CIE: Real Time, Real Results
REALTOR® Commercial property Database,
a Regional Asset

2009 Annual Report

Kelly sullivan
2009 CIE Chairman

With a year of upheaval in a bad economy, CIE has had a relatively uneventful year.  Incorporated in 2000, CIE is  entering into its 10th year and is running like a well-oiled machine.  Having sat on the very first technology committee prior to the forming of CIE, I can tell you that I’ve watched major changes take place throughout the past 12 years.   Not all years have been this easy, as we have fought our way through new systems, new data providers, creating new email systems, creating websites, switching to a research based system and the constant research into a Statewide CIE system or a public website.   I consider myself blessed to have had a year without turmoil, major decisions or controversy.

I served as the interim Executive Director of CIE while we searched for Bonnie Devine to fill her current position.  There was a point where it looked like I would be the person hired for the position, but other opportunities arose and, lucky for us, Bonnie was able to accept the position.  The overall decisions are made by the Board of Directors, but without Bonnie running the day to day operations, keeping the board informed and leading us over the years, CIE would not be running as smoothly and as successfully as it is today.  From personal experience I can tell you this is not an easy task!

Judith Jakuboski helps Bonnie in the day to day operations and deserves many thanks for keeping the board members straight on meeting dates and times as well as distributing the necessary data to make our meetings run efficiently.   As board members come and go (some quicker than others), Bonnie and Judith remain steadfast, keeping CIE a valuable resource to our members and helping it to grow with the changes in our industry.
With a new database system being introduced last year, our biggest worry this year was the possibility of losing members due to a bad economy.  While a few had no other choice, most of our members have remained in order to benefit from the great resource that CIE has become within the commercial real estate industry.   By cutting expenses, we’ve been able to finish the year with a profit, which is saying a lot when so many around us are struggling. 

The implementation of a fully researched database began this year.  We now have the majority of the office buildings in the system and have moved on to researching industrial buildings, and retail buildings will follow.   This is a monumental task that will continue for years to come, but with each month we come closer to having a more complete database, providing a valuable resource for commercial Realtors throughout our industry.   We have come light years in the last decade and I look forward to seeing what the future holds as I turn the proverbial gavel over to Carl Concellor, of Coldwell Banker Commercial CRA.  I wish Carl a successful year and “quick” productive meetings.

My heartfelt thanks go to all of those who served on the board this year and helped the meetings to run effortlessly.  I have to give a special thank you to the retiring board members.  Lynn Schenk, Jones Lang Lassalle Brokerage, as the outgoing Commercial Division President, helped to keep CIE and the Commercial Division working together.  Carol Baras, REMAX Results, outgoing SLAR President, brought a unique perspective to our meetings while taking the time to understand our issues.  Finally, I have to give a very special thank you to Peter Newton, Hilliker Corporation, who has been on our board for 6 years and served on the technology committee prior to joining the board.  Peter brought a fresh viewpoint to every issue over the years and never hesitated to speak his mind, even providing comic relief when needed.  

As I enter my last year on the board, I look back to all of the great people I have served with on previous CIE boards and feel blessed that our paths have crossed.  I have made some longtime friends along the way and some great contacts.  It’s amazing to me that we have come as far as we have, but it amazes me even more that so many people have touched this organization and put their imprint on it.  Some stayed around for years and others only for a term or two, but every person who has walked through our board meetings has had an impact and helped it to become the success that it is today.  So I not only want to thank those who served on my board this year, but to all of those who served before and all of those who will serve in the years to come.  This is our organization and I’m proud to say I’ve been a part of it.

2009 CIE Directors

Kelly Sullivan,Chairman, Mark Cusumano, Broker
Carl Conceller, Vice-Chairman, Coldwell Banker Commercial CRA
Peter Newton, Immediate Past Chairman, Hilliker Corporation
Bonnie J. Devine, President, CIE
Carole Baras, ReMax Results
Chris Fox, Gateway Commercial President - Elect, Commercial Division SLAR
Ben Friedman, CB Richard Ellis
Darin Girdler, Terra Properties, Inc.
Joseph Hill, Block Hawley Commercial Real Estate
Fred Kratky, St. Louis Association of REALTORS®
Jason Morgan, Prudential Alliance Commercial
Peter Pfeifer, Hilliker Corporation
Scott Sacco, Scott Sacco Commercial Real Estate
Lynn Schenck, Jones Lang LaSalle Brokerage, President, Commercial Division SLAR

Thank You to Our Member Companies
Our Members Are the Power Behind Our System

Click here to view our 2009 member roster (as of November 2, 2009).

CIE – What’s it all about?

CIE is a regional, real-time online database of commercial properties. The system is owned by the St. Louis Association of REALTORS® and is powered by local real estate professionals. CIE is dedicated to bringing the most up-to-date technology to assist professionals engaging in the commercial property transaction process. Our extensive network of members includes over 200 participating firms with more than 600 commercial REALTOR® members.

Our database continues to grow. Click here to see our available inventory graph for 2009. A new category was added this year. The "Special Use" property category contains those properties that are unique; like wineries, churches, bed and breakfast and car washes.

CIE began in December 1999 as a means to connect the commercial brokerage community and maximize the free exchange of information electronically to better serve our clients. Since that time, CIE has evolved and changed to keep up with the demands of our market, and with each change CIE has gone to great lengths to offer services to members for as low a price as possible.

CIE 2010 Outlook

CIE continues proactive research!

In 2009, CIE began the tedious process of researching the St. Louis Metro Market. Not only are we collecting data from our Brokers every 30-45 days but we are proactively collecting data from Owners, Developers and non-members. With this change, we are working towards a system that contains a complete and updated picture of the entire market. CIE members have responded positively and have stepped up to help. No one knows these properties better than our Broker members, and using our members as an information resource has saved us a great deal of time and money.

In 2010, we will be introducing our Advisory Groups. These groups will be broken down by property type. We are hoping to recruit the best of the best to participate. They will be charged with the responsibility to review their property category each quarter; making sure that CIE data is up-to-date and inclusive.

Our mission has not changed. CIE is dedicated to provide a system that gives the information needed to grow your bottom line. We know that It must be accurate, updated, and complete. We know that you must have information you can trust. The fully researched database will be the tool you need in these economic times to get the job done. We thank you for taking our calls and emails and for keeping your listings up-to-date.

Remember, the CIE system is ours. The information in it is ours. Again, we thank you for your help and assistance.

Past Chairmen

Kelly Sullivan (2009)
Peter Newton (2008)
Gerry Prinster (2007)
Richard H. Guth (2006)
Eric S. Friedman (2005)
Edgar J. Schuttenberg (2004)
James J. Finn (2003)
Peter B. Krombach (2002)
James J. Finn (2001)
Tom Stern (2000)
Steve Tharpe (1999)

Our Commitment to Our Members

We hope that you expect a lot from your CIE membership and the people who bring it to you. You should. Providing a quality service is our number one priority.

We are committed to bringing you the latest in what technology has to offer, and to do so at the lowest price possible. We strive every day to meet this priority while following our mission statement:

"To maintain a state-of-the-art database, reflecting current commercial market listings and information."

Commercial Information Exchange

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