Longtime Albuquerque commercial real estate broker Clay Azar will be CARNM’s president in 2020.
Azar, a broker with local firm Metro Commercial Realty, recently represented local aerospace manufacturer Sun Country Industries signing a lease to occupy 40,000 square feet at 7601 Los Volcanoes Road NW, the site of a former FedEx Freight building.
CARNM’s mission is to provide its 500-plus members across New Mexico commercial services, information exchange and educational opportunities while being a voice and resource for its membership, Azar said. CBRE’s Debbie Dupes holds the title of president-elect for CARNM. Azar spoke with Business First on what led him to become CARNM’s president and the organization’s priorities in 2020.
Metro Commercial Realty Inc. ranked No. 14 on Business First’s list of largest commercial real estate firms with $18.78 million in commercial transaction volume in 2018.
When did the opportunity to lead CARNM present itself? What attracted you to the position?
I was asked at the end of 2018 by the now past president Sean McMullan. I was honored and attracted to the position because I truly love the industry and the people involved. Our commercial brokerage community here in New Mexico is very special and different from other markets. We are a very close, cooperative group where 99% of us play nice and just want to get a deal done.
What are some of the goals and priorities you see for CARNM this year? What influence do you hope to have on the organization?
Growing CARNM’s involvement in advocacy statewide and locally, on pro-business and pro-employment growth issues while helping our members stay informed. There is no better economic developer than a commercial real estate broker as our very livelihood depends on the success and growth of businesses. So, when government slows that down, we need to be more proactive instead of reactive, while trying to work with our community to change what needs to be changed and stop efforts that will damage our local economy.
Are there any unique opportunities that are presenting themselves now? What challenges exist?
We need to find better ways to work with our local governments to make the planning and development processes quicker and more efficient. The overall process takes longer than it needs to and there are a lot of uncertainties on both sides when working through the current system. We also need to inform not only our clients but also our community of what is going on behind the scenes and what is in the pipeline of local politics. This is one of our key focuses for not only this year but going forward in the future. We currently plan to grow an effort of teaming up with business owners and other members of the business community to strategize this effort. If we truly care about our community, we need to get more involved proactively, instead of only reacting to issues as they come up.
By: Ron Davis (ABQ Business First)
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