BOIL THE DECADES OF EXPERIENCE, THE RIGOROUS EDUCATION AND
THE ANALYTICAL FOCUS TO ITS ESSENCE, AND CCIM INSTITUTE’S
MISSION COMES DOWN TO SERVING CLIENTS WHERE THEY LIVE
Cover Story
Speak the
Language of
Your Clients
Expect to hear the word “elevate” when you talk to anyone associated with the Chicago-based CCIM Institute. It’s an apt description of the association’s mission, to advance the
industry by advancing the professionalism of the individuals in it.
It’s a model built on three pillars of education, networking and
technology. And with 13,000 members, based in 1,000 markets in
30 countries, CCIM clearly has the reach
to spread its message.
It clearly has the firepower as well.
According to the association’s website, 67% of members with the
CCIM designation hold the title of owner, partner, principal, president, vice president or broker, and are responsible for some $2
billion in total global transactions.
Manhattan-based NAI Global is one of two major companies
boasting the most CCIM designees—Coldwell Banker
Commercial is the other. For NAI president Jay Olshonsky, the
designation is a critical part of his business. “We can pretty much
guarantee owners and end users that they will have a CCIM-
designated professional anywhere they need help,” he tells Real
Estate Forum. “The designation gives us a competitive edge. It
means our people are bringing a certain level of background,
training and credibility to an assignment.”
In fact, it is such an essential part of the NAI culture that,
despite a killer travel schedule, Olshonsky says that he is eager
to be a keynote speaker at the group’s upcoming Thrive annual
conference in Austin. Thrive will also be the time for Steve
Moreira to take the helm as 2016 president, accepting the gavel
from Mark Macek, CCIM, owner of the Macek Cos. in Great
Falls, MT.
OF SHOULDERS AND GRINDSTONES
“We offer commercial real estate practitioners the opportunity to
elevate their business practices through focused education and
networking, and the use of proprietary technology that works in
conjunction with that education,” says Moreira, who gained his
CCIM designation in 1997.
By John Salustri
