CCIM ‘Fraternity’ Grows in Northwest Arkansas

The more, the merrier.

That’s the approach the growing number of Certified Commercial Investment Members in Northwest Arkansas are taking.

A CCIM is a recognized expert in the fields of commercial and investment real estate, designated as such after completion of an intensive program designed to ensure its participants are proficient in practice as well as theory.

CCIM’s Northwest Arkansas chapter is less than two years old, and only 17 certified members worked in Benton and Washington counties as of June 2007. Two years later, there are now 39 CCIMs in the two-county area.

At first glance, the increased number of local CCIMs might seem good for competition, but detrimental to the individuals involved. Not so, says Colliers International’s Butch Gurganus, President of the local CCIM chapter.

“It’s easier to get a deal done with people you know and like than a stranger,” Gurganus said. “You still have to represent your client, but the more you get to know each other, the more you trust each other.”

Whitley Dunn, President of Management Realty, said there are other practical advantages to a growing membership.

“It’s almost like a fraternity because there’s terminology and lingo that CCIMs use that probably wouldn’t mean much to other people,” Dunn said. “If I’m talking to another CCIM, I can have a 10-minute conversation that might take me an hour and a half to have with a residential broker.”

Such terminology is part of the knowledge gained in the four-part series of classes that results in the CCIM designation. Each class lasts a week, culminating in a test. Participants must also then pass a separate, comprehensive exam covering all four classes.

“One of my instructors said they go over so much information it’s like getting a drink of water from a fire hydrant,” Dunn said. “It’s like getting a semester’s worth of a college class crammed into a week.”

The process also requires significant commitments of time and money. While Dunn completed his course work within eight months, that seems to be an exception rather than the norm. Gurganus said it’s not unusual for candidates to stretch their work over a period of two or three years.

Because classes aren’t offered locally, travel costs also must be taken into account. Dallas and Oklahoma City are among the closest places classes are available, often pushing the total cost of certification to about $10,000.

Even so, those who have earned the CCIM distinction believe the rewards are greater than the costs. In the simplest of terms, Dunn said the knowledge that comes with the certification “helps you present options in a way that makes sense to both the buyer and the seller.”

Gurganus also raved about the knowledge base the CCIM program offers. And with that knowledge, he said, comes a greater likelihood of a profitable transaction.

“There’s beneficial from a knowledge standpoint and there’s beneficial from a money-making, deals standpoint,” Gurganus said. “If I hadn’t gone through the classes, I don’t believe I would have the understanding that I have, or it would have taken a lot longer.

“If you have that knowledge base, it puts you ahead because you can help a lot more people.”

For CCIMs in Northwest Arkansas, that increasingly means helping their peers.