Tom McCormick, SIOR
In August of 2018, Tom McCormick, SIOR, made SIOR history: He became the first SIOR designee to serve as the association’s CEO. The choice was clear. McCormick is both a long-term member of the SIOR community and a highly respected leader in commercial real estate. As such, he was ideally suited to his new role.
A BRIEF BIOGRAPHY
McCormick’s career spans nearly four decades, beginning in 1981 when he joined Coldwell Banker Commercial. Since then, he has served as president of Colliers Macaulay Nicolls, a commercial brokerage company headquartered in Canada with more than 100 offices around the world; chief operating officer of Panattoni, one of the largest industrial developers in the U.S.; and, most recently, senior vice president – national accounts for Rockefeller Group International, where he specialized in industrial and office real estate.
Throughout his career, McCormick has been active in SIOR, earning his designation in 1985. In the years that followed, he held a number of leadership positions, including 1998 SIOR Global President, president of his local chapter, president of the SIOR Foundation, and operations director on the SIOR board of directors.
In 2010, SIOR presented McCormick with the Howell Watson Distinguished Service Award, the highest form of volunteer recognition given by the organization, and an honor very few SIOR presidents have received. “That was a big moment in my life,” says McCormick.
His participation in industry organizations extends beyond SIOR. He served as chairman of the REALTOR ® Commercial Alliance Advisory Board in 2002. In addition, he was a member of the Sacramento Association of REALTORS®, receiving its national achievement award nine times between 1992 and 2002. In 2010, he also attained the FRICS designation.
SIOR'S INFLUENCE
Although he has benefited from a wide range of industry organizations, McCormick singles out SIOR as a source of several major career successes. As he explains: “Some of the largest transactions I did were with other SIORs, and when I got into the development business, some of the best opportunities came through SIORs. It was the designation that brought us together. These business relationships turned into friendships, and when my SIOR friends were working on a deal, they’d call me up.”
Two of McCormick’s largest deals stemmed from such friendships. One took place when McCormick was at Panattoni. Mark Goode, SIOR, and Roy Splansky, SIOR, principals of Venture One Real Estate in Chicago, brought a development opportunity to his attention, and it resulted in a deal amounting to a quarter of a billion dollars. The second was a build-to-suit deal for General Mills, and was introduced to McCormick by Bill Nichols, SIOR, an office specialist at Corporate Service Consortium Inc. in Minneapolis. In this case, the deal resulted in a distribution building of 1.5 million square feet.
I welcome the opportunities to sit down with young brokers and talk to them about what they’re doing and how that might fit into what SIOR is doing. It’s a lot of fun.
“Both of these were fun to work on because I had good guys working with me from the other side of the deal,” McCormick recalls. “They were SIORs, so I knew they were reliable, and they didn’t disappoint.”
GOALS
One often hears someone say, “I’m going to see my CPA,” rather than “I’m going to see my accountant.” McCormick’s overarching goal is for corporate users to view the SIOR designation in a similar light. “Now they say ‘Let’s get our real estate guy in here to look at this opportunity,’” McCormick notes. “I’d like them to say ‘Let’s get an SIOR in here.’”
Another goal is diversification. “We want to increase our membership without sacrificing the exclusivity of the designation,” he says. Although the criteria for membership will remain strict, he’d like to attract greater numbers of qualified members from a wider range of backgrounds and geographies.
To that end, McCormick spends a great deal of time on the road, visiting local SIOR Chapters and companies with strong SIOR candidates, and attending industry conferences. Since August, he’s been to seven conferences across the United States.
It sounds like a grueling job, but McCormick loves it. “What I enjoy the most is interaction with potential members,” he points out. “I welcome the opportunities to sit down with young brokers and talk to them about what they’re doing and how that might fit into what SIOR is doing. It’s a lot of fun.”
What sort of advice does he give these candidates? “I tell them to get into SIOR as soon as they can, so that they can start taking advantage of the networking, professional opportunities, and education,” McCormick says. “I also suggest that they start on their SIOR courses so that they can have the education requirements completed by the time they achieve the requirements for volume, deal size, and time in the business. Then they’ll be ready to go.”
THE NEXT SIX MONTHS
McCormick looks forward to a more regular routine in 2019. Since there are fewer conferences in the first half of the year than in the last four months of the year, he’ll be able to devote more time to visiting SIOR Chapters across the country. When the conference duties ramp up in the fall, he’ll be ready to resume his “road warrior” lifestyle. “For the last two decades of my career, I’d spend 80-100 nights in hotels each year,” he reports. “I’m always ready to get on a plane and go somewhere.”
It would be hard to emulate McCormick’s busy schedule, but he encourages other SIORs to engage in as many organizational activities as possible. “Participate in your local Chapter events and attend the conferences,” he urges. “The networking is fabulous. We’ll all end up doing more deals because we know each other.”
If you come across McCormick at one of these events, be sure to say hello.
“Whether you’re an old-timer or new to SIOR, I’d love to meet or reconnect with you,” he states. “Let’s talk about how we can make this great organization even greater.”