Catherine M. Blanton

Catherine M. Blanton serves as a Realty Specialist and Contracting Officer within the Public Buildings Service’s Region 9 Leasing Division under the General Services Administration. In this dual-role capacity, she is responsible for managing the full lifecycle of real property leases for federal agencies across Region 9, from needs assessment and market research through solicitation, negotiation, award, and contract administration. Her work directly supports the agency’s mission to secure secure, efficient, and cost-effective commercial office spaces that enable federal operations. Blanton specializes in nonresidential real estate leasing acquisitions, ensuring compliance with federal property management standards and aligning lease portfolios with strategic consolidation goals. Blanton maintains longstanding relationships with key real estate entities including EYP REALTY, LLC, THE HUNT TRUST BYPASS TRUST, SAN DIEGO COUNTY REGIONAL AIRPORT AUTHORITY, and DLR HOLDINGS 4, LLC. These partnerships reflect a focus on institutional landlords and large-scale property owners with established commercial portfolios suitable for federal occupancy. Her contracting approach emphasizes long-term lease stability, property condition assessments, and compliance with GSA’s real property standards, fostering collaborative, transactionally mature relationships grounded in transparency and regulatory adherence. Blanton’s procurement portfolio reflects a 100% non-set-aside contracting pattern, with no utilization of 8(a), HUBZone, SDVOSB, or other socioeconomic set-asides. This reflects a strategic alignment with the agency’s priority to acquire high-capacity, mission-critical real estate through competitive, full-and-open solicitations, prioritizing facility suitability, location, and operational readiness over socioeconomic preferences. Her expertise is concentrated exclusively in NAICS 531120—Lessors of Nonresidential Buildings (except Miniwarehouses). She procures long-term commercial office leases for federal tenants, evaluating building systems, accessibility, security infrastructure, and environmental compliance. Blanton’s technical domain centers on commercial real estate leasing, with deep familiarity in lease structure, rent escalation clauses, tenant improvement allowances, and property management agreements under federal real property authorities.