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.
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4 Network & Friendships The Institute has created a strong network of profes- sionals who share the same background and turn to each other for referrals and to work together on transactions. Often these relationships were created in the very beginning. "Many of the bonds developed in early classes are long-term," says Bob Rosenberg, CCIM, GRI, CEO of Inve$tnet in Sacramento, Calif. "There are countless examples of people who still network with people they met in classes going through the program 25 or 30 years ago or more." The beauty of the designation, says Nick M iner, CCI M, sen ior v ice president of ORION Investment Real Estate in Scottsdale, Ariz., is in "being able to pick up the phone and call some- one I've met and immediately get the warm conversa- tion, which is meaningful. There's that credibility component and unwritten expectation among those with the designation to be as responsive as you possibly can when another CCIM reaches out to you." That confidence in the network spans across to cor- porate real estate professionals. "The first job I had was as an acquisitions officer, tasked with finding com- mercial properties throughout the United States that met investment criteria for our company," says Tom Nordstrom, CCIM, GRI, retired from AEGON based in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, and a member of the CCIM Foundation Board of Directors. "I focused pretty much exclusively on CCIMs. We would speak the same language. When I would find a CCIM to purchase property, it was a very symbiotic relationship." Key to continued networking has been the oppor- tunity to feed the network, according to Nimkoff. "Chapters are important because at the end of the day, real estate is local," he says. Rosenberg says that local and regional chapter events, as well as national conferences, have increased the experience, business, and success of CCIM members. "Thanks in no small part to the Institute's desig- nation promotion over the years and the growth of CCIM chapters, CCIMs are afforded the oppor- tunity to close more transactions and have higher incomes than those commercial practitioners who have not earned the designation," Mack say s. In addition to the networking, members report forming lifelong friendships with other CCIMs across the country. "I remember meeting David Bickell, who was a brand-new designee, and grading resumes with him in San Antonio," Nordstrom says. "We found we had a lot of common interests, and it's developed into a nice relationship." Those friendships are created through a common bond, according to Miner. "Among the CCIM fam- ily, we all know what it took to get the pin," he says. "It creates a sense of place and camaraderie among those that have achieved the designation. Locally, I was blessed having Tim Hatlestad, CCIM, who is a past president of the Institute, as a mentor who helped me to get involved on a national level. He introduced me to people who did what I did locally. "Seeing similar designees in other markets and knowing that we all went through the same program was the connection point. We were able to develop those relationships over the years at local and national events. At the end of the day, that's really what com- mercial real estate is about — the people." Continued on p.16. Learn more about our chapter at: www.minnesotadakotasccim.com The Minnesota/Dakotas CCIM Chapter Congratulates CCIM Institute on 50 YEARS COMMERCIAL INVESTMENT REAL ESTATE / NOV.17 15 CCIM.COM