"It's hard to get out of the office for five days to go take a course," Simpson tells GlobeSt.com. "So we've put all of our courses online. For two hours a day, two days a week for several weeks you can get online with an instructor and ask questions. We'll also have a hybrid delivery where you will be in the classroom for two and a half days and then online two days. That way, people that want those networking opportunities can still have them."

Simpson is a leading broker in northern Georgia and has developed several office and industrial buildings in the region. He has represented both buyers and sellers in transactions involving industrial, retail, office, and special-purpose real estate such as churches. Clients have included several Fortune 500 companies, government entities, national retailers, hospitals and other commercial real estate users and investors. Now, he'll take that diversity of experience into other nations as he works to grow international membership.

"We have a great group of South Koreans that have come aboard CCIM," Simpson says. "We have other members in different countries we met with recently in Orlando about creating new member benefits into the international markets, including Japan, Russia, Korea. We are already in those markets, but we are looking to create additional benefits for those members. Real estate has been hurting for the past couple of years, but it's coming back and we are preparing for growth."