Insights

Spotlight On: Cole Sweatt, Vice President and Brokerage Manager for TRI Commercial

By Ben van der Meer  – Staff Writer, Sacramento Business Journal

Twenty years in commercial real estate have led Cole Sweatt to a new role as brokerage manager at TRI Commercial/CORFAC International’s Roseville and Sacramento offices. He discussed the new job and what he hopes to accomplish.

What attracted you to take this role?

I’ve been in this industry for about 20 years, and I like helping people. I like the attraction of working day to day with brokers, and I’m pretty well-versed in working with them.

What’s the landscape of the market as you come in?

We deal with more day-to-day users of brick and mortar. The big firms deal with the big corporate accounts. My concern is working with the local tenants and landlords. The outlook for the next few years is strong, as evidenced by how housing has picked up. We’re starting to see, finally, relocation from the Bay Area.

What is the issue that’s holding this market back, if any?

People don’t realize what Sacramento has to offer. There’s very affordable housing compared to the Bay Area, and even very affordable executive housing. We’re close to the Bay Area. We don’t quite have the concentration of universities as you see there, but beyond that, there’s lots of talent here to fill positions of need for firms.

What is on your to-do list?

Obviously, help my brokers on the day-to-day stuff. Also, we want to grow our footprint in the market and expand our presence with CORFAC. I also want to emphasize cross-discipline between offices and sectors, set performance goals for each broker and establish a boot camp for new brokers coming aboard.

In the different commercial real estate sectors, what do you see as hot right now?

For us, it’s medical, housing and government driven. Housing especially is driven by the medical industry, such as the new headquarters for Adventist Health in Roseville and new construction of surgery centers.

What would you want people in your industry to know about you?

I’m very fair, I get along with people and I have a good sense of how different managers run offices. I think we can offer more comprehensive training and grow organically.

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Cole Sweatt

Title: Vice president and brokerage manager for TRI Commercial/CORFAC International in Sacramento/Roseville

Age: 45

Education: Bachelor’s degree in planning and development from the University of Southern California

Career: Broker, Colliers International, 1998-2004; broker, CBRE Sacramento; 2004-2011; broker, Voit Real Estate Services, 2011-2014; vice president, TRI Commercial/CORFAC International  

Personal: Married to wife Terri for 17 years; three children, Vance 15, Gianna, 13, and Jack, 11

Something about you people would be surprised to know: My namesake settled in Massachusetts shortly after the Pilgrims arrived in the mid-1600s as original colonial settlers from England. He was a ship captain in the militias during King Philip’s War and was killed in a battle with Native Americans, refusing to leave his men.

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