GlobeSt.com EXCLUSIVE: Coldwell Banker Commercial Set to Step Up its Expansion Push

Anderson also outlined, for GlobeSt.com, the markets the company is targeting. On the basis of priority, the top tier targets for this year are Atlanta, Baltimore, Boston, Central New Jersey, Chicago, Connecticut's major cities, New York City, Northern California's major cities, and Washington, DC/Northern Virginia.

The next tier of targets going forward includes several of Florida's major cities, as well as Dallas. And the third tier in terms of priority, according to Anderson, includes Cleveland, Detroit, Kansas City, Memphis, Milwaukee, Minneapolis, New Orleans, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, Portland, Seattle, "and a few select markets in Southern California."

And the company is looking to establish its brand in these markets through three different approaches, Anderson tells GlobeSt.com. The first is through affiliating with existing companies, although he concedes that in certain markets, "we don't have many choices. They're not what we need.

"So our second choice would be to take a group of proven performers – six to 15 disgruntled brokers--and help them start their own company, independently owned and operated with our brand," Anderson says. "That's really what's shaking right now. We're going to help them logistically and systematically, and even help capitalize it."

The third approach being taken in Coldwell Banker Commercial's effort to spread the brand is simply to buy an existing company outright. And overall, all of the factors involved in process make it "hard to answer the question of how much we're going to spend," according to Anderson.

What's behind the push? "Internally, the fact is that Cendant controls a significant amount of the residential industry with its three brands, and we are making a concerted effort to rekindle the Coldwell Banker Commercial brand into the commercial industry with the same force and velocity," Anderson explains. "Because Cendant has nine hotel brands, two car rental brands, a mortgage company and a relocation company, there are great opportunities for cross-fertilization because they all have commercial real estate needs.

"There's nothing more painful than to have somebody like Avis or Budget have to hire a commercial real estate company to sell its sites," he continues. "Or to have our mortgage company pay another commercial broker to lease 100,000 sf. It makes all the sense in the world for us to have a strong commercial real estate firm."

Externally, the company also aims to capitalize on the upheaval and uncertainty running through the brokerage business these days. "Brokers are tired of having their destiny controlled by somebody else," Anderson concludes. "There's a lot of movement in the marketplace, and brokers are saying, 'if I can have a recognized brand and own it, that makes sense.' That's why we're getting the action that we are."