Just a year after launching, Moreton Bay’s Cornerstone Commercial has claimed two major industry honours at the 2026 Real Estate Institute of Queensland (REIQ) Awards for Excellence.
The agency was named Commercial & Industrial Agency of the Year, while Principal and Director Kristy McMillan took home the Commercial Property Manager of the Year award, marking an early milestone for a business built around bringing a more personal approach to commercial real estate.
For Kristy, who first developed the idea for Cornerstone Commercial in 2024 before officially launching the agency in 2025, the recognition came as a surprise.
“I was overwhelmed, in the best way and I sort of, still am,” Kristy said.
“We aren’t the biggest agency, but we’re in the business every day and we know our clients’ assets personally.”
Kristy established Cornerstone Commercial after recognising what she believed was a growing disconnect between commercial property owners, tenants and the people managing their assets.
She wanted to build an agency where clients dealt directly with people who understood their properties, rather than being passed between different contacts unfamiliar with their buildings or businesses.
That approach remains central to the agency, which Kristy now runs alongside her sister Hannah, providing commercial sales, leasing and property management services across the City of Moreton Bay and South East Queensland.
While the double award win recognises the agency’s early achievements, Kristy is particularly pleased to see commercial property management in the spotlight.
“Property management is often the quiet side of commercial real estate, but it’s where long-term relationships are built,” she said.
A key part of Cornerstone Commercial’s approach is helping tenants understand their lease agreements from the outset, including their financial obligations, important dates and what happens when a tenancy ends.
Kristy believes taking the time to educate tenants and establish clear expectations helps businesses make more informed decisions while protecting the interests of property owners.
For the sisters, building those relationships has been just as important as growing the agency itself, with a shared commitment to remaining closely involved in the day-to-day business.
As Cornerstone Commercial looks to build on its early success, Kristy said the focus would be on developing its team from within and maintaining the level of service that helped establish the business.
“We see this recognition as a responsibility, not a finish line,” she said.
“We want to keep growing by bringing our team along with us.”
With two major industry awards now behind it, the agency is looking to its next stage of growth while continuing to work with commercial property owners and businesses across the city.
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