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/700533
July | August | 2016 Commercial Investment Real Estate CCIM training and networking play crucial roles in building fl edgling CCIM designees' success. Young and Successful by Sara S. Patterson By the age of 26, Peter Barnett, CCIM, had already been at his father's fi rm, J.A. Barnett Realty Group, for eight years specializing in multifamily and class B offi ces, and earned his CCIM designation. A few years later, he wanted to move into corporate commercial real estate, negotiating lease transactions and interacting in a broader marketplace with asset managers and corporate executives. "When I fi rst got my CCIM designation, I knew it was applicable to being a broker," says Barnett, director of real estate at Price- waterhouseCoopers LLP in Tampa, Fla. "But I was concerned the CCIM designation was not going to be as applicable in the corporate world. But I quickly discovered that I needed it at PwC, too. e CCIM designation has been extremely helpful at my fi rm, particu- larly because credentialing is important to everyone. At PwC, credentialing is the new way to both guarantee and advertise that you have the knowledge that continues to be ben- efi cial and applicable for your clients." Enhancing Credibility James Milner, CCIM, was not born into the industry but discovered it by coincidence when working as a paralegal. His fi rm wrote a commission check to a broker for $75,000. "I thought that I could do this work," says Milner, president of Appalachian Commer- cial Real Estate, in Boone, N.C. A er getting his broker's license in 2007, he looked at various professional designa- tions and made the commitment to earn the CCIM designation. "CCIM is a community that helps each other and works together for the common good of the client," Milner says. "My clients have come to know that those four letters behind my name mean that I am not only an expert, but someone they can rely on for sound common sense advice regarding the complexities of commercial real estate." Heading up NAI Norwood Group in Bed- ford, N.H., Christopher Norwood, CCIM, believes that earning the CCIM designation helps him provide a better level of service to his clients. In addition, it has opened doors for him. "I can call vice presidents and presidents of banks and know they will return my call because of my CCIM designation," he says. In his mid-20s, Norwood became chap- ter president of the New England CCIM Chapter, giving back to the profession and learning how to be a leader. "I took away even more than I gave to CCIM," he says. CreativaImages/Thinkstock C CIM E DU C ATI O N y Young commercial real estate professionals always look for ways to boost their credibility and practical knowledge to succeed in this competitive and primarily commission-based industry. For many, acquiring the CCIM designation, becoming leaders in their local CCIM chapters, and serving the national CCIM Institute have been the panacea to spur their careers as either independent owners or key players at infl uential fi rms.