Commercial Property Executive is pleased to once again offer our compilation of the year’s popular rankings of top commercial real estate companies. Our rankings offer a uniquely balanced evaluation of company strength, based on a weighted formula including multiple variables. Each ranking is accompanied by analysis, along with never-before-seen performance charts derived from company-provided data. Plus, this year we’ve added two new rankings: Top Real Estate Law Firms and Top Commercial Architects and Designers.

CPE’s Book of Rankings includes:

• Top Commercial Real Estate Developers: This ranking takes into consideration factors including but not limited to current and future plans, market value of projects completed and under construction, as well as geographic and property diversification.
• Top Commercial Property Owners: The weighted formula for this ranking incorporates total square footage owned, owned portfolio value, historic performance and property sector diversification, among other factors.
• Top Commercial Property Management Firms: The top CRE managers ranking looks at several factors, including the total square footage and number of properties under management, property operations—both owned and managed—and presence across property sectors.
• Top Commercial Real Estate Brokerage Firms: This ranking considers factors including a firm’s performance across multiple years and reviewed data that reflects investment sales and leasing activity, providing what we feel is a logical balance between firm growth and market share.
• Top Commercial Mortgage Banking and Brokerage Firms: As with our other rankings, this one uses a weighted formula that we feel offers a balance between firm growth and market share. Factors considered include but are not limited to total origination volume, coverage offered, growth in transaction volume and loan positioning.
• Top Real Estate Law Firms: This ranking considers a variety of factors, including revenue performance, the number of lawyers dedicated to the sector, the growth of the real estate practice, and the size and nature of its top deals.
• Top Commercial Architects and Designers: This ranking incorporates revenue, multi-year revenue momentum, the percentage of proposals won, staff credentials and a focused or diversified participation across sectors and geographies.

We’ll answer, among many others, questions like:

• Are top U.S. commercial real estate developers looking to accelerate or slow down their pipelines?
• How are the top CRE owners planning on expanding their portfolios?
• What share of owner portfolios is green?
• In what direction are broker headcounts moving for top firms?
• What asset types are top managers most specialized in?
• What is the scale of space managed on an owned versus third-party basis?
• Which CRE asset types are providing the top U.S. brokerage firms with the most business?
• How much of the originations pie are different CRE asset types taking?
• How are origination volumes changing over time?
• What asset types drew the most revenue for our top architects?
• Are top law firms expanding or reducing their real estate practice?