OKLAHOMA CITY-When natural disasters strike, many people and organizations have the instant urge to help. In the case of the recent tornado, CBRE Oklahoma officials felt compelled to act and use their commercial real estate industry leverage to assist with relief efforts. Tom O'Brien CBRE Oklahoma president emailed staff with the CBRE arm, “encouraging everyone to get involved, donate space if necessary to help Oklahomans,” Michelle Anderson, CPM, vice president Asset Services said, adding that the next morning, Lori Bryant CBRE Oklahoma president Asset Services set the wheels in motion.

Anderson further described how CBRE Oklahoma came together for the community:

“I began calling American Red Cross, Salvation Army, Lt. Governor Lamb office to determine if space was needed, explaining that if overflow was needed for donations or command posts CBRE Oklahoma will help locate real estate for their needs. At every organization my calls were answered by volunteers who were taking messages but [who had] no real knowledge of what was needed. At approximately 4:00pm Tuesday I received the first call from American Red Cross. They were in need of warehouse space and a Command Operations Center capable of accommodating 500 people with computers. Their space needs was changing by the hour and by Wednesday morning the need had changed again. I begin discussing with John Lenochan, senior vice president Tuesday evening vacant space and locations available to warehouse donated supplies. Lenochan took it from there and by 3:00pm Wednesday afternoon located and turned over keys to a 310,000 square foot warehouse to the American Red Cross.”