Investor Spotlight: CBRE
July 21, 2017
CBRE Group, Inc. is the world’s largest commercial real estate services and investment firm, with 2016 revenues of $13.1 billion and more than 75,000 employees, excluding affiliate offices. CBRE has been included in the Fortune 500 since 2008, ranking most recently at 214. It has been voted the industry’s top brand by the Lipsey Company for 16 consecutive years and has been named one of Fortune’s “Most Admired Companies” in real estate for five years in a row. CBRE offers a broad range of integrated services, including facilities, transaction and project management, property management, investment management, appraisal and valuation, property leasing, strategic consulting, property sales, mortgage services, as well as development services.
Chase Pattillo, CCIM is the Managing Director of CBRE’s Tampa office. He oversees all operations and provides strategic support on business development to grow the firm’s operations and market share in the Tampa Bay region. Pattillo brings more than two decades of commercial real estate, lending, and management experience to CBRE.
1. Tampa and Hillsborough County continues to rise as a top business destination for relocations and expansions. When you are traveling or visiting other markets, what do you tell the people you meet about our community?
I moved here from Jacksonville, and I’ve also done business in Orlando. But Tampa offers something that no other Florida market does. Tampa and Hillsborough County have the right vibe and the right qualities to take this community to the next level. Government and community leaders, the EDC, and local businesses are all working together to make Tampa and Hillsborough County the leading business destination it stands today. On top of that, Tampa and Hillsborough County offer a perfect lifestyle and a talent pool that make us competitive with markets across the United States.
2. How does your company impact the business culture of Tampa and Hillsborough County?
CBRE is an enormous company that is active in all areas of real estate. We do more than selling or leasing property; we offer property management, financing, appraisal and valuation services to name a few. We work with several significant companies that are considering Tampa and Hillsborough County and help market our community as a thriving business destination. We also work with a lot of local owners and occupiers to maximize their utilization of their commercial real estate needs.
3. Talent recruitment has become a huge strategic initiative of the EDC over the past few years. How are you selling out-of-state talent on Tampa and Hillsborough County? Why is local talent inclined to stay here?
Tampa is a prime location. It offers an amazing lifestyle, world-class amenities, and great professional opportunities. Recent graduates are coming here because of the buzz our community is generating. Graduates from Florida and Florida State’s real estate programs enjoy selling and working here because of the opportunities that our community offers. Tampa also stands out in the ever-thriving tech sector, which attracts a lot of talents to the area. CBRE’s Scoring Tech Talent Report recently found that our tech labor pool is growing at a faster pace than almost every other community in the country. We increased our total tech workforce by more than 50 percent in the past five years, which is remarkable.
4. Where do you derive the most benefit for yourself and your company as an EDC Investor?
Personally, I enjoy the opportunity to support our community. From a company standpoint, what the EDC does directly affects our business, and vice versa. We’re constantly pulling in business development managers to help us sell the community to businesses looking to relocate here. The team has such a vast amount of knowledge on the workforce, permitting, and the Tampa and Hillsborough County community in general.
5. The EDC offers a variety of services to the local business community, as well as businesses looking to relocate or expand their operations into Hillsborough County. In your opinion, what is the most valuable service provided by the EDC?
The EDC doesn’t bring a company to Hillsborough County and then leave them to navigate the area on its own. Once a company is here, the EDC helps them integrate into the community, professionally and on a personal level. Recently, we were able to host a lunch with Amgen and local education providers, where Amgen discussed their hiring needs and the local colleges and universities were able to highlight how they can help fill the open positions.
