Des Plaines, Illinois-based CORFAC International marks its 35th anniversary this year.
Formed as a grassroots networking organization focused on the industrial and office sectors, today CORFAC is the world’s largest network of independent commercial real estate brokers. Over the past five years, CORFAC has shown continued growth in membership and strong referral activity, despite the challenges of a global pandemic and volatile inflation.
“The last five years have been some of the most economically and societally tumultuous in CORFAC’s history, yet our members have stood strong together,” said 2024 President David Boyd, CCIM, SIOR, Principal of Boyd Commercial/CORFAC International in Houston. “Our global network combined with local expertise and deep relationships brings value to CORFAC members and clients alike.”
CORFAC International was formally launched in 1989, after three years of planning by its co-founders who were principals of a half-dozen regional brokerage firms. Founders and other early members knew one another through professional commercial real estate organizations, such as SIOR, and recruited additional CORFAC affiliates through these organizations. This foundation set the tone for the network’s core values of expertise, integrity, and relationships. Hear more in this video with CORFAC’s founders during the organization’s 30th anniversary year.
“We aimed for the expertise and experience of a larger global professional network, but remained nimble enough that we could easily share information and collaborate on deals,” said CORFAC founding member Charles B. King Jr., SIOR, President of King Industrial Realty, Inc./CORFAC International, Atlanta, GA. “Our biannual conferences and regular committee meetings allow us to build trusted relationships for cross-market referrals.”
A key focus for CORFAC’s leadership has been global expansion. At its launch, CORFAC was established in about a dozen cities in the U.S. and Canada. In 2024, the network has 75 member offices in North and South America, Europe, the Middle East, and Asia. CORFAC offices collectively close an average of 10,000 lease and sales transactions valued at more than $10 billion annually, totaling 750 million square feet closed and managed worldwide.
“Being able to turn to CORFAC colleagues across other countries and continents for local information, referrals, and cross-market deals is one of the chief benefits of membership,” said Daniel Shindleman, President of Bridgemer AG/CORFAC International in Switzerland and 2024 Vice President of CORFAC. “This gives us the strength of large international firms, while maintaining independence.”
