Engineers, title agents, bankers, attorneys, contractors and beyond, CCIM Southern Nevada membership is open to anyone interested in classes, events and networking with the organization. CCIM stands for Certified Commercial Investment Member, and those involved in the organization can serve on committees and organize events. To be on the board, however, requires CCIM designation, widely considered to be the equivalent of a master’s degree in commercial real estate.
Chapter leadership reaches out to new designees, often inviting them to get involved with the various committees and activities. “Those CCIM members who have just received their designation, the newer designees, they have the strong passion to be giving back to the chapters,” said Bobbi Miracle, CCIM, SIOR Southern Nevada chapter president. Miracle is also senior vice president with Commercial Executives Real Estate Services in Las Vegas.
CCIM Southern Nevada is looking for the next wave of new designees to join the chapter. The idea of expanding the pool for board positions and committee chairs is to get candidates interested before they’re designees. While board members have to have their designation, committee chairs and members don’t. For candidates and designees, being involved with the board or committees is a win for everyone.
“The nice thing for them is they’re able to meet the people we’re actually doing transactions within town,” said Miracle. Meeting established commercial real estate professionals can help new candidates or designees establish careers.
CCIM also has an outreach program that works with the University of Nevada, Las Vegas (UNLV) real estate college, Lied Center for Real Estate, through internships and a mentorship program. The organization helps pair professionals with students so they can sample commercial real estate for a semester. And, sometimes students come back and report they hate what they’ve experienced.
“And I say, perfect!” responded Paul Chaffee, CCIM president-elect and broker/partner with C Squared Real Estate. “You didn’t waste two years of your life working for someone and getting a paycheck only to realize you don’t like this.” Then the student can be paired with a professional in another specialty. There are options and the program helps newcomers realize those.
CCIM members also sponsor student memberships, allowing them to attend events and meet professionals before they ever enter the market. The program gives students and potential designees access to a digital toolbox called “Site To Do Business”, which CCIM pays to use. Students can get a peek at how that can assist their careers.
“Site To Do Business” can help them create a gap analysis report to find out what’s not in the area, what type of businesses an area needs and the kind of rents they can achieve there,” explained Chaffee. “It helps students on a more professional level and once they graduate if they go into the real estate field, they’ve already got an understanding of how Site To Do Business works. That’s one less hurdle they have to get over.”
Fresh Perspectives
Adam Gregory, CCIM, immediate past president and senior vice president of Commcap Advisors, received his designation in 2008. At the time, during the Great Recession, it was hard for chapters to find new members. More people were leaving commercial real estate than joining.
“I was fairly new to the industry and I was directed, at the time, that this is a really good avenue to get into as a young professional,” said Gregory. When he joined, there were only a handful of professionals on the board, cycling through the same positions.
“COVID got us stuck in another cycle where we didn’t have people ready to step up and be president, so we had to start recycling again. We needed that help from our past presidents,” said Gregory. “We really needed new designees to step up into leadership…
Read More: Southern Nevada CCIM: Passing the Torch