#CREi - People to Follow! The 2020 Top Twitter Influencers in Commercial Real Estate list
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Here it is! The brand new #CREi: The 2020 Top Twitter Influencers in Commercial Real Estate list! We are very excited to present the first tranche of superb individuals on the list. Congratulations and take a bow if you made it.
The remainder of the list will be unveiled 50 at a time over the next few weeks so stay tuned.
Wait, what about Duke Long’s list?
Well, my friend Duke and I chatted. He knows of and supports this list. Plus, everyone knows Duke is the perpetual top on any #CRE influencer list and therefore he holds the rank as honorary number one on this list! I think Duke would agree that the more recognition and respect that these hard-working list members get, the better. I love to see people succeed and I love positivity. I hope that the #CREi: The 2020 Top Influencers in Commercial Real Estate list will highlight genuinely good people doing amazing things in our world.
Ok, but how is this list different?
We’ve loved Duke’s passion for lists for all these years and appreciate his leadership in first creating the idea over a decade ago. And yes, you will notice that a number of folks appeared on his 2019 list. This would be normal in a relatively small vertical like #CRE. We’ve flexed the list to approximately 150 folks to expand the recognition. The list is being finalized now.
The expert PR professionals at The Wilbert Group (@TheWilbertGroup) have helped by suggesting influential individuals they think merit inclusion. Also, Wilbert allowed the use of their sophisticated technology to help in screening and ranking. Put simply, the team brought some rigor to the process combined with differing perspectives of having multiple professionals suggesting names. We think you will agree, those on the list are true influencers! Thanks to Caroline Wilbert (@carolinewilbert) for your partnership!
Also, the very talented Steve Fennessy (@stevefennessy), former Editor in Chief of Atlanta Magazine is helping us write short bios of everyone on the list. The list is intended to lift up those who great contributors and leaders in our industry. We want you to learn a little about them through the bios as opposed to simply a sequential line list of names.
Who can be on the list?
Exceptional individuals: Those who are producers in commercial real estate. Those who write about commercial real estate. Those who help producers including respected coaches, economist and subject matter thought leaders. We don’t include real estate company handles unless they serve jointly as the handle for a top executive and the company. Also, while we love their work, in most cases we think prop tech companies and their leaders can live on other lists. In general, we are trying to include ladies and gentlemen who are involved in doing or supporting commercial real estate deals of all kinds. We love the philosophy that former President of the United States Theodore Roosevelt shared in his Citizenship in the Republic speech (also known as The Man in the Arena quote and yes, insert men AND women in the text).
Can I help?
Sure! If you see someone doing something interesting, innovative or good in social media, then email us and let us know. Also, as you see new professionals join the social media world, please make us aware. We are keeping our master list updated throughout the year. Some estimates say there are 330 million handles on Twitter, so letting us know about folks we should be aware of his helpful! Let’s join together and lift each other up! Our team is excited about this project and the new list. We hope you like it and that you will reach and support the exceptional individuals that made this year’s honor roll.
Congratulations to all those who made it! And hey, a shout out to Ward Richmond for holding the list down at slot 150!
150: Ward Richmond
@10xward
Whooo…you made it Ward Richmond! As executive vice president and shareholder at Colliers International, Ward’s specialty is Supply Chain Real Estate strategy, having negotiated more than 500 transactions with dominant logistics companies in 50 cities around the globe.
149: John Heagy
@heagyjohn
John Heagy is Senior Managing Director for leasing office and mixed use project in the Southeastern United States for Hines Interest. He has been active in the commercial real estate market since 1977 and serves on many non-profit boards of directors in the Atlanta area.
148: Steve Everbach
@steveeverbach
Steve Everbach has completed more than 8 million square feet of transactions, representing an aggregate value of more than $1.5 billion, over the course of his career. He is currently responsible for the Colliers business in the U.S. Central Region.
147: Tony Kim
@creappraiser
Tony Kim works in Los Angeles as a valuation advisor, appraisal consultant, and listing agent for commercial real estate sales. For more than 20 years he has been representing sellers, owners, buyers, and investors as they sell or lease commercial or industrial properties.
146: Ann Gibson
@greenmacgal
Ann Gibson is a Florida-based commercial real estate and project consultant with 20-plus years experience in the built environment, commercial real estate sales, and commercializing energy efficiency technologies in buildings.
145: Alex Nicoll
@alexonicoll
Alex Nicoll is a junior reporter at Business Insider, writing about finance and real estate. He is studying at the Columbia University's Graduate School of Journalism and previously worked for Bridgewater Associates and Peloton.
144: Kostas Stoilas
@TampaBroker
Kostas Stoilas is the founder and managing broker of Fortress Commercial Real Estate LLC in Tampa, Fla. He focuses on local and national players that occupy, own, develop, and invest in office space, warehouse distribution space, and vacant land, primarily along the growing I-4 Corridor.
143: Jeff Lessard
@jdlessard13
Jeff Lessard is a location, headquarters and workplace expert. He is from Maine but resides in New Hampshire Jeff serves as director of real estate at a large U.S. company.
142: Natalie Bayfield
@nataliebayfield
Natalie Bayfield is the inventor of Real Estate Financial Modelling (REFM) in the United Kingdom, developed during a career of consulting to hedge funds, real estate consultancies, and investment banks as chief executive officer of Bayfield Training.
141: Justin Cazana
@jcazana
Justin Cazana is a principal in the Avison Young Knoxville, Tenn., office, specializing in office and retail transactions for the commercial real estate firm. His portfolio encompasses more than 1.1 million square feet of commercial space.
140: Carter Byrnes
@CarterByrnes
Carter Byrnes is a Senior Vice President in the McLean, Virginia office of CBRE, Inc. Carter specializes in both landlord and tenant representation and concentrates on several markets inside and outside of the Beltway. Carter also leads the Virginia Healthcare Services Group for CBRE.
139: Heather Trimble
@TrimbleCRE
Heather Trimble is an associate at Cushman & Wakefield in the San Francisco Bay area, and co-chairs the Cushman & Wakefield Future Leaders’ San Francisco chapter.
138: Wendy Mann
@crew_wendym
Wendy Crew is CEO of CREW Network, founded in 1989 to bring together women involved in all aspects of commercial real estate to exchange information, develop business contacts and help each other succeed professionally.
137: Jennifer Keesmaat
@jen_keesmaat
Jennifer Keesmaat is founder of The Keesmaat Group, a company that works with future-oriented cities, regions, companies, and organizations. Jennifer is former chief planner for the city of Toronto. She’s given three TEDx talks and also hosts the podcast “Invisible City.”
136: James Milner
@booneCRE
James Milner is founder of Appalachian Commercial Real Estate, a Boone, N.C.-based firm which provides brokerage, leasing and consulting commercial real estate services.
135: Michael Beckerman
@m_beckerman
Michael Beckerman founded the News Funnel, a platform that provides insight into the global commercial real estate and tech sector, and authors a blog. He is CEO of CREtech, a community of professionals devoted to technological innovation in the real estate sector.
134: Kristi Svec Simmons
@ksvecsimmons
Kristi Svec Simmons is a commercial real estate broker with AQUILA’s tenant representation team in Austin, Tex., focusing on office leasing transactions and building acquisitions and dispositions.
133: James Kobal
@ViningsCRE
James Kobal is a realtor at Coldwell Banker Commercial Metro Brokers in Atlanta.
132: Benton Ozburn
@BentonOzburn
Benton Ozburn is a senior associate at Colliers International | Nashville. He specializes in developing customizable service plans that maximize financial savings for clients.
131: Ben Lerner
@benslerner
Ben Lerner is managing director of Lerner Associates, a London-based boutique mergers and acquisitions and growth equity finance advisory practice that focuses primarily on the real estate software industry, PropTech, and CRETech.
130: Mike Phillips
@mrmikephillips
Mike Phillips is UK editor of Bisnow, the largest commercial real estate media business in the world.
129: Paul Page
@PaulPage
Paul Page covers logistics and supply chain for The Wall Street Journal, where he also edits the Logistic Report.
128: Despina Katsikakis
@dkatsikakis
Despina Katsikakis is head of occupier business performance at Cushman & Wakefield in the United Kingdom. Despina provides input across the firm’s global business on the rapidly-changing context of work and its impact on employee engagement, productivity and wellbeing.
127: Lisa B. Pittman
@lisabosspittman
Lisa Pittman is senior director in Cushman & Wakefield's Atlanta office. She has completed more than 18.4 million square feet of transaction assignments valued at $471 million over the past five years.
126: Natalie Sachmechi
@natalielsach
Natalie Sachmechi is commercial real estate reporter for Crain’s New York Business.
125: Lucy Alderson
@LucyAJourno
Lucy Alderson is a journalist covering flex office space, tech, and the north of England for Estates Gazette.
124: Samantha S. Low
@samanthaslow1
Samantha Low is a commercial tenant real estate advisor and co-founder of TenantSee, which provides data and expert insight to help guide tenants in leasing decisions.
123: David J. Murphy
@dockhighguy
David J. Murphy is executive vice president at CBRE. He is the firm’s top producing industrial broker in the northern half of Florida.
122: Edison Vasquez
@EdisonCRE
Edison Vasquez is managing partner at ComReal in south Florida, specializing in industrial space.
Photo courtesy of Vicki Thompson, Silicon Valley Business Journal
121: Matthew Niksa
@SVBizCRE
Matthew Niksa is a commercial real estate reporter at the Silicon Valley Business Journal.
120: Ken Morris
@KenMorrisBroker
Ken Morris is managing principal of Morris Commercial Real Estate in southeast Florida. He completed more than 500 lease and sale transactions involving office, industrial, retail and commercial space valued close to $1 billion.
119: Tyler Tillery
@tylertilleryCRE
Tyler Tillery is a market director within NAI Robert Lynn's Industrial Division, focused on the Las Colinas, and Walnut Hill/Stemmons submarkets in the Dallas market.
118: Tony vanderBeek
@officespaceNY
Tony vanderBeek is executive vice president for Coldwell Banker in New York and has been engaged in the leasing and sale of retail, office, commercial, industrial and investment real estate for nearly 20 years in and around the five boroughs of New York.
117: Melissa Swader
@azprninja
Melissa Swader is director of marketing, p.r. and administration for SVN | Desert Commercial Advisors.
116: Danielle Haney
@DanielleFHaney
Danielle Haney is director of communications at DealPoint Merrill in Las Vegas.
115: Wouter Truffino
@WouterTruffino
Wouter Truffino is founder and CEO of Holland ConTech and PropTech, an ecosystem for companies that want to innovate the construction and real estate sector.
114: Russell Patterson
@PCPgtyler
Russell Patterson is founder of Patterson Commercial Property Group, a full service real estate firm headquartered in Tyler, Texas and specializing in brokerage and management services in the commercial and industrial real estate market.
113: David Lockwood
@Cl_DLockwood
David Lockwood is executive vice president and chief operating officer of Colliers International, South Carolina. David is also the market president and manager for Colliers’ Columbia office.
112: Xochitl Paez
@xochitl_cre
Xochitl Paez is a Senior Client Services Coordinator in the Occupier Services practice group for Colliers International in Dallas, where she specializes in office tenant representation, client services, account management, marketing and transaction processes.
111: Neil Johnson
@neiljohnsoncre
Neil Johnson is managing director / broker for SVN Landmark Commercial Real Estate, specializing in retail, office, and industrial properties—as well as vacant land—in west suburban Chicago.
110: Robert Pliska
@rpliska
Robert Pliska is owner/managing director of SVN Property Investment Advisors in Michigan, a commercial real estate and investment real estate firm.
109: Allen C. Buchanan
@allencbuchanan
Allen Buchanan is principal for Lee & Associates Commercial Real Estate Services in southern California. Allen provides location advice to owners and occupants of industrial real estate.
108: Howard Kline
@CREradio
A real estate attorney in California, Howard Kline is also CEO and host of Commercial Real Estate Radio, a multiplatform media outlet focusing on commercial real estate matters.
107: Clyde Robinson Jr.
@TenantResource
Clyde Robinson Jr. is a managing partner and head of diversity & inclusion for Mohr Partners, Inc., based in Charlotte.
106: Scott Sidman
@scottsidman
Scott Sidman is executive vice president/business and corporate development at Building Engines, a CRE property management tool where he oversees the company's marketing department and helps direct company strategy.
105: Re’Nauta Bell
@RSBell_CRE
Re’Nauta Bell is senior associate at Cushman & Wakefield’s Atlanta office, where she is an office tenant representation broker experienced in representing clients with multiple locations throughout the U.S.
104: Guy Masse
@yourtenantrep
Guy Masse is executive vice president at Cushman & Wakefield in Montreal. Guy specializes in tenant representation, national and global accounts, portfolio optimization and strategic advisory services.
103: Shannon Shuman Martin
@retailrealest
Shannon Shuman Martin is founder and qualifying broker of Retail Leasing Advisors, boutique firm servicing metro Atlanta and Georgia and which specializes in retail leasing and consultation services for landlords and developers.
102: Pam Goodwin
@PamGoodwinCRE
Pam Goodwin is principal and founder of Goodwin Commercial, a Dallas-based boutique commercial real estate and consulting firm specializing in retail and restaurant sites. She is also the author of “One Cent Lemonade to Million Dollar Deals.”
101: James Cook
@jamesdcook
And…top of the list for the first tranche is James Cook. James serves as the Americas Director of Retail Research at JLL, based out of Indianapolis, IN. He also hosts Where We Buy, a show about retail and real estate.
