Founding CCIM Institute members advanced the commercial real estate industry.
To celebrate the 50 years of CCIM Institute, Commercial Investment Real Estate will showcase prominent CCIMs who moved the entire commercial real estate profession forward. All six issues of CIRE published in 2017 will share stories and facts about our past, creating a vivid perspective for the next 50 years.
Q&A: John “Jack” Peckham, III, CCIM
CCIM Designee No. 359; former CCIM Institute instructor; president of Peckham Boston Advisors in Boston
CIRE: Why did you become a CCIM designee and volunteer leader for CCIM Institute?
Peckham: When I took what became the first CCIM core course in 1963, I owned a firm with nine or 10 commercial brokers in Boston. The instructor, Jay Levine, CCIM, harangued me to earn my CCIM designation, which I did in 1967.
Fifty years ago and today, the people who are CCIMs and those working toward gaining the CCIM designation are far better informed and connected than those not connected. CCIMs using the knowledge and technology tools CCIM provides can compete with the big commercial real estate firms.
Also, I served on the Board of Governors for the National Institute of Real Estate Brokers and voted for the acquisition of the continuing professional education program from the California Real Estate Association in 1966. The CREA training became the foundation for what ultimately became CCIM Institute in 1967.
I ended up teaching CCIM courses for several years and learned even more from mentors who were instructors, such as Levine and Vic Lyon. I started doing more deals in my marketplace because of that knowledge.
CIRE:What events outside of the commercial real estate arena drove its expansion in the 1960s and 1970s?
Peckham: Technology developed from the 1960s and 1970s made the invention of free web browsing in the early 1990s possible, which was the biggest breakthrough. When I started working on the web, I knew it would change everything and was the defining moment of using technology in commercial real estate.
CIRE: How has commercial real estate changed through the years?
Peckham: Most of the changes are connected to technology. For example, we can connect investors to the right investments.
CIRE:What will CCIM Institute look like in next 15 years?
Peckham: CCIM Institute must offer practical technology tools to help CCIM members make money. These tools would provide CCIM members with six steps to finish a transaction.
On the training side, CCIM Institute instructors have to teach beyond the analytical contents. We need to provide more courses in negotiations, demographics, and how to put a deal together.
CCIM Designee Recognizes the Power of Technology
“As cities are being dramatically changed by modern building techniques and man has the prospect of far greater longevity due to amazing medical advances – so is the Realtor faced with dramatic changes in merchandising techniques. Realtors specializing in the brokerage of income properties are faced with an enormous challenge. The age of computers is upon us! Real estate investors are demanding – and receiving – increased professionalism- John “Jack” Peckham, III, CCIM, published this story for CID Letter in 1968
Evolution of CCIM Courses
From the start, the atmosphere in CCIM courses was one of academic training with an emphasis on application. CCIM classes offered practical, down-to-earth, inspirational, and imaginative material taught by successful commercial real estate practitioners. Early CCIM courses included economic analysis, how to arrange a commission when no cash is available, financing two-way exchanges, and instruction in tax motivation.
Branding CCIM Designation
“We could have taken [the content of] these courses and made millions. But we were trying to create a designation recognizable by the public. The goal was to upgrade the profession we loved and develop a cadre of people we could communicate and do business with.”- Fred Becker, CCIM, early CCIM Institute instructor
Check out CIRE magazine’s web exclusive articles celebrating CCIM Institute’s 50th Anniversary. Archived pieces from the late 1980’s discussing and dissecting the history of CCIM Institute.
By: Sara S. Patterson (CIRE Magazine)
Click here to view source article.
