207 Woodward Street, each with publicly listed per-square-foot pricing and downloadable PDF brochures.

Quantifiable outcome

• Half a billion dollars+ in mixed-use infill development tenant recruitment led by a single senior executive
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers18 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered flagship / core partner, core partner, project-specific partner and minor vendor.

• 3CDC (Cincinnati Center City Development Corp)flagship / core partnerStrategic or Co-development PartnerRecurring development partner on OTR projects. 3CDC completed Commons on Main (affordable housing) with Model Group — Urban Fast Forward brokered Lucca Workshop's ground-floor lease there. Urban Fast Forward also brokered Onolicious Hawaii's lease at Court Street Plaza, a 3CDC project. 3CDC's senior leasing officer Lindzie Gunnels is quoted in UFF press releases.
• CUDA Studiocore partnerStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-development partner on multiple planning projects. Collaborated on the Springfield Engaged Neighborhood Plan and the North College Hill Comprehensive Plan. CUDA's principal Jeff Raser co-led the CNU national conference bid with UFF planning director John Yung.
• OHM Advisorscore partnerStrategic or Co-development PartnerJoint engagement with the City of Dayton and Westwood Right Project in 2022 to deliver a strategic neighborhood plan for Westwood, Dayton.
• Greater Ohio Policy Centerproject-specific partnerImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerSub-consultant / co-author on the City of North College Hill Comprehensive Plan (2021–ongoing).
• Model Groupcore partnerStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-developer with 3CDC of the Commons on Main affordable housing project in OTR. Urban Fast Forward (Blake Bartley) brokered Lucca Workshop's ground-floor retail lease at that project.
• Cushman & Wakefieldproject-specific partnerChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorCo-broker relationship on specific transactions — e.g., at The Approach at Summit Park, Cushman & Wakefield's Terry Ohnmeis represented Sugar n' Spice (the tenant) while Urban Fast Forward's Blake Bartley represented the landlord.
• College Hill Community Urban Redevelopment Corporation (CHCURC)project-specific partnerImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerLandlord-counterparty and project partner on the College Hill Coffee Co. / La Terza acquisition in 2022–2023.
• Manman Studiosminor vendorOthersWebsite designer for urbanfastforward.com (credited in site footer: "DESIGNED BY MANMAN STUDIOS").

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• CBRE Group: World's largest commercial real estate services firm with a Cincinnati office covering brokerage, valuation, and investment sales. Overlaps with Urban Fast Forward on retail, office, and mixed-use assignments but operates at institutional scale with significantly broader geographic and service reach.
• Newmark Group: Full-service commercial real estate advisory firm with capital markets, leasing, and valuation services. Competes for retail, office, and mixed-use assignments in Cincinnati and broader Midwest at institutional scale.
• Colliers International: Global commercial real estate services and investment management firm with Cincinnati-area coverage. Provides brokerage and advisory services across retail, office, and mixed-use asset classes that overlap with Urban Fast Forward's core service lines, while operating at substantially larger scale.
• JLL: Global real estate services firm with a Cincinnati office providing brokerage, capital markets, and advisory services. Competes for similar retail, office, and mixed-use landlord/tenant engagements but at institutional scale with a global investor client base.
• Cushman & Wakefield: Global commercial real estate services firm with a Cincinnati office. Actively co-brokers deals with Urban Fast Forward (e.g., The Approach at Summit Park) and competes for the same landlord and tenant mandates in the Cincinnati mixed-use and retail submarkets, but with vastly broader service lines, research, and capital markets capability.

Direct peers

• RCLCO: Real estate advisory firm providing market analysis, advisory, and planning services to developers, investors, and public-sector clients. Comparable to Urban Fast Forward on the consulting side, especially in mixed-use market analyses and feasibility/advisory work for infill and urban projects.
• OHM Advisors: Engineering, architecture, and planning firm with municipal planning and community development capabilities. Active co-engagement partner with Urban Fast Forward on the Westwood (Dayton) strategic neighborhood plan, making it directly comparable as a hybrid planning/engineering consulting peer for Ohio municipal RFPs.
• CUDA Studio: Cincinnati-based planning and urban design studio. Strategic co-development partner with Urban Fast Forward on multiple municipal planning engagements (Springfield, North College Hill, CNU bid), and a directly comparable planning consulting peer competing for the same Ohio public-sector planning RFPs.
• HR&A Advisors: Real estate and economic development advisory firm advising public agencies, developers, and communities on mixed-use, urban revitalization, and infrastructure-led projects. Closely comparable to Urban Fast Forward's planning consulting line in scope, client type (cities, CDCs, developers), and deliverables (corridor plans, redevelopment strategies).
• NAI Global: Global network of independently owned commercial real estate brokerage firms with deep presence in Cincinnati and other Midwestern markets. Operates the same full-service commercial brokerage model (site selection, tenant representation, landlord representation) for retail, office, and mixed-use properties, making it a directly comparable mid-market competitor to Urban Fast Forward.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/urbanfastfwd
• Facebookfacebook.com/UrbanFastForward
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/urban-fast-forward

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles8 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Urban Fast Forward