What Being a CCIM Means to Us
This month we wanted to share with you all what being a CCIM means to us and how we have seen it play a vital part in our careers. Enjoy!!
Brian
What year did you get your CCIM and what made you choose to pursue the pin? I received my pin in April of 2010 in NOLA. The reason I pursued the pin is I entered the industry in 2003 after being a restauranter in a previous life and was searching for any means of education to get me up to speed with the top real estate people in my new business. After I found out about CCIM and took the intro class, I was hooked.
Has being involved with CCIM helped further your success in commercial real estate? Without a doubt. CCIM has opened so many doors and avenues and created relationships I would have never had the opportunity to make without it. If you are willing to put in the time and ‘get involved’, it is one of the best groups out there to enhance your career.
What would be the one piece of advice that you could give to someone that is looking to get into the business? Real estate is a people business. You need to work hard, be a professional in your craft, and get involved in professional organizations that will force you to meet and form relationships with others in your business. Those relationships will last a lifetime and will not only make you more money, will make you a much better professional.
What has been your favorite memory as a CCIM? In 2013 I served as the Southern NV CCIM chapter president. I am very competitive. There is a national competition called the Presidents Cup that compare all other CCIM chapters across the nation and award the top 3 chapters in each tier. Because of our chapter size, the S. NV chapter had been in Tier III (the smallest) and because of the great presidents before me (Bobbi Miracle and Ryan Martin) we had crushed every Tier III the two preceding years. I didn’t want to fail our chapter and did a LOT during my presidency to make sure we kept ‘the cup’. Long story short and to add a conspiracy component, to even the playing field they changed the qualification rules to boot us out of Tier III and put is in Tier I with the biggest of the big chapters. We didn’t find out about this until the day of the awards. Our chapter wound up getting 2nd place in Tier I that year which was pretty incredible, and the only reason we didn’t get 1st was my now good friend Bryan Holt (I didn’t know who he was at the time – he’s also extremely competitive) was the chapter president in Alabama. He asked what a President’s Cup was and how do we win, and then initiated a bunch of new chapter programs they had never done (we were already doing all of these, so they got an extra point for each – we had no chance) which tilted the scale and gave them the win. All things considered, I’m pretty proud of that 2nd place we won that year.
Angelica
What year did you get your CCIM and what made you choose to pursue the pin? I was pinned in 2020. I knew I wanted to pursue my CCIM when I first started in the business as I had a tremendous amount of respect for the CCIM’s in my previous office, such as Ryan Martin, CCIM who was chapter president at the time. His influence inspired me to deepen my knowledge of commercial real estate, prompting me to take the CCIM Intro class. Upon joining ROI, Brian was continuously preaching CCIM teachings and I have always admired his creativity approach to deal making. The timing of 2020 proved to be ideal to knock out the CCIM curriculum and by that the time I had the qualifying portfolio of business needed to obtain my CCIM designation.
Has being involved with CCIM helped further your success in commercial real estate? Having those four letters behind your name carries significant weight and merits recognition. The comprehensive curriculum has undoubtedly enhanced my abilities as a broker and provided me with incredible tools to assist my clients in making the best decisions for their real estate requirements. That being said, I firmly believe the networking plays a pivotal role and is perhaps the most advantageous aspect, the “who you know” in this business is just as important as the “what you know,” being able to connect monthly with other CCIM’s and professionals in our market has yielded our team a considerable amount of business.
What would be the one piece of advice that you could give to someone that is looking to get into the business? This business is a marathon not a sprint, be patient, stay ethical, and don’t get greedy.
What has been your favorite memory as a CCIM? My favorite memory as a CCIM was being pinned and realizing I will never have to test again.
Isabella
What year did you get your CCIM and what made you choose to pursue the pin? I was pinned in 2021. I started working at ROI the summer of 2017 with my dad, Angelica Clemmer, and Jennifer Ott. I got to work under each of them and both my dad and Jen would take me to the lunches to start meeting all the people in the industry. I quickly learned that a lot of the people that had those four letters behind their name were some of the most respected individuals in the industry. It didn’t take long for me to start pursuing the pin. I got involved with the chapter in 2017 and took my first class the summer of 2018.
Has being involved with CCIM helped further your success in commercial real estate? Absolutely. I cannot stress it enough, getting involved in the local SN CCIM chapter has helped me provide invaluable information to my clients about what is happening the market, it has helped me network with other brokers in community, and has given me a massive boost in my career by obtaining the trust of other brokers as they work with me on committees. I now sit on the Board of Directors and look forward to staying involved and getting more people to come in, because we are only as strong as our members.
What would be the one piece of advice that you could give to someone that is looking to get into the business? Find someone you admire in the business, ask them to coffee and build a good relationship with them. Stay plugged in, become an expert of the market, ask all of the questions, listen to what is said in meetings, and get involved with as many of the local organizations as you can and figure out which one aligns best with you and the success of your business!
What has been your favorite memory as a CCIM? Getting pinned!! I was pinned in Las Vegas as the mandatory mask requirement was officially dropped in Nevada. I walked in and the casinos had plexiglass everywhere and it was dead, by the time I walked out of the test and was pinned, the plexiglass was taken down and the casino was packed with people, it was so lively and awesome to feel that energy! After the pinning, in true Sorrentino fashion, I celebrated with my family, team, and some important advocates that helped me along my CCIM pin journey at Barry’s Steakhouse!