NEW YORK CITY-Frederick J. Schmidt is not a manwho is easily rattled. The president and COO of Parsippany,NJ-based Coldwell Banker Commercial defineshimself as an optimist, and there is little he sees in the marketthat keeps him up nights.

In an interview with GlobeSt.com Thursday morning, Schmidtindicated that the recent market upheaval—underscored by theupper-echelon shifts by such names as Mirante, D’Arcy, Goade and White (all stories that GlobeSt.combroke)—play well against CBC’s strategy. “We see such changes asopportunity in terms of positioning ourselves in the marketplace,”he says.

The executive shifts have raised questions about successionplanning, and Schmidt, while not spelling out the details, says CBCis covered on that score. “If I get hit by a bus tomorrow, therewill be people to step in for me,” he says rather graphically. Buthe adds that the more important point is working the plan: “Whatplan is in place to execute so people always know what they need todo?”