SVN Specialty Awards Presented at 2019 Annual Conference

Posted on March 22, 2019 by SVN

SVN announced the winners of its specialty awards, which recognize exemplary achievement in six different categories, and of the SVeN award. The awards were bestowed during SVN’s 2019 Annual Conference, a yearly gathering of SVN Advisors and Managing Directors, which took place March 6-9 at the Eden Roc Resort in Miami Beach, Florida.

The SVeN award, in recognition of exceptional promotion and representation of the SVN Difference, was presented to Keith Kidwell, Managing Director of SVN Commercial Realty in Fort Lauderdale, Florida.

Each year, SVN recognizes winners in each of six categories: Rookie of the Year, Collaborator of the Year, Team Player of the Year, Humanitarian of the Year, Ambassador of the Year, and Managing Director of the Year. These specialty recognitions were presented by SVN COO Diane Danielson, and John McDermott, Executive Director at SVN Chicago Commercial, during the Awards Dinner of the 2019 Annual Conference. Recognized for their achievements in 2018 were the following:

Rookie of the Year: Bryan McCann, Advisor, SVN |Three Rivers Commercial Associates in Pittsburgh, PA.

Bryann McCann with Kevin Maggiacomo

Collaborators of the Year: Jeff Cline, Executive Managing Director and Michael Finch, Executive Vice President both of, SVN| SFRhub Advisors, Phoenix, AZ.

Michael Finch with Kevin Maggiacomo

Team Player of the Year: Tony Yousif, Senior Director, National Accounts SVN | Asset Advisory Group in San Diego, CA and SVN | CompassRock in Denver, CO.

Tony Yousif with Kevin Maggiacomo

Humanitarian of the Year: Bruce Marshall, Managing Director, SVN | DataVest, Inc. in Dallas, TX.

Bruce Marshall with Kevin Maggiacomo

Ambassador of the Year: John P. McDermott, Executive Director, SVN | Chicago Commercial in Chicago, IL.

John McDermott

Managing Directors of the Year: Matt Christian and Larry Starr, both of SVN | Commercial Advisory Group in Sarasota, FL.

Perry Laufenberg (2017), Larry Starr, Matt Christian, Matt Stone (2016)

“It is always a great honor to present SVN‘s specialty awards, which recognize the high standards, generosity, and extraordinary achievement of the honorees, in order to build strong relationships and the SVN brand,” said COO Diane Danielson.

Check out other news and pics from the 2019 SVN Annual Conference by looking up #SVN2019 on Twitter.

SVN Annual Conference: Technology trends disrupting the CRE industry

Posted on March 8, 2019 by SVN

The second day of the 2019 SVN Annual Conference started with an in-depth panel discussion about industry disruption trends. The panel, moderated by SVN COO Diane Danielson, featured Clara Brenner, Managing Partner, Urban Innovation Fund, Michael DeGiorgio, CEO Founder, CREXi, and Vishu Ramanthan, CEO, Buildout. Trends that were discussed included the prevalence of big data, urban technology, virtual reality, crowdfunding, and artificial intelligence

Technology as a disrupter

On the topic of how technology in general is affecting the industry, Michael DeGiorgio said technology is going to bring higher efficiency to the industry but will not replace brokers. Clara Brenner sees that technology is changing expectations from consumers about service, and now they want to have 24/7 access to everything. And for Vishu Ramathan, the biggest impact from tech on CRE is the use of virtual reality.

Don’t hang on to your big data

On the subject of big data, Vishu Ramathan said that more data is being shared, and being used for more interesting insights. He underlined the idea that having data is not the same as understanding of the industry. He said brokers have to stop holding on to their data and start collaborating.

AI instead of brokers?

Regarding the fear that artificial intelligence will replace brokers, the panelists all agreed that AI will only help not harm brokers. With the use of algorithms and predictive analytics, brokers will be able to find the right buyers and make the right hires, making those brokers better at their jobs.

Diversity and inclusion

To close the session, Vishu Ramathan spoke about the importance of culture, and specifically of increasing inclusion and diversity. He defined inclusion and diversity like this:

Diversity is asking people to the party and inclusion is asking them to dance.

SVN Annual Conference Keynote Speaker: Ryan Estis

Posted on March 8, 2019 by SVN

In a world where your customers and competition are changing fast, you need to think differently. If you don’t adapt, you will be a company that gets disrupted, much like Borders, Circuit City and others that were once leaders in their fields and are now defunct. That was the warning that Ryan Estis, the SVN Annual Conference keynote speaker, had for attendees.

Success tends to breed complacency.

Turn clients into brand evangelists

Ryan Estis’ advice to brokers who want to succeed is to become obsessed with branding and client experience. Successful brokers will understand that clients want a good experience, which includes:

Efficiency
Friendly service
Knowledgeable service
Convenience
Up to date tech

Having a client-focused culture helps turn your clients into brand evangelists.

Know your value

Another bit of advice from Estis was that everyone needs to understand their value proposition and how to articulate it. A value proposition has to be authentic, differentiate you from your competition, and be compelling.

Go outbound

Regarding selling, Estis added that sellers have to go outbound, and can’t depend on existing relationships. When setting up a sales meeting, you need to have commitment objective. A commitment has actionable next steps, which you should reconfirm in writing.

Be a super hero

At the end of his talk, the high-energy Ryan Estis had the entire room get up and then stand in a super hero pose, which research proves energizes you and helps motivate you.

The Fed view on the CRE industry

Posted on March 7, 2019 by SVN

During the second session of the 2019 SVN Annual Conference in Miami, Kevin Donahue of SVN CompassRock interviewed Brian Bailey, CCIM, CRE, Subject Matter Expert at the Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta, to get a regulatory perspective and the view from the Fed.

2018 was great year…but growth will slow

Brian Bailey thinks the CRE industry is doing well, and 2018 was a banner year. However, growth is slowing. Tax effects will fade, and the country will slow from 3% GDP, but it will still experience solid growth. Currently, indicators in the economy are good, as 230,000 jobs are created each month, and unemployment keeps coming down.

There’s more capital, and more alternative lenders

Banks have more capital. The economy is seeing an improved volume of loans. Regulation has accomplished the goals needed. However, Brian Bailey says that one surprising thing has been the rise of alternative lenders and non-banks. Non-banks have experienced a significant growth of 40- 44%. The market is embracing new financing alternatives. The caveat with non-banks is that we have less transparency into their dealings, and they can often compete with smaller banks.

Inflation coming back?

The data shows a potential for inflation coming back. Wages are also increasing. Auto lending and student loans are increasing. There is plenty of borrowing that is taking advantage of low rates, especially in auto financing. The Fed president has indicated there may be one rate increase later this year.

CRE market overview

Real estate continues to be validated as an asset class, which is a good dynamic for the CRE business.

Brian Bailey, Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta

The commercial real estate sector is a lagging adapter of technology, and so is retail. The economy has shifted from goods to services, which is obvious when we realize that there have been 4,300 store closings nationwide. The amount of retail square footage per person in the United States is 24 feet, which is perhaps too high. New retail projects will have to be re-thought, perhaps re-purposing existing retail to medical uses, or perhaps to address the shortage of affordable housing.

The industrial sector is going to continue to grow. Office space costs have increased but tech has enabled tenants to take less space, in other words we have higher rates with more efficiency. In the next decade there will be a rise of alternative property types, like skilled nursing assisted living. Banks will be lending in more of those spaces.

Will this downturn be like 2008?

The downturn is inevitable. However, Brian Bailey thinks this will be a softer landing, and not a huge loss like in 2008.

Kevin Maggiacomo Kicks Off SVN Annual Conference

Posted on March 6, 2019 by SVN

“Leverage … the SVN culture to take market share in this era of change.” That’s what SVN President & CEO Kevin Maggiacomo encouraged the 400+ attendees to the 2019 SVN Annual Conference in Miami to do. These attendees, who hail from 38 states and five foreign countries, learned from Kevin during the opening session about the CRE industry in general, how SVN did in 2018, and where SVN is headed this year and beyond.

Kevin Maggiacomo, President & CEO

CRE is being disrupted

Technology is disrupting the CRE space, as is “disintermediation,” forcing a major transformation in the way we do business. Collaboration, trust and transparency will become more important to success, and that dovetails with the unique SVN Culture and core covenants. Trust and the collaborative culture are integral to the SVN business model.

A banner year for SVN

In 2018, SVN experienced its best year ever. There are now over 1600 advisors and staff across the United States and eight countries. There are 21 new domestic offices, and SVN continues to expand internationally, with a recent addition in Romania. SVN Advisors are handling larger properties (in value) and closing bigger deals.

Growth ahead

SVN is positioned for more growth in 2019. SVN is aggressively pursuing minority investments in strong brokerage firms, and recently signed agreements in Los Angeles through the SVN Partnership Program. Kevin also believes that time spent hiring the best new advisors, those who are driven and value cooperation, will fuel organic growth.

Some advice

“Do one more deal, take one more step,” says Kevin Maggiacomo. “Specialize more, network more, become more efficient and results will follow.”

Highlights from this week's CCIM Global Conference in Chicago

Posted on October 12, 2018 by SVN

I just came back from the truly worthwhile CCIM Institute Annual Global Conference in Chicago. SVNIC was a sponsor this year, and I attended both in my role as SVN International Corp.’s Senior Vice President of Franchise Sales, and president-elect of the New England CCIM chapter.

The CCIM conference brings top commercial real estate professionals together to exchange ideas that help shape the future of the industry. It’s a great opportunity to learn from some of the CRE industry’s best, and also a fabulous place to develop new business opportunities. The conference this year was very well attended, and we had record traffic at the SVN booth!

CCIM is the leading global real estate industry association and has more than 13,000 members, who conduct $28 billion in transactions annually. Other great facts about CCIM:

67% of CCIM designees hold title of owner, partner, principal, VP, or broker
42% of them average more transactions annually than a typical brokerage specialist
95% of CCIMs said designation has helped them in career advancement

There was a lot to take in at the conference (there were more than fifteen speakers). If you weren’t able to make it, don’t worry! Here are some of the highlights.

Top Legislative Issues Facing Commercial Real Estate

This session was presented by Adriann Murawski, State & Local Government Affairs Representative for the National Association of REALTORS. Adriann talked about policy and transportation, and shared these disturbing statistics:

56,000 nation’s bridges are structurally deficient (as of 2016)
21% of nation’s highways are in poor condition

As a country, we must invest in our infrastructure, and find sustainable mechanisms to move projects forward. Adriann encouraged the CRE industry to get involved in policy making by using its voice, and building relationships with local and national policymakers.

Shrinking Commercial Real Estate Workforce

The biggest challenge facing CRE is recruiting. An extremely competitive landscape makes it difficult to attract and retain talent. And we all recognize that our industry lags in diversity. Although there are many programs in place, more are needed, such as university outreach programs.

Using technology, the industry needs to show people a career path. Those who are interested in entering the field need guidance and mentoring.

Everyone has an opportunity to bring in talent to the industry. CRE lags in diversity, and the industry must value inclusion. Companies need to assess themselves, and understand how they are viewed internally and externally. Is there an environment of inclusivity?

Attendees at CCIM Global Conference

All about Blockchain

Blockchain and Bitcoin are not the same and should not be confused. Blockchain provides the means to record and store Bitcoin transactions, but Blockchain has many uses beyond Bitcoin. Bitcoin was only the first use case for Blockchain.

Blockchain, or distributed ledger technology, could give rise a new internet era that is even more disruptive and transformative than the current one. Every device will have to change to an entirely new operating system (plan for a new iPhone!).

There will be a new Blockchain economy, and what the internet did for technology, Blockchain will do for value and transactions. In the pre-Blockchain economy, there were many intermediaries to provide trust. Now the system facilitates much easier connections between peers.

Transformation through Technology

In this session, we learned how commercial real estate firms are integrating technology and remaking the business. Today, a whopping $2.7 billion is being spent in this sector.

The panel discussed issues including:

The big transformation around data and data storage. How do we share big data?
The challenge in making choices on what technology to use. Their advice is to be proactive instead of reactive.
How important it is to recognize tech talent, and to make CIOs more visible.

Kevin Maggiacomo Lunch Presentation

Kevin Maggiacomo, President & CEO, SVN International Corp.

Kevin challenged the audience to always be thinking about collaboration and fee sharing in transactions. He said that CRE is at a crossroads, dysfunctional, and out of touch with major industries. This disintermediation in CRE industry is not going away and is a good thing for clients because it puts clients’ interests first.

Kevin said that two out of three investment sales transactions over $2 million are done across state lines, and no one broker knows all the buyers. Deals that are co-brokered, on average, achieve a 9.6% higher sales price.

Obviously, there was a lot that I didn’t cover here. I hope you join me at the next CCIM conference to get some of this information first-hand.

Highlights from this week’s CCIM Global Conference in Chicago

Posted on October 12, 2018 by SVN

CCIM is the leading global real estate industry association and has more than 13,000 members, who conduct $28 billion in transactions annually. Other great facts about CCIM:

67% of CCIM designees hold title of owner, partner, principal, VP, or broker
42% of them average more transactions annually than a typical brokerage specialist
95% of CCIMs said designation has helped them in career advancement

There was a lot to take in at the conference (there were more than fifteen speakers). If you weren’t able to make it, don’t worry! Here are some of the highlights.

Top Legislative Issues Facing Commercial Real Estate

56,000 nation’s bridges are structurally deficient (as of 2016)
21% of nation’s highways are in poor condition

Shrinking Commercial Real Estate Workforce

Using technology, the industry needs to show people a career path. Those who are interested in entering the field need guidance and mentoring.

Attendees at CCIM Global Conference

All about Blockchain

Transformation through Technology

In this session, we learned how commercial real estate firms are integrating technology and remaking the business. Today, a whopping $2.7 billion is being spent in this sector.

The panel discussed issues including:

The big transformation around data and data storage. How do we share big data?
The challenge in making choices on what technology to use. Their advice is to be proactive instead of reactive.
How important it is to recognize tech talent, and to make CIOs more visible.

Kevin Maggiacomo Lunch Presentation

Kevin Maggiacomo, President & CEO, SVN International Corp.

Obviously, there was a lot that I didn’t cover here. I hope you join me at the next CCIM conference to get some of this information first-hand.

SVN Specialty Awards: Firm of the Year – SVN | Northco

Posted on May 20, 2016 by SVN

Recognizing the SVN Difference with Specialty Awards

If you read my recent blog post about the SVN Annual Conference highlights, you know that the SVN Specialty Awards recognize members of the SVN community who have distinguished themselves in 2015 by making significant impacts on the commercial real estate industry and beyond. The awards – which included Team Player of the Year, Ambassador of the Year, Collaborator of the Year, Trainer of the Year, Humanitarian of the Year, Prospector of the Year, Innovator of the Year, and Firm of the Year – looked beyond production results and instead focused on culture. The winners of this year’s SVN Specialty Awards each embody traits that the SVN culture values immensely: practicing collaboration, cooperation and conscious capitalism while excelling in commercial real estate.

SVN Firm of the Year 2015 – SVN | Northco

Firm of the Year is not the same as Top Producing Firm, although it can be. But when we look at nominees for Firm of the Year, we look for firms that are using the SVN tools, systems, resources and other offices to grow their presence. From the day SVN | Northco joined the SVN organization they went to our Jumpstart training events, used the SVN Live℠ Open Sales Calls to market properties, and embodied SVN’s collaborative culture. If you’ve ever called them for help on a golf or resort proposal, you’ve experienced it. They’re big, they’re productive, they cover many different parts of their market, and they’re a great bunch of men and women. And, this year, they are our Firm of the Year.

Led by Executive Directors Frank Jermusek and Walt Van Heest along with Managing Director Cameron Peterson, Northco became a member of the SVN organization in 2014. Headquartered in Minneapolis, MN, SVN Northco Real Estate Services is a full service commercial real estate firm that has been a leader in the Twin Cities market since 1975.

The SVN blog will be featuring one SVN Specialty Award winner every week for the next few weeks. Subscribe to the SVN blog on the right-hand column of the blog homepage to stay up to date with SVN and CRE industry news.

Top Reasons to Visit the SVN Booth at ICSC in Las Vegas

Posted on May 10, 2016 by SVN

RECon is just over a week away, and SVN is ready

Yes, of course SVN will be at ICSC RECon. Booth C162F to be exact! And we’re looking forward to all the networking and deal-making opportunities that are ahead.

Here’s why you should stop by the SVN booth in Las Vegas:

We Share Fees – We’re the only commercial real estate company founded on the idea of compensated corporation. What’s this mean for you? How’s a 50% commission split sound on deals you do with an SVN Advisor? It sounds good to us, and guess what else? Higher splits increase demand, which ultimately leads to deals making it to market faster, and closing at a greater value. (See SVNIC EVP of Franchise Development Solomon Poretsky’s Commercial Real Estate Cooperation Report here).
Over 100 SVN Advisors will be in Attendance – SVN is a network of over 1,500 Advisors spanning 500 markets in the US, Canada, Mexico, and Russia, so there’s a good chance we’ll have someone from your market to talk to. If not, we guarantee you’ll be hearing about us in your market soon. Our comprehensive commercial real estate services include sales, leasing, tenant representation, asset management, property management, corporate, consultation, accelerated marketing, and auction services.
We are also a Commercial Real Estate Franchisor – Interested in joining SVN? We can make that a reality. We are always looking for more qualified real estate professionals to expand our already successful network. Become a part of our growth by joining the 6th Most Recognized Brand in Commercial Real Estate*, and branding yourself as a national firm driven by our culture of accountability, responsibility, and transparency.

Still not convinced? Come by anyway and we promise we’ll give you a reason to get excited and share what you learned about SVN with your colleagues, clients, and friends. Click here for directions to the SVN booth C162F.

We are looking forward to seeing you in Las Vegas!

*Based on The Lipsey Co.’s 2016 Commercial Real Estate Brand Survey

[bctt tweet=”Yes, of course SVN will be at RECon. Booth C162F to be exact! #CRE” username=”svnic”]

SVN Specialty Awards: Innovator of the Year – Al Stepan

Posted on May 6, 2016 by SVN

Recognizing the SVN Difference with Specialty Awards

SVN Innovator of the Year 2015 – Al Stepan

When it comes to treating an SVN franchise like a business, no one is more of an innovator than Al Stepan. He has led the organization in investing in bringing in outside specialists to support recruiting, which has allowed him to scale his teams. He was also a driving force behind the consolidation of our Denver and Fort Collins offices, positioning them to be a regional powerhouse. These are just a couple of the examples of thinking big and applying best business practices to the operation of an SVN franchise. And it’s an innovation that we can all learn from.

Al Stepan is a principal of SVN | Chicago Commercial and serves as a Managing Director along with Michael Thanasouras and Scott Maesel in Chicago, IL.

The SVN blog will be featuring one SVN Specialty Award winner every week for the next few weeks. Stay up to date with SVN and CRE industry news.

The CRE Advisor's Guide to Surviving ICSC RECon 2016

Posted on April 27, 2016 by SVN

Getting Ready for RECon 2016

As you’re probably aware, ICSC’s annual RECon is the event of all events for those in the commercial real estate industry, and an even bigger deal for those who specialize in retail. With over 40,000 attendees predicted to attend, and over 1,000 company booths, it’s a wonder how you will be able to see everything you want to see, learn everything you made the trip to learn, and network with the individuals you desperately need to meet.

Here are a few tips to survive Las Vegas this May:

Plan ahead. If you haven’t already started thinking about this then go do it, like, now. The ICSC website has a list of all the attendees and booths that will be at the conference. Sit down and highlight which markets you would like to focus on, and who you want to meet in those markets. Find out if they have a booth, and schedule as many meetings as possible. Make a map of the convention center, highlight the booths you plan to see, in what order, and try not to get lost!
Get the important things done first. As the conference drags on, many attendees will start to get bored or tired, and may not be hanging around for the last day and a half. Make sure you are scheduling meetings with the people you must see, and must talk to, first. Create a second “potential” list for the people you would like to speak with if you have time, or happen to run into at their booth. This way you are keeping your priorities in order, and making sure your time is well spent.
Enjoy your time. There is no doubt that the conference can become hectic. Take advantage of this opportunity by introducing yourself to as many people as possible. The chances you are connected may be slim, but who knows who you will meet. RECon provides the best opportunity to expand your network and increase your business and deal flow.

Now that you’ve set up some meetings, take a deep breath and get excited for this action-packed weekend. And don’t forget to stop by SVN at booth C162F to find out what our Advisors have been up to! Click here for directions to the SVN booth C162F.

Oh, and amid all this preparation and excitement for #RECon2016, don’t forget to book your flights…

[bctt tweet=”Don’t forget to stop by SVN at booth C162F to find out what our Advisors have been up to! #RECon2016 #CRE ” username=”svnic”]

SVN Specialty Awards: Prospector of the Year – Jamie Renzenbrink

Posted on April 22, 2016 by SVN

Recognizing the SVN Difference with Specialty Awards

SVN Prospector of the Year 2015 – Jamie Renzenbrink

How does one make it to the SVN Partners Circle? Some make it because they have years of contacts built up or they have a couple of deals that have been in the works for years that finally come through. But there is another way: specialization, focus, and an unparalleled work ethic of making the calls and getting it done. Jamie Renzenbrink, who specializes with Gene Levental on Affordable Housing, did the work and landed one of the biggest deals in SVN history. Her prospecting was an integral part of the overall success of our #1 firm this year, so she is our Prospector of the Year. Jamie Renzenbrink is a Senior Advisor at SVN | Affordable | Levental Realty in Cincinnati, OH.

SVN Specialty Awards: Humanitarian of the Year – Brent & Amy Miller

Posted on April 15, 2016 by SVN

Recognizing the SVN Difference with Specialty Awards

SVN Humanitarian of the Year 2015 – Brent & Amy Miller

If there was ever an office that makes community building a priority in our Shared Value Network it’s SVN | Miller. Led by Brent and Amy Miller, the group’s hard work to better their Salisbury, MD community is why we are giving them this year’s SVN Humanitarian of the Year Award. The Millers take doing well by doing good to heart and it is something that is reflected through every member of their team. We could say more, but I think that their SVN Difference video says it all. The SVN | Miller team picked up another honor at the conference, as this video won the “Best Documentary” category of our first annual SVN video awards. Check out the video below.

Brent Miller, CCIM, CPM, serves as Managing Director and Senior Advisor for SVN | Miller Commercial Real Estate with offices in Salisbury, Annapolis, Bethesda, Maryland; and Rehoboth/Lewes, Seaford, and Wilmington, Delaware. Miller specializes in the sale, leasing, and management of retail, office, and industrial property. With more than 27 years of commercial real estate experience, Miller has closed more than 750 transactions, resulting in a career brokerage volume in excess of $250 million.

Amy Miller, CPM, serves as Managing Director for SVN | Miller Commercial Real Estate & Property Management, Inc. in Salisbury, Maryland, where she acts as director of property management and chief financial officer. Miller has over 20 years of commercial real estate management experience.

SVN Specialty Awards: Trainer of the Year – Tomi Jo Lynch

Posted on April 8, 2016 by SVN

Recognizing the SVN Difference with Specialty Awards

SVN Trainer of the Year 2015 – Tomi Jo Lynch

Tomi Jo Lynch grew her office the old-fashioned way. She went out and spoke to people with skills who needed help to grow their businesses. She brought them in and led them to SVN’s Broker Boot Camp (now known as SVN | Jumpstart), and she built an in-office schedule of training sessions and roleplays, taking advantage of the SVN System for Growth™. She executed and, because of that, she has built a much larger and more productive office. And it all started with training.

Tomi Jo is a Senior Advisor with SVN® | Gold Dust Commercial Associates, in Reno, NV, specializing in industrial properties with a focus on landlord representation. Her responsibilities are varied and include not only brokerage services but business development as well as overseeing and managing the brokerage team. Lynch serves on the NAIOP Board of Directors and assists the Programs committee with events and recruiting.

SVN Specialty Awards: Collaborator of the Year – Tony Yousif

Posted on April 1, 2016 by SVN

Recognizing the SVN Difference with Specialty Awards

SVN Collaborator of the Year 2015 – Tony Yousif

Just being with SVN means you are a collaborator. And one could say that when you specialize in national accounts, you would naturally be a good collaborator. However, when you run your national accounts in a manner where nearly half the company writes in to nominate you, it means that you are the company’s best collaborator. As we are a company founded on collaboration both internally and externally, it’s with great pride that we present this award to Tony Yousif.

Tony Yousif serves as Senior Director of National Accounts for SVN | Asset Advisory Group specializing in the management and sale of investment properties.

SVN Specialty Awards: Ambassador of the Year – Alex Ruggieri

Posted on March 25, 2016 by SVN

Recognizing the SVN Difference with Specialty Awards

SVN Ambassador of the Year 2015 – Alex Ruggieri

What can we say about Alex Ruggieri? Not only does he dress the part of an impeccable Ambassador – he is out there online and in person representing SVN on his radio show, at CCIM conferences and with clients around the country. Recently he’s been working with David Wilk on some leading-edge corporate service projects as well. He’s been a Partners Circle winner for four years in a row – from 2012 through this year. This is his second time winning the prestigious Ambassador of the Year award, as he also received this honor in 2013.

Alex Ruggieri serves as a Senior Advisor for SVN | Ramshaw Real Estate, Inc., specializing in the sale of investment properties and corporate relocations in Champaign- Urbana and Central Illinois. With more than 30 years of commercial real estate industry experience, he has built an array of valuable business, real estate, and banking community contacts that benefit his clients. He has secured a transaction career sales volume in excess of $500 million.

SVN President and CEO Kevin Maggiacomo Speaks at "Closing the Gap" Conference

Posted on March 22, 2016 by SVN

Kevin Maggiacomo on Gender Balance and Shared Value

In December 2015, Kevin Maggiacomo was invited to speak at the very prestigious Greene Institute “Closing the Gap” conference on achieving gender balance. Other speakers at the conference included New York Times Columnist Tom Friedman and former Prime Minister of the United Kingdom Tony Blair. Kevin used this opportunity to expand upon his earlier TEDx talk about including everyone in the American Dream. In his latest talk, he connects his message of inclusion with a transformative and profitable business strategy based on shared value.

Check out the 6-minute video here.

We believe our success at SVN comes from growing our network by intentionally recruiting women, minorities and millennials as franchisees, Advisors and employees. We believe their proven, innate drive for openness, collaboration and success will give SVN a distinctive competitive advantage. To view new career opportunities visit our Careers Page. If you are interested in learning more about how your firm can join as a franchise, visit our Franchise Sales Page.

SVN Specialty Awards: Team Player – Steve Kawulok

Posted on March 18, 2016 by SVN

Recognizing the SVN Difference with Specialty Awards

SVN Team Player of the Year 2015 – Steve Kawulok

Steve Kawulok, Managing Director of SVN | Denver Commercial has been with SVN since 2007 and under his direction, the Fort Collins office has been a top performing office for as long as we can remember. However, the fact that there were a number of nominations for Steve that came from around the country is a testament to his ability to be a true SVN Team Player. This year, Steve took it to another level when he was instrumental in building the SVN presence in Denver. To a quote one of the nominations that came in:

“His unique strong – yet soft-spoken – style made him the perfect candidate to blend the multiple Colorado offices and work together with the leaders from the Chicago SVN office to establish a regional presence in the Denver metro area. He is a real team player.”

The SVN blog will be featuring one SVN Specialty Award winner every week for the next few weeks. Stay up to date with SVN and CRE industry news.

SVN Annual Conference 2016: Highlights From San Diego

Posted on March 14, 2016 by SVN

My Top 4 Moments from the SVN Annual Conference

The 2016 SVN Annual Conference was easily the best reason to miss class. As a college student and the youngest member of the SVNIC team, I had the incredible opportunity to travel to San Diego, California for a three-day commercial real estate extravaganza: #SVN2016. The SVN Annual Conference, held in the Westin San Diego, proved to be the highlight of my entire year working at Sperry Van Ness International Corporation (so far). As you can probably tell, it was difficult for me to narrow down what I thought were the best parts of the event. While I’m sure everyone had a different set of high points, here are mine:

1. Kevin Maggiacomo’s Opening Address

Kevin Maggiacomo, SVNIC CEO & President.

SVNIC CEO & President Kevin Maggiacomo kicked off the conference talking about transparency, shared values and supporting women. As it always has, the commercial real estate industry currently lacks diversity, particularly in terms of including and promoting the interests of women – SVN aims to change this. As quoted in the Globe St. article about him, Maggiacomo says: “Having more successful women on our teams will make all of us more successful and generate exponential value and more profits.” Personally, as a college student interested in business, I was particularly interested in how hiring gender-inclusive talent as well as transparency across the organization (i.e., openly sharing fees with the entire brokerage community) can result in higher profits. As I better understood from Kevin’s opening speech, implementing a shared value strategy enables Advisors to have even more “meaningful conversations.” Kevin wants Advisors to strive to have five “real” conversations per day… every day. This is something that even us interns can try.

2. Advisor Headshot Session

The background: San Diego buildings and sunshine.

The 400+ SVN Advisors and staff from across the U.S., Canada, and Russia probably didn’t expect to have a professional photographer waiting for them at the hotel poolside – on the first full day of the conference. With the help of two extremely resourceful SVNIC assistants (yes, I was one of them), the photographer shot hundreds of new professional headshots for over 150 SVN Advisors and staff within that one day. Not only did dozens of SVN Advisors receive complimentary up-to-date professional headshots to help market themselves and their businesses – it was also an unexpected networking event. I met so many members of the SVN organization while helping them get ready for their photoshoots, and I’m happy to say I have 150 new friends.

3. Diane Danielson’s Business Trends Talk

Diane updates the full house of SVN Advisors.

Yes, Diane Danielson is my boss, so at the risk of sounding biased, I’ll say it anyway: she nailed it. Her talk, which focused largely on Millennials (me!) was spot-on. We want flexibility in work hours and location, a clear path for advancement, a conscious capitalist mission, but we still want to work hard. It seems like Millennials are often accused of being lazy, self-absorbed, and all around not the sort of people cut out for the corporate environment that their Silent Generation, Baby Boomer, and older Generation X parents worked hard to cultivate. In her talk, Diane shattered this stereotype about my generation by emphasizing our desire for efficiency. While the business trends discussed spanned more than just Millennial issues, this part of Diane’s speech resonated most with me because as a Millennial, I couldn’t have said it better myself. Click here to see a video of the full talk.

4. Specialty Awards

Everyone likes winning awards. If you don’t, I kind of think you’re lying. What makes the SVN Specialty Awards so wonderful is that they recognize more than just good Commercial Real Estate Advisors – they recognize good people. The awards – which included Team Player of the Year, Ambassador of the Year, Collaborator of the Year, Trainer of the Year, Humanitarian of the Year, Prospector of the Year, Innovator of the Year, and Firm of the Year – looked beyond production results and instead focused on culture. The winners of this year’s SVN Specialty Awards each embody traits that the SVN culture values immensely: practicing collaboration, cooperation and conscious capitalism while excelling in commercial real estate. Yes, numbers don’t lie. But neither do the people – all members of the SVN organization were invited to nominate individuals for the SVN Specialty Awards. This year’s winners are a group of SVN Advisors and Managing Directors who motivate and inspire me and countless others to strive for excellence in every sense of the word. In case you were curious, here are the winners:

Team Player of the Year – Steve Kawulok
Ambassador of the Year – Alex Ruggieri
Collaborator of the Year – Tony Yousif
Trainer of the Year – Tomi Jo Lynch
Humanitarian of the Year – Brent & Amy Miller
Prospector of the Year – Jamie Renzenbrink
Innovator of the Year – Al Stepan
Firm of the Year – SVN | Northco

There you have it – my top highlights from the 2016 SVN Annual Conference. I’m sorry, professors – the experience I gained from my three days outside of class was worth its weight in California gold.

For other SVN Annual Conference news, check out the SVN Blog for additional content.

[bctt tweet=”I’m sorry, professors – the experience I gained from my three days outside of class was worth it. #SVN2016 #CRE”]

Appreciation Is the Best Motivation

Posted on September 10, 2015 by SVN

Appreciation Can Be a Better Motivator than Money

I recently read an article in the weekend edition of the Wall Street Journal titled “It Pays to Give Thanks at the Office.” I was instantly drawn to the title as I was just coming off three days in Dallas attending SVNIC’s inaugural Managing Director Conference. One of our breakout sessions was called “Speed Best Practices — 60 Second Tips from Your Colleagues That You Could Use to Own, Lead and Succeed in Your Business.” There were well over 100 best practices shared from offices all across the country, with topics ranging from how to write a deployment plan to how to motivate a team with sales incentives.

One of my favorite best practices was shared by a Managing Director from NYC. Each week he asks his new to the business CRE brokers for a list of the people who would not take the rookies’ calls. He would then sit down in the open cubes with all the rookies and call that list of people they couldn’t get a meeting with. Role playing and sharing cold call techniques on how to get a meeting gave this team the training they needed. He was able to demonstrate to his young team unique sales and winning phone tactics from a seasoned, CRE industry veteran’s perspective. I like to think that commercial real estate offices today are becoming more diverse and multigenerational, where collaborating and cooperating together like this team is widespread. These rookies thanked and appreciated their Managing Director and the MD thanked them for making the calls. Collaboration and cooperation is the ethos of the SVN culture today.

[bctt tweet=”Collaboration and cooperation is the ethos of the #SVN culture today.”]

So I paused when the article I read in the WSJ quoted “It’s rare to find gratitude around the workplace, but appreciation is an even better motivator than money. Bonuses get spent, titles get old but a thank you lingers…” I would agree 100%. The article also referenced Google amongst other companies today that are setting a new trend because expressions of gratitude are scarce around the workplace. Not at SVN. I am going into my 4th year with SVNIC and some of the biggest reasons I work at here are our people, our leadership, and our culture. Everyone says “thank you” and I see our Managing Directors often thank their employees. It’s a reason to show up every day, it’s a real motivator to give it your all.

The article went on with a few quotes worth mentioning. “A sense of appreciation is the simple, most sustainable motivation at work… the sense that other people appreciate what you do sticks with you.” Be specific about what someone has done and “show honest and sincere appreciation.” I have sat with this quote written on an index card for years. I wrote that “quote” down 20 years ago when I participated in the Dale Carnegie Sales Training Course after reading the book How to Win Friends and Influence People. That book gave me the tools and key principles to practice when interacting with people in business and in life in order to be successful.

Why Would Someone Want to Work at Your Office?

I have a best practice to share – or rather it is more of a call to action for all Managing Directors at SVN and in the CRE industry. Sit down and write on a sheet of paper “Reasons why someone would want to work at your office.” Then hand out a blank sheet and ask your employees to do the same at one of your weekly team meetings. Collect them, they can be anonymous, and then discuss them with your team. Save them and bring them to the next SVN Managing Director Conference or our National Conference in San Diego and share with your peers. You might all learn a new way to show gratitude in your office resulting in employee loyalty and increased sense of appreciation.

I agree that “appreciation is the best motivator.” My work and the value I bring to our team is appreciated and respected at SVNIC. For me, that is the biggest reason I get excited to go to work — thank you everyone at SVN. I know myself and all SVN Advisors are looking to recruit “culturally compatible” CRE professionals who are also looking to work in a fun, positive, motivating and appreciative office environment.

To learn more about the SVN culture, check out our Core Covenants here.

If you’d like to join a winning team, please contact me at Karen.Hurd@svn.com or 781.812.4272 and let’s talk.

The 2015 Managing Director Conference: Top 3 Reasons to Register

Posted on July 1, 2015 by SVN

2015 Managing Director Conference in Dallas, TX

The Sperry Van Ness® Managing Director Conference only happens once a year, so now is the time to register. At MDC 2015, Managing Directors will have the opportunity to experience the latest SVN tools and systems and learn from renowned commercial real estate speakers. By collaborating on projects and seminars, Managing Directors will make lasting business connections that are critical components of running a successful brokerage.

Top 3 Reasons to Attend the 2015 Managing Director Conference

1. Networking. Emails and phone calls can only go so far. In an industry built on interpersonal connections, face-to-face conversations can go a long way. Do you think a Managing Director would be more likely to collaborate on a deal with someone who reached out via email or someone she bonded with over coffee and bagels? With breakfast, lunch, and a surprise dinner experience included in registration, MDC 2015 offers countless opportunities to connect with your peers in the industry.

2. Experience. Like networking, relevant experience is gained through real-life situations. Everyone who attends this conference is experienced in his or her own way, since they are owners of brokerage businesses. This is a chance to compile all of this collective experience in one place and learn from it. Two days of training and networking is all it takes to gain valuable experience and connections.

3. Learning. With a full roster of engaging speakers coupled with multiple seminars and training sessions, participants can learn a lot from attending MDC 2015. By sharing best practices with other Managing Directors, participants are also able to learn from their counterparts in offices across the country. Need help managing those pesky Millennials? Not sure how to leverage SVN tools? Having trouble building your brand? MDC 2015 has you covered.

Register for the 2015 Managing Director Conference now by clicking here.

Broker Boot Camp | 4 Traits of a CRE Brokerage Superstar

Posted on June 29, 2015 by SVN

Do You Have What It Takes to Be a Brokerage Superstar?

Having attended the Sperry Van Ness® Broker Boot Camp in Chicago three weeks ago, I now know a little bit about what it takes to “make it” in the commercial real estate brokerage business. Full disclosure: I’m a marketing intern, so my experience as a broker is non-existent. However, since I had the opportunity to sit in on the first day of the Boot Camp, led by industry veteran John McDermott, I now have a pretty good idea of some of the qualities that differentiate a brokerage “superstar” from the rest.

To be clear, even being just a “good” broker isn’t as easy as you may think. (See my first Boot Camp blog post for some elaboration). To be a “superstar” in any field you need to set measurable goals, as my second Boot Camp blog post discussed. But for commercial real estate brokerage in particular, you must possess 4 specific traits to become a top performer.

The Intern’s Take on the 4 Traits of a Brokerage Superstar

1. You must be tenacious. As a broker, there are few times when it’s acceptable to simply take “no” for an answer. Brokerage superstars are relentless — when appropriate, they prod further with clients who seem to be shutting them down. Instead of calling it a day, a brokerage superstar asks questions when she is slammed with a “no.” For example, rather than ending the conversation when a potential client says he has no interest in giving you an exclusive listing, ask what his reservations are and listen to his response.

2. You must be a self-starter. As I already mentioned, brokerage isn’t easy. Perhaps the hardest part of commercial real estate brokerage is starting out as a brand-new broker. A budding brokerage superstar will jump on the opportunity as soon as she is hired by a brokerage firm by immediately starting to build her database, accumulate contacts, and practice key skills. This brokerage superstar doesn’t wait to receive help or direction. Instead, she takes initiative by doing everything in her power to succeed from the Day 1.

3. You must be self-motivated. From what I understand, brokerage can be a lonely business at times, because it is ultimately up to you as a broker to close your deals and earn paychecks. While it seems scary (in my opinion) to be relying only on commission for your income, a brokerage superstar sees this as an advantage. A brokerage superstar is fearless and confident in her own abilities to bring home the bacon, and doesn’t need outside motivation to stay fired up.

4. You must be able to make connections with the right people. This doesn’t mean you can just say “oh, I’m a social butterfly!” and spend your week chatting with your friends. A brokerage superstar doesn’t just work the room — she works the room with a purpose. She goes out of her way to introduce herself to industry leaders and research the local movers and shakers. Following any meeting or casual encounter, a brokerage superstar takes notes and catalogues this experience for future reference. As a broker, your business is built on knowing the right people, so you must be professional, likeable, and strategic in order to make worthwhile connections.

If you think you have what it takes to be a brokerage superstar, visit our Careers page by clicking here.

To learn more about the SVN Broker Boot Camp, click here.

Broker Boot Camp | Setting Goals for Success

Posted on June 22, 2015 by SVN

Intern Insights: Setting Goals in Your Personal and Professional Life

If you’ve read my previous blog post, then you know that I learned a lot about the commercial real estate industry by attending the Sperry Van Ness® Broker Boot Camp in Chicago. However, the Broker Boot Camp was not strictly about the brokerage business. In fact, one of the most interesting parts of the training for me was when speaker John McDermott talked to us about setting goals. We’ve all heard it before — setting goals is a good thing. But not many of us actually do it. As author Brian Tracy states in his book Goals!, going through the process of writing out your goals on paper can make all the difference. By writing down your specific aspirations with measurable standards, you have already committed to something tangible.

Don’t know where to start? Not to worry! I’m going to share with you 3 out of my 10 goals that I wrote down during the Broker Boot Camp to give you some ideas.

The Intern’s Top 3 Goals for Success in Life

1. Work out at least 4 times a week. In my opinion (and John McDermott’s), health should always be your number one priority. Whether you’re a high-profile Advisor working on multi-million-dollar deals or a college student like me, finding time to take care of yourself can be difficult. But maintaining good health is crucial, because without your health you can’t perform at your best in all aspects of life. Let’s be real — I probably won’t work out 4 times a week every week. Other things always seem to get in the way, such as my best friend Netflix. But having written this goal down, I now feel accountable for meeting my own expectations. (Now I have to go on a run after publishing this.)

2. Call my dad at least twice a week. Family is also incredibly important — it’s a built-in support system that no one should neglect. But like exercise, family time is often forgotten, as we tend to prioritize working hard and making money over our personal lives. Let me be clear — working hard is awesome. That’s how you get places in life. But at the end of the day, your family is all you have. Using my example, my dad is literally the smartest person I know. I would be missing out on receiving advice, motivation, and support by continuing to work through the evening instead of calling my dad.

3. Graduate magna cum laude in 2017. Since I’m going to be a junior in college, my academics are a huge priority. In the brokerage business, a similar goal could be something like “earn my CCIM designation by 2017” or “make the National Top 10 Advisors list by 2017.” Since school is my “work” at this point in my life, I’m committed to performing at my maximum potential. Hey, I might not graduate magna cum laude. Although it’s not impossible, I know it’s super hard. But now that I have this goal written down in front of me, I have something tangible that I can strive for over the next two years.

I know — my top 3 goals don’t really relate to the commercial real estate business. But that’s sort of the point. No matter where you are professionally, it’s important to keep your personal goals in mind along with your professional ones. If you’re at work, then work. But if you’re off the clock, take time to focus on your health, your family, and whatever else is important to you personally. So grab a pen and paper and write down your top 10 life goals. You never know — all 10 of them might come true.

To find out more about the SVN Broker Boot Camp, click here.

Broker Boot Camp | Top 3 Rookie Mistakes about CRE Brokerage

Posted on June 16, 2015 by SVN

Intern Insights: Rookie Mistakes about CRE Brokerage

As a marketing intern at Sperry Van Ness International Corporation I had the opportunity to attend last week’s Broker Boot Camp in Chicago. Now, let me be honest — I knew next to nothing about commercial real estate brokerage going into this training. Since I’m just about as “rookie” as it gets, speaker John McDermott’s “Top 10 Rookie Misconceptions” about the brokerage business provided me with a much-needed wakeup call about the industry.

I’ll admit it — I was guilty of falling for each of the CRE brokerage myths John mentioned, so I’m going to share my 3 favorites with you. It’s time to dispel some rumors…

The Intern’s Take on the Top 3 Rookie Mistakes

1. “It looks easy.” Well, it’s not. If CRE brokerage were easy, everyone would be doing it. Good brokers can often work up to 80 hours a week building their businesses. Since brokers rely on the commission-only “results economy,” the pressure is always on and the work is never done. You can always be making more cold calls, setting up more meetings, adding more information to your database… the list goes on.

2. “I can do it online.” Perhaps you can, but you won’t be making any money. It’s impossible to “do” brokerage well if you’re sitting at your computer, because the majority of the job involves going out and meeting prospects and surveying properties in person. To all my fellow millennials out there: nothing replaces face-to-face interactions, especially in the brokerage business. Sorry, but no one is going to tweet you your paycheck.

3. “I don’t need to cold call.” Oh, yes you do. Although cold calling is intimidating, especially for avid texters like me and my generation, it’s proven to be the single most effective way of reaching a prospective buyer or seller. Look at it this way: you only need to cold call each contact once. After that first time, the person already knows you, so that awkwardness of cold calling subsides. By the way, as a broker you should aim to make 250-300 cold calls a week. So hop on that phone and get calling.

Clearly, you don’t have to know much about commercial real estate brokerage to get something out of the Sperry Van Ness® Broker Boot Camp. Anyone can learn something useful, especially complete rookies like me.

To see how you can break into the brokerage business, visit our Careers page here.

To find out more about the SVN Broker Boot Camp, click here.

5 Key Retail Market Insights from ICSC's RECon 2015

Posted on June 8, 2015 by SVN

What are the major retail market trends driving today’s real estate economy? That is a huge question, but luckily SVN’s Shari Tucker-Gasser has some answers. As the National Council Chair of Multi-Tenant Retail for Sperry Van Ness, LLC, Tucker-Gasser shared some of her expert retail market insights with GlobeSt.com at this year’s RECon in Las Vegas, Nevada.

Retail Market Insights: 5 Key Takeaways

1. Real estate investment trusts (“REITs”) are dominating the retail market space. This means that it’s a tough market for independent investors, who can’t compete with the deep pockets of real estate investment trusts. With greater financial resources, REITs have the ability to take more risks with their property investments. This shuts many independent investors out of the market, because they can’t afford what REITs are willing to pay for properties.

2. Anchors are popular, but not a necessity. Due to the threat of an anchor possibly vacating, some investors prefer to buy unanchored strip centers. So while independent investors may be excluded from certain deals because of powerful REITs, they still have some attractive (and affordable) investment options.

3. “Green” properties in urban areas are purchased based on curb appeal. People often enjoy being able to say that they purchased renovated or “recycled” properties. “Green” buildings are trendy and appealing for certain types of investors, who are typically not as motivated by cash.

4. Revitalization projects can be attractive and mutually beneficial. Developing an area is exciting, because you are uplifting a previously struggling community. Millennials tend to prefer inner city areas, where they can easily commute to work and spend time with their peers. This poses a great opportunity for developers, who can revamp inner city communities to meet the needs of the growing number of city-dwellers.

5. The lack of good leasing brokers is a problem. Due to the recession, many good brokers have left the business. The industry needs a new crop of talented leasing brokers to sustain the commercial real estate field. This new breed of brokers will not appear overnight, but Tucker-Gasser remains optimistic.

To read more on retail markets in the commercial real estate industry, download the 2015 Retail Market Update report.

2014 SVN Specialty Award Winners

Posted on March 4, 2015 by SVN

Congratulations to all of the SVN Specialty Award winners who were recognized for their outstanding efforts in 2014 during the Awards Banquet at last week’s National Conference in Orlando. We appreciate all that you’ve done over the past year as a part of the Sperry Van Ness organization and in your communities, and are proud to have you as part of our team. Your dedication to the Core Covenants and culture of collaboration make you some of the best in the commercial real estate industry!