NEW YORK CITY-Fresh off his 21-year stint with CB Richard Ellis, Brookfield Office Properties’ Mitch Rudin is settling into his new digs at the World Financial Center and new position as president and CEO of Brookfield’s US commercial property holdings. He caught up with GlobeSt.com about why he changed jobs and his vision for Lower Manhattan and Midtown West.

GlobeSt.com: You spent more than 20 years at CB Richard Ellis, most recently as president and CEO of CBRE’s Tri-State region. Now you are switching gears and providing oversight for Brookfield’s US commercial property holdings. In your new role, what are some of your goals and strategic plans for the company?

Rudin: I went from one great company with a 100+ year history with a very strong culture to another company with a very strong culture, also one of the most dominant firms in the industry, one the largest firms and one of the best firms. As I’ve looked at it, I’ve spent my time really getting my hands around the organization and I would tell you that the surprises here have all been pleasant. It’s a very modest organization, so what’s here in terms of the quality of people and the way the business is run has really been just continually reinforcing the decision I made to come here. Just for the month that I’ve been here, BOMA has a 360 building rating and we are the number one owner/developer on that list. We were named outstanding private partner by the Urban Areas Security Initiative, which is a program of the US Department of Homeland Security. So what I’m looking to do is perpetuate and grow upon this best in-class practice and convey it in a way that’s fully understood.