ALLOW US TO (RE)INTRODUCE OURSELVES
cynthia froid
principal,REALTOR®
We recently sat down with our team of experts for a little Q&A. This week we are featuring the founder of CFG, Cynthia Froid.
Cynthia’s real estate career began in 1996 while working with the late Sheldon Hoffman (S.R. Hoffman & Associates) handling the sales and marketing of the North Star Lofts. This was a pioneering, collaborative effort between Brighton Development, Paul Madson and Associates, and Kraus-Anderson Construction to renovate the landmark North Star Blanket Factory. Over the next nine years, they went on to sell out four additional award winning loft buildings by Brighton Development; Stone Arch Lofts, Washburn Lofts, Humboldt Lofts and Park Avenue Lofts.
In 2006, sensing a change coming to the downtown condo market, Cynthia spread her wings and left S.R. Hoffman to join Keller Williams Realty. She sharpened her skills, and continued to study her craft, focusing on re-sale transactions in the Mill District and expanding her knowledge to include other highly desirable neighborhoods in and near downtown. She quickly became the go-to girl for all things Mill District.
Read on the learn more about the dynamic Cynthia Froid!
Where are people most likely to find you outside of the CFG office?
My current passion project is an investment property I’m building with my two friends/business partners in Lutsen, MN on the North Shore of Lake Superior. It has been a lesson in patience as the pace of new construction up there is quite different than here in the city. It will be stunning when it’s completed, hopefully by year end when we will welcome our first renters! Check @tallins_stuga_lutsen on instagram for updates!
Your FAVORITE GO-TO series to binge?
Some of my favorite series to binge have been The Bear, Succession and if I must admit, though it is so cheesy, Emily in Paris. Favorite French series to binge would be Lupin and Astrid.
Favorite sports team?
Favorite MN sports team would have to be the Timberwolves! What a great group of guys. High hopes for the upcoming season!
Cindy's first solo backpacking trip in 1994, the gardens of Claude Monet, Giverny France.
What has been your greatest adventure? Any future adventures that you are looking forward to?
When people ask about my greatest adventure I always reply that I haven’t had it yet!
But if I must pick from a trip I’ve already taken, I’d have to say that my first solo backpacking trip through Europe was the most transformative. I spent the summer of 1994 bopping around Europe with nothing more than a backpack, sleeping bag, Eurail pass and my Let’s Go Europe! book. No cell phones, no internet, no GPS, and not even the EU! It was the ultimate sense of absolute freedom and total independence. Traveling solo is something I would highly encourage every person to do at least once. Especially in a foreign country.
do you have any nicknames?
The only nickname I have is HP. My friend Fritz Kroll coined that nickname for me, and he is the only person who calls me HP. You’ll have to ask him what it stands for. 😉
Each year Cindy and her friends travel to France to study and explore, Here they are on their recent trip to Nice.
IF YOU DIDN’T LIVE IN MINNEAPOLIS, WHERE WOULD YOU LIVE?
I would without a doubt live in France. It has always been my dream to live there, at least part time. I have been speaking French since 8th grade and now that I am officially an empty nester, I plan to spend more time there each year. I adore my Frenchie friends from Minneapolis with whom I travel to France each year to study. My “colocs”, we have a great time together!
what was your dream job as a child?
My dream job as a teenager was to become a broadcast news anchor. I idolized the talents of Connie Chung, Jane Paulie, and local great, Cindy Brucado. Broadcast journalism was my original major in college but after spending summers as a nanny in NYC, I changed my major to Elementary Education and French. I landed a great teaching job before I graduated, which lasted five years before I picked up my real estate license. The rest is history. I think teachers make excellent realtors!
WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE BUSINESS BOOK?
Favorite business book is actually a life book: “Mindset” by Carol Dweck. Great for parents, teachers, coaches or any type of leader. Next fave is the New Gold Standard. It’s all about the training process the Ritz Carlton employees go through. Excellent read for anyone in the service industry.
what is your favorite quality about ryan?
Ryan is awesome. He brings such a chill attitude to the team. What you see is what you get with Ryan. He is so steady, rarely gets rattled, and there is never any drama with him. He goes with the flow and is the ultimate team player. Wise beyond his years, that one.
what is your favorite quality about sarah?
We have had fun getting to know what makes McKee tick over the past year since he’s joined our team. She is very precise, polished and calculating, always prepared, and extremely punctual. She really pays attention to the details. A good balance to me and great influence on me! She loves adventure and doesn’t hesitate to jump on a plane at the spur of the moment!