Commercial Investment Real Estate is the magazine of the CCIM Institute, the leading provider of commercial real estate education. CIRE covers market trends, current developments, and business strategies within the commercial real estate field.
Issue link: http://cire.epubxp.com/i/475894
21 March | April | 2015 CCIM.com Consistent Winners Many of the earlier Ward courses continue to resonate with CRE professionals far beyond the classroom. "T e High-Tech Mar- keting course is seminal," says Hugh Wade, CCIM, with Spire Commercial Real Estate in Anchorage, Alaska. "It really helped me understand the role of social media and how I can actually implement it constructively. It's one of those courses that probably merits taking once a year, to get the full dose of what is changing and how we can use it." Two courses that Clements recommends as having the widest appeal are Real Estate Financial Analysis Using Excel and Nego- tiations because "those skill sets areas are used daily." "The Excel course was fantastic," said Steve Caton, CCIM, a partner/broker with Caton Real Estate Group in Naperville, Ill. "It not only helped me utilize Excel to the max, but it helped me better understand concepts that I thought I had mastered when building my own spreadsheets." With an uptick in development, especially in multifamily and industrial, the Feasibility Analysis course has new-found relevance. "It gave me a handle on development projects from the CCIM perspective," said Shannon Mar, a Realtor with Guarantee Real Estate in Fresno, Calif. "T is course is invaluable if you want to work closely with developers of all types." Any Time, Anywhere Another advantage of the Ward Center courses is the variety of formats. While some are offered as live, seminar pre- sentations, most of the courses are avail- able online, as self-paced but primarily as instructor-led workshops. "T e online pre- sentations can be as short as 90 minutes and as long as a series of four or f ve two-hour sessions," says Mark Polon, CCIM, senior instructor and former chair of the Ward Center. T is increases their availability to the entire industry. "T e goal of the Ward Center is to provide information not only for those in the commercial real estate busi- ness, but for anyone whose business touches that realm," Polon adds. He sees almost all Ward courses being relevant to designees and industry veterans. "Even if the material in a Ward Center course is based on classic valuation processes, there will be a contemporary, timely slant to the delivery," he says. Investing in the Ward courses helps main- tain the relevancy of the CCIM designation as well, Clement adds. "T ese courses cover critical areas of knowledge necessary for remaining a recognized expert in commer- cial real estate." Tell Your Clients Who You Really Are. Want to make sure your clients and potential clients know you're a CCIM? T en af x your business card to the latest copy of Commercial Investment Real Estate magazine and leave it with them af er your next meeting. Or mail a copy with a personalized note. Bulk copies of CIRE are available to CCIM designees at greatly reduced prices for use in their personal marketing campaigns. Current Issue 1-Year Bulk Subscription ( 6 Issues ) 5 copies $15 $90 10 copies $25 $150 30 copies $60 $360 Limited quantities available, so call today to place your order. Shipping fees will be added to non-U.S. orders. Call 800-621-7027, ext. 4482. CE CREDIT AVAILABLE Continuing education credit is granted for some Ward courses through state real estate commissions. Contact cedredit@ccim.com for more information.