Editorial
Front Page - Friday, August 7, 2009
Workman to serve as president of CCIM of East Tennessee
Samara Litvack
In his last year of college at Lee University, Brian Workman “got his feet wet” with an internship at Bender Realty in Cleveland. He enjoyed it, and soon realized commercial real estate was something he could actually do for a living.
“I happened just to luck out that one of the guys I went to Lee with and was in a fraternity with decided to come back and open a Zaxby’s franchise,” he says. “After I went through that process with him, I was like, ‘I kind of like this.’”
Residential real estate had never seemed to fit his personality. A numbers person by nature, Workman felt drawn to the workings of the commercial transaction. Once he had his first taste of the industry, he was sure he’d found exactly where he needed to be.
He began work with his father at Bender in 1999. After about a year in the field, he began working on earning his commercial designations. He got married, and when completed his Certified Commercial Investment Member designation a few years later, he was asked to serve on the CCIM board. Proudly, Workman has served in some capacity for the organization ever since.
“I’ve slowly just kind of worked my way up,” he says. “It’s an awesome group of people and I truly have valued my relationships I have made, being on the board, that I never would have been able to make otherwise.”
The purpose of CCIM is to educate real estate professionals on the disciplines of commercial and investment real estate. The program, created in 1969, has taught more than 225,000 students and the designation has been awarded to more than 15,000 commercial real estate professionals.
The CCIM curriculum is all-inclusive in terms of commercial real estate; it covers analysis of investor finances, current market conditions, user decisions and investment for commercial investment real estate.
“Who is my client? How do they function? What are the things they look for?” says Workman. “You learn how to work out financially what’s the best situation for them. Is it to buy this building that’s preexisting and put money in it? Is it to buy this land and build a whole new building? Is it to lease this building or to lease that land and build a building on top of it?”
Following the completion of four one-week courses, participants submit a portfolio of a variety of transactions they have completed that reflect what they have learned in the course, showing their complete understanding and application of the lessons. Once these requirements are fulfilled, a final exam is taken and graduates receive their designations.
For non-commercial Realtors, the local CCIM chapter has offered two-day, introductory classes in years past, which give participants a sample of what the designation has to offer. It has been held several times in Chattanooga, although not this year, but Workman says he hopes it will return next year.
“We try to get as many residential agents to come in that have ever wanted to do commercial at all,” he says. “Our hope is that they go, ‘This is something I want to do, something I want to get educated on.’ And take the first, second, third, fourth class and the final, do all the work and go forward.”
The CCIM designation offers more than education to its recipients; with it comes a network of educated professionals. Real estate attorneys, certified public accountants and property managers for municipalities, as well as many other professionals associated with the commercial real estate industry, have completed the course. And many are quick to refer their business to someone else that has, as well.
“It creates a very good network,” says Workman. “I know, with a CCIM, I’m dealing with somebody who understands, in essence, the language I’m speaking.”
On a local level, the CCIM Chattanooga chapter recently merged with the one in Knoxville, creating CCIM of East Tennessee Chapter. The organization encompasses the Tri-Cities, as well – Johnson City, Kingsport and Bristol – and one of its goals is to help formulate a structured CCIM district for the Northeast Tennessee region.
Currently, CCIM of East Tennessee rotates five board members. This year, Knoxville has three representatives and Chattanooga has two. Next year, Chattanooga will have three and Workman will become the organization’s president.
“We merged, in essence, to be able to complete the institutional and legal paperwork we have to comply with,” says Workman. “We have hired a part-time staff person, who will help us smooth out our need for structure. But at the same time, we’re really kind of trying to maintain our individuality.”
The organization is made in a nonprofit format. Dues are used to bring instructors to CCIM’s meetings, such as September’s speaker, who holds his CCIM designation and is the executive director of the Urban Institute of Atlanta.
At the organization’s last meeting, Workman says CCIM welcomed the people from both city and county governments who were responsible for the Enterprise South industrial park, and they spoke to members about the process and what properties were available.
“I feel, and the past presidents have always felt, that our guys are pretty astute,” says Workman. “We have to keep our meetings fresh.”
To do so, the organization brings in relevant speakers who engage the group with interesting topics that it can apply to work, personal investments and personal life.
This year, the CCIM regional meeting – including Alabama, Georgia, North Carolina, South
Carolina, part of Kentucky and East Tennessee – is set to be held in Chattanooga.
“Chattanooga’s very central for everybody,” says Workman.
Tentatively, the organization is planning to have people from its national institute, CCIM Institute, come to the regional meeting and teach a couple of classes. Typically, Workman says the meeting includes a marketing session, as well, where Realtors can pitch either their own or their clients’ properties.
“We give everybody 30 seconds, a minute to kind of plug,” he says. “You can bring paperwork, hand out a flyer, whatever.”
The regional meeting is tentatively scheduled to take place the first week of November. Contact members of the CCIM of East Tennessee for more information.
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