Association of Commercial Real Estate
Sacramento, California

History of ACRE                                                                                        ACRE Past Presidents

Shortly after Bob Berg (Bishop Hawk) relocated to Sacramento from Silicon Valley in 1981, he saw a need for a professional commercial real estate organization.  Genevieve Johnson (Independent Broker) had previously attempted to form an organization such as ACRE through SCR but the attempts had not been successful.

However, Bob was able to share his prior experience with the highly successful Association of South Bay Brokers (ASBB) of Silicon Valley of which he was President in 1980.  This provided a viable structure for the newly conceived organization.

Among those who established credibility for the new organization and served on the first Board of Directors were Irv Rios (Cahill Brokerage), Mike Kirk (Sylva-Kirk), Dick Vieille (Independent Broker), Jim Stanley (CB Commercial), and Dennis McGillivrey (Grubb & Ellis).  With assistance from the pillars of the Sacramento commercial real estate community, the new entity was created and named ACRE, the Association of Commercial Real Estate.

In 1983, with the able help of Irv Rios, Dick Vieille and Gen Johnson, the creed of ACRE was formalized as follows:

“The Association of Commercial Real Estate, ACRE, is a non-profit, professional association formed to promote relationships and professionalism within the Sacramento commercial real estate community.”

Descriptive informational material, applications and invitations were mailed to all commercial real estate brokers and agents inviting them to join ACRE and to attend the first meeting at the Beverly Garland Hotel.  It was modestly successful.

As Founding President in 1983 and President in 1984, Bob Berg, the board members and Gen Johnson worked very hard to recruit members, obtain quality speakers and generally to form ACRE into a viable entity.

1985 President, Irv Rios, 1986 President, Mike Kirk and 1987 President, Buz Miller (Bishop Hawk) continued those efforts and ACRE began to grow slowly but steadily and to attain stability.

During Robert Brown’s (Robert S. Brown, Inc.) term as President in 1988 and Bruce Drayton’s (Colliers) term as President in 1989, many housekeeping tasks were formalized, the first ACRE-only secretary was hired and Continuing Education Classes were implemented.  Mike Kuppenbender (Bishop Hawk) and “Topper” Vivaldi (Artz & Cook) began meeting with brokerage houses to increase membership.

During the late 1980’s and early 1990’s, Dennis De Anza, the developer of LoopNet was introduced to ACRE members such as John Shelby (Founder’s Title) who was attempting to develop a commercial real estate listing system.  LoopNet was the ultimate outcome of this venture.

ACRE’s first woman President was Genevieve (Gen) Johnson in 1990.  Timing, however, could not have been worse because Gen’s husband was being transferred out of state; ACRE needed a new President.  This was very unfortunate for Gen because the Presidency would have capped off her efforts as a Founding Member, Secretary, Treasurer and ardent supporter of ACRE.

Stepping in for Gen in April of 1990, Mike Kuppenbender revamped the Board of Directors, made some procedural changes and, with the help of the sharp, young and energetic Board, put ACRE on a firm footing.  Some of these high energy people were, Joe Ehly (Independent Broker), Tom Tyer (Colliers), and Rick Elkins (Elkins Company).

Mike’s 1991 term as President continued these efforts.  The highlight, however, was the idea for The Broker of the Year Award (BOYA).  Mike, Tim Madden (Bishop Hawk/Fidelity National Title) and Steve Tyrell (Bishop Hawk) were the driving force behind this idea.

When Joe Ehly became President in 1992, he capitalized on ACRE’s momentum.  BOYA was kicked off as part of the Sacramento Chamber of Commerce “Sacramento-On-The-Go”, Membership and Programs were improved, marketing sessions were re-instituted, the by-laws were modified to more accurately reflect the structure of ACRE and the meeting place was changed from Artz & Cook’s offices to Shanley’s where the first Founders & Past Presidents Recognition night was held.  This was accomplished in spite of the fact the treasury coffers were bare and the real estate market was moribund.

1993’s President, Rick Elkins, the Elkins Company of Woodland, enjoyed the upswing in ACRE’s  activities and the new direction BOYA offered to all brokerage firms.  “Mr. Woodland” as Rick was called, was instrumental in starting annual planning retreats that are still in effect today and was very fortunate to have Mike Metzger (Capital Builders) who, while serving as Secretary/Treasurer, set up a formalized accounting system.

Between 1992 and 1995, heavy emphasis was placed on increasing membership and member benefits.  One of the additional member benefits was continuing education for licensees.  Bill Noack, Bill Driscoll (Camray) and Rick Haycock (First American Title Company) with help from the Education Committee presented several successful DRE approved education courses.  However, this effort was eventually abandoned due to more stringent DRE requirements and the prohibitive costs involved.

Many of the major brokerage houses were not initially active supporters of ACRE.  A separate committee was created, chaired by Steve Tyrell and Tom Tyer, to solicit each brokerage house to encourage and support membership.  Phone banks were set up, letters were written and membership incentives were offered.  It worked.  This effort, however, took five years.

A new emphasis was placed on Programs.  Quality programs became the key focus to obtain new members and to continue enhancing ACRE’s credibility.

Bruce Ashwill, owner of Bishop Hawk, was particularly supportive of ACRE and should be credited with being one of the key people who kept ACRE a viable entity, including having several parties at his ranch in Shingle Springs in an effort to increase membership and camaraderie among brokers/agents and brokerage houses.  Many Bishop Hawk brokers/agents such as Buz Miller, Bob Dean, Dave Winckler, Steve Tyrell, to name a few, were heavily involved in ACRE’s growth.

Affiliate members, those who are not brokers or agents and who are not eligible to be officers, were enormously helpful in  the development of ACRE.  They played significant roles in every aspect of ACRE, especially BOYA.  Those key supporters included Eric Seastrom (Placer Title), Becki Hoppe Roberts (North American Title), Rick Haycock (First American Title), John Shelby (Founders Title/Sonoma National Bank), Tim Madden (Fidelity National Title) and others.

1994, Tom Tyer’s year as President, saw the first BOYA completely under ACRE’s control.  A committee of approximately 20 members was formed to coordinate the event.  People such as Becki Hoppe Roberts, John Shelby, Rick Haycock and Steve Tyrell became the steering sub-committee.

In anticipation of a large crowd, BOYA was held at The Radisson Hotel.  Becki Hoppe Roberts talked NAIOP into advancing the $500 reservation fee required.  Kris Pigman, The Pigman Companies and President of NAIOP at that time, was Master of Ceremonies (he also MC’d the 1995 and 1996 BOYA).  Tom Stewart and Gary Funamura of Trainor Robertson created the event’s nomination and election procedures that significantly helped establish the event’s legitimacy.  Tom Tyer was instrumental in putting together the program and, as the lead “techno-babe”, ensured that the music and video were on track.  BOYA was a success, ACRE’s credibility was established and a $2,500 charitable contribution was made to Stanford Home for Children, it’s first of many.

That year ACRE’s membership reached 100.  Frances Knight and Rick Haycock continued upgrading the programs so as to be more worthwhile to the membership.

Herb Grabell’s (Grubb & Ellis) 1995 Presidency continued building up membership and expanding BOYA.  The first annual ACRE golf tournament was held at Lighthouse Marina Golf Club.  Outsourcing Management Group, a professional management company, was engaged.  Its owner and President, Sandy Virago, became ACRE’s Executive Director and provided additional stability.  ACRE’s  stature continued to grow.

In 1996, Frances Knight (Grubb & Ellis) became the first woman to serve a full term as ACRE’s President.  She increased efforts to upgrade programs and to increase membership.  Frances also initiated additional formalization of the by-laws and encouraged further improvements to BOYA.

In 1997, President Mike Metzger (Capital Builders) continued Frances’ work and also put new operating procedures in place.  With the able help of Frances Knight and Gretchen Lindemann Tobin, Mike re-wrote the by-laws to formalize and better reflect the actual workings of the group; he also organized procedures for elections and enhanced their overall professionalism.  Mike continued having brokerage house managers’ meetings to increase membership.  Mike’s efforts to promote ACRE’s professional image also included the development of the organization’s website and a new four-color marketing brochure.

Scott Reynolds, ACRE’s 1998 President, noted a strong increase in membership due to the efforts of all the previous Presidents, Board Members and Members primarily related to BOYA and a strong real estate market.

1999 gave ACRE its next woman President, Gretchen Lindemann Tobin of Capital Builders.  ACRE’s financial position continued to improve considerably.  Membership had exceeded 150 and the group was able to begin building its reserves.  Budgeting, reporting and other guidelines were established for events policies, the Golf Tournament, BOYA and other committees.  1999 brought improvements to the ACRE website and a partnership with LoopNet that, at last, provided a viable on-line listing service at no extra cost to ACRE members.  BOYA continued to evolve and a new category, the Broker’s Choice Award, was established.

As the first President of the New Millennium, Kary Moore (Properties Unlimited) continued the quality leadership exhibited by his predecessors and continued to enhance ACRE’s reputation as the preeminent organization of it’s kind in the Sacramento Region.  Kary focused on technology and introduced broadcast e-mail as a useful benefit for members.  BOYA’s 2000 event yielded $36,000.00 making a cumulative total to date of more than $100,000.00 contributed to charity.

The 2001 President of ACRE was John Knight of Colliers International.  Under John’s leadership the categories of membership in ACRE were revised to recognize the many partnerships needed to “close a deal”. A new category of membership, Associate, was established to recognize the many players “at the table” for a commercial real estate transaction.

Working to expand the Developer Showcase, ACRE joined with NAIOP to co-sponsor the Second Annual event held at the new Sheraton Hotel.  A display area was added to the sold-out event.  Participants voted for the People’s Choice Award which went to The Pigman Companies, LLC for the California Fuel Cell Partnership building.

Anthony G. Scotch, Capital Builders, Inc. served as president of ACRE in 2002.  On Anthony’s watch, a scholarship program was established at the California State University at Sacramento to honor a Junior or Senior student with a declared major in business administration with an emphasis in real estate.  Annually, a scholarship in the amount of $2,000, a one-year membership in ACRE and a $200 credit to be used to attend ACRE events will be awarded.

2002 also saw the expansion of the annual ACRE Golf Tournament.  Partnering with NAIOP, 288 players descended on Rancho Murieta Country Club’s two 18 hole golf courses in May.  In November, again in conjunction with NAIOP, the Third Annual Developer Showcase was held.  The People’s Choice winner was McCuen Properties for the SureWest Broadband Headquarters.

Kris Reilly, Grubb and Ellis, served as the ACRE president for 2003.  During his term membership grew to 273 members, and ACRE celebrated its 20th anniversary with a Casino Night Party at the Traveller's Building.

Donations of $103,000 were made at the BOYA event to the Make a Wish Foundation.  The Golf Tournament was a major success and the Developer Showcase Committee published a book of the projects that participated in the event.  Attendance for the showcase exceeded 500.

2004 brought the first Associate Member President.  Gordon Duff, an attorney with Boyden, Cooluris, Livingston and Saxe lead the organization to new heights.  The three signature events, BOYA, Golf Tournament and Developer Showcase  continued to break record attendance.   The Sacramento Children's Home was chosen as the charity beneficiary for three years.  Donations exceeded expectations and a building on the campus of the Children's Home was named for ACRE. 

Bruce Hester, CCIM, of Colliers International served as the 2005 ACRE President.  Under his leadership the membership in ACRE grew to 361 members.  Bruce activated the Affiliate members to become more involved in the association and initiated an educational program for new brokers, called Make More Money.  A special program to recruit new brokers to the ACRE membership was also continued.

ACRE is a financially strong and stable association for those in the commercial real estate industry.  This success was achieved because of the hard work, dedication, desire and intelligence of the above mentioned people as well as many, many others who have not been specifically acknowledged.  It would be impossible to name everyone but their dedication and support has been truly appreciated nonetheless.

Thank you to Bob Berg and to all who contributed in documenting the history of ACRE and thank you to everyone who has contributed and continues to contribute to ACRE’s ongoing success!!!

ACRE Past Presidents

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