News
CBRE’S NEW WESTERN BOSS
January 18, 2012
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| Normally (and usually to our own detriment) we let the pundits do the predicting, but we predict CBRE’s Mike Smith’s golf clubs will become a bit dusty in the foreseeable future. He’s just been named president of the real estate services giant’s Western Division, taking over from newly promoted COO of the Americas Steve Swerdlow. Before this, Mike led CBRE’s San Francisco Bay Area operations and he continues in that position. In his expanded role, he’s responsible for all business lines, including facilities management, project management, asset services, valuation, debt and equity finance, consulting, and of course the biggest business line—brokerage—and P&L in more than 46 offices from Denver West to Hawaii. |
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| Besides tech, the Bay Area’s hot sectors right now include healthcare, and Mike’s seeing a fair amount of government work as well. As CBRE's Bay Area market leader, his plans here are to keep growing the existing service lines. When he took over in 2002, “we were primarily a brokerage and property management company.” CBRE enhanced those disciplines with the Insignia acquisition in ’03. With the acquisition of Trammell Crow in ’07, the company was able to offer acomplete line of services. |
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| Watch out behind you! Under Mike’s leadership, CBRE has grown into the Bay Area’s top commercial RE service firm—two to three times bigger than its nearest competitor from an overall revenue standpoint. The California native (born and raised in Coronado) started out in property management with The Koll Co in 1980. He worked for CBRE from ’82 to ’90, then spent 19 years as an industrial broker with San Diego’s John Burnham & Co (now part of Cushman & Wakefield) before returning to CBRE in the Bay Area in 1999 to work in management. In his free time, Mike loves to ski with his kids and is also an avid golfer, though “with the new job, I don’t think there’s going to be much golf.” |
