MNCAR Monthly Spotlight

MNCAR –  Monthly Spotlight- Eric O’Brien

1. Name one fun fact that makes your company or yourself different from others.

The CRS’ team members all come to the table with unique and diverse resumes that aren’t necessary directly related to brokerage, but that complement our work in significant ways. This makes CRS’ “team approach” that much more valuable, as everyone comes to the table with a unique perspective and experiences to share with the team. Personally, my resume prior to brokerage was in Banking/Finance. Those skills have been valuable to CRS with some basic underwriting standards and more directly in completing valuations for our business brokerage portion of our business.

2. What would you tell other CRE professionals about the need to join MNCAR?

MNCAR provides the platform that allows commercial real estate professionals to collaborate, share knowledge/resources and of course advertise our listings. Since it is truly a members driven or owned organization, we have the control over our own destiny, regardless of what other third party/ for profit platforms come and go over time. When asked by people outside the industry, about competition between the various brokerages, I simplify my response to be “We compete with each other to obtain a listing and then we work together to sell it or fill it with a tenant.” I would remind other CRE professionals that MNCAR provides you that platform to obtain the success for you, your client and the greater CRE market in MN.

3. What was your most interesting project of the year and why?

In the life cycle that comes with CRE, often we are working with business owners who have real estate needs to grow their business and eventually those same clients identify they need to plan for an exit from their business. CRS has grown significantly in business brokering, working to sell the business inside the building, in addition to the physical real estate. In 2024, we brought in an agent whose primary business is as a consultant helping business owners prepare for a future sale. I had the pleasure of successfully brokering to closing the sale of a successful cabinet manufacturing business and their real estate in Central Minnesota with Doug Cook of Headwaters Strategic Succession Consulting. Bringing together the years of experience and knowledge between myself and Doug, allowed for our clients to focus on running their business as we navigated the process to the closing table, bringing them a lot of value and peace of mind, all while maximizing their value in the process.

4. Any advice you have for someone considering the CRE industry?

The CRE industry is a very rewarding career path, I would encourage anyone considering the industry to talk to other professionals, talk to new agents and seasoned agents alike and ask them for some pros and cons. Speak to a few different Brokers to learn how they grow and support their team. The “team” you land with and the support you get from the team will be very important to your success. As an analogy, just take a look at Sam Darnold when he was with the Jets and now with the Vikings. The team and culture around you matters.

5. What’s the next place on your travel bucket list?

Most of my traveling revolves around a destination with a great live music scene. So you’re likely to find me first looking at the line-up at Red Rocks in CO, The Gorge in Washington State, Austin, TX, Nashville, TN, you get the idea. In my immediate plans, you’ll find me in North Dakota with my dog chasing ducks and pheasants.

6. Goals for 2024/2025?

My personal goal, which is also shared by the CRS team, is to continue to develop a strong team of agents in our Buffalo and St. Cloud offices. We look forward to continuing the success and growth that CRS has seen over the past years.