Current Certified Commercial Investment Member Institute president Richard Juge wants it to be known that this is not your daddy’s CCIM anymore—a sentiment that is reflected by the association’s recent moves to redesign its curriculum and roll out new web-based programs. This emphasis on education and technology, in addition to networking, packs a powerful punch and is largely the reason the organization has built a cache of more than 15,000 members across 59 chapters and 37 countries since its roots as a California Association of Realtors-established group, Certified Property Exchanger, back in 1954.

What separates CCIM from other organizations is its rigorous education program, which can take, on average, two to three years to get through. To earn the CCIM moniker, candidates must complete a series of designation courses, earn elective credits and pass a comprehensive exam. This is in addition to what the association terms “qualifying experience”—essentially, a way to verify outside deal performance. This year, those numbers were scaled back in response to the market climate and lower transaction volumes.

While CCIM has seen a decrease in course registrations—no doubt due to the economic downturn—it projects 852 commercial real estate and allied professionals will earn the designation in 2010, a 31% increase over 2009. “And from a budget standpoint, the organization still has more new candidates than it expected,” says Juge, who is also president of RE/MAX Commercial Brokers in Metairie, LA.