NEW YORK CITY-Frederick J. Schmidt is not a man who is easily rattled. The president and COO of Parsippany, NJ-based Coldwell Banker Commercial defines himself as an optimist, and there is little he sees in the market that keeps him up nights.

In an interview with GlobeSt.com Thursday morning, Schmidt indicated that the recent market upheaval—underscored by the upper-echelon shifts by such names as Mirante, D’Arcy, Goade and White (all stories that GlobeSt.com broke)—play well against CBC’s strategy. “We see such changes as opportunity in terms of positioning ourselves in the marketplace,” he says.

The executive shifts have raised questions about succession planning, and Schmidt, while not spelling out the details, says CBC is covered on that score. “If I get hit by a bus tomorrow, there will be people to step in for me,” he says rather graphically. But he adds that the more important point is working the plan: “What plan is in place to execute so people always know what they need to do?”