The 2002 'A' List: CB Richard Ellis

Selected by our editorial team, Buildings' Professionals of the Year - facilities-related businesses from development, management, corporate, institutional, and government entities - employ entrepreneurial savvy to stay focused on the future.1
CB Richard Ellis
Los Angeles, CA
(213) 613-3333
www.cbre.comWith 9,500-plus employees in more than 250 principal offices across the world, CB Richard Ellis (CBRE) calls itself "the largest vertically integrated commercial real estate firm in the world."Created in 1998 after CB Commercial (founded: 1906) acquired REI Limited, the holding company for all Richard Ellis operations outside of the United Kingdom, the company's core services portfolio includes property sales, leasing and management, corporate services, facilities and project management, mortgage banking, investment management, capital markets, appraisal and valuation, research, and consulting.In 2001, the company reported more than $1.17 billion in revenues, completing nearly 25,000 sale and lease assignments with an aggregate consideration value of approximately $46 billion, and nearly 22,000 appraisal and consultation assignments. Its investment management business (CB Richard Ellis Investors) manages more than $10 billion in real estate assets. According to information from its El Segundo office, CB Richard Ellis' current asset/property management portfolio in office buildings is 540 million square feet of space.The company's philosophy is simple, yet focused: Whether a client has one property or a portfolio of multi-national locations, CB Richard Ellis scales its offerings to meet individual client needs. No matter how complex the need, the company provides a custom mix of products and services that delivers significant, measurable returns. That custom mix comes from a broad variety and range of resources available within CBRE's global organization, from Corporate Real Estate Finance and Facilities Management to IT Consulting and Econometric Forecasting. By organizing its Investment Properties Group into two primary client segments - institutional and private - this business segment reports it handled more than $22 billion in sales in 2001. The Management Services division, consisting of Asset Services, Project Management, and Facilities Management, offers global clients expertise on risk management and financial reporting; turnkey oversight on facility projects; and process-driven operations management to enhance the work environment and customer service while reducing, on average, occupancy costs by 20 percent.
[Editors' Note: This is a huge organization that has tweaked its shared processes to "integrated" perfection, thereby ensuring that every client considers itself (and is considered) No. 1 and top-of-mind. Dedicating significant funds and implementing a well-rounded strategy to build and maintain a significant technology platform, CB Richard Ellis has been able to leverage the power of the Internet and telecommunications to access and pass along critical information among its professionals and to its customers who are demanding quantifiable data that directly impacts the bottom line within their corporations.]