Jim Sorenson

Sorenson Companies

Salt Lake City, UT – January 8, 2018 - The Utah Chapter of CCIM today announced that Jim Sorenson has been named the 2018 Excellence Awards Hall of Fame recipient. Held annually, the Excellence Awards honors professionals within Utah’s commercial real estate industry who exemplify the highest degree of business excellence. The event recognizes individuals spanning more than 14 specialties within the industry, the pinnacle award being the Hall of Fame, which highlights an institution or individual that has had a dramatic and valuable impact on the Utah commercial real estate market. The full list of award recipients will be announced at an event held at the Grand America Hotel on Saturday, March 3, 2017. This year’s event theme is “Time for Tech.”

As this year’s Hall of Fame recipient, Jim Sorenson of Sorenson Companies embodies the event’s theme of “Time for Tech.” Throughout his career, Jim helped develop several new industry categories in today’s business world, including digital video compression software, mass-market videophones, video relay service for deaf and hard-of- hearing individuals and environmental testing. Jim enjoys combining innovative and worthwhile ideas with talented management teams to produce growing new enterprises. This successful combination has produced thousands of new jobs and vibrant companies. 

Jim is also an advocate of education and has done a great deal throughout his career to enhance the local education system. In 2013, Jim provided the David Eccles School of Business at the University of Utah with a $13 million gift to create the Sorenson Impact Center, with the mission of cultivating impact investing expertise in students. To this day, he plays an active role in setting the Center’s direction and mentoring its student participants. Additionally, in 2001 Jim provided the seed money for the University Venture Fund (UVF) at the David Eccles School of Business. Now the world’s largest student-run educational investment fund, UVF provides unrivaled hands-on experience in venture capital and entrepreneurship for students.

“Jim Sorenson is a fascinating and brilliant individual who has had a significant impact not only on the local economic and business communities, but also those stretching beyond the borders of the United States,” noted Ronda Landa, Chair of the CCIM Utah Excellence Awards. “His philanthropic actions have helped establish initiatives that improve the lives of the working poor, help build regional business communities and train the next generation of entrepreneurial and investment leaders. It is an honor to present Jim as the 2018 CCIM Excellence Awards Hall of Fame award recipient.”

The CCIM Utah Excellence Awards Chair is Ronda Landa of First American Title, with Josh Vance from Internet Properties as the 2018 Chapter President. Big-D Construction is this year’s marquee event sponsor, and CBC Advisors is the platinum event sponsor. Four scholarships, funded by Price Real Estate, will also be awarded to University of Utah students at the event.

For more information about the Excellence Awards, visit: http://www.utahccimchapter.com/about-the-excellence-awards

Barbara Crane, CCIM

2018 CCIM Institute President Elect

2018 CCIM Foundation President

With the 2018 Excellence Awards Theme being “Time for Tech” the Utah CCIM Chapter is proud to announce that the CCIM Institute will be the recipient of the Technology Award. The Technology Award is being presented in order to recognize a firm whose efforts in the use of commercial real estate technology has been meaningful and impactful. The CCIM Institute will be presented with the Technology Award for developing and implementing technology for commercial real estate professionals such as Site to do Business, Esri powered demographics, tapestry segmentation, RealNex, Business Lists, Flood mapping and more.

Accepting the Technology Award on behalf of the CCIM Institute is the 2018 CCIM Institute President-Elect Barbara Crane. Barbara also serves as the President of CCIM Foundation, an affiliate of CCIM Institute that raises funds for scholarships, and as a CCIM Senior Instructor. In addition to her leadership positions with CCIM Institute and CCIM Foundation, she serves as the President of a commercial brokerage and consulting services company working on office properties of all types and being involved in office development and ownership, as well as servicing her long-term client, the Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta.