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Robert A. Cochran, SIOR -- 2004

What city are you from?
Grew up in Greensboro, NC
Moved to Charlotte in 1980

Why did you pursue a career in real estate?
I entered CRE because it was flexible and I could be involved in things important to the community. It was very people & business focused.

What was your first big deal?
I fell into it a little bit and got some help along the way, but I coordinated a 60,000 square foot building to suit for Alltel in East Charlotte. That deal meant a lot to me financially since I was just 26 (1984).

Brief summary of career:
I started with Southern Real Estate and worked there for one and a half years. I did a little bit of everything – property management, leasing, paperwork for other brokers, etc. Then I joined Kuester Real Estate and did property management & leasing for good institutional accounts for three years. Then, once Cushman & Wakefield won an outsourcing contract with one of my biggest clients at the time they gave me a job and I also began to do more tenant rep.

My next move came about via Lat Purser, who had a good relationship with Connecticut Mutual, a company that had assembled several downtown properties to build a tower. I was hired to pre-lease. The way it played out was painful though - I lined up 350,000 square feet worth of pre-leases (First Union for 150K and Barclays for 200K) only to see it fall apart as the economy crumbled. That was one of the toughest moments of my career. Moving on from that I stayed with Lat and moved into selling receivership property through the RTC until 1998. Later, I joined Colliers as they were looking to go more full-service at the time. I focused on leasing & managing a 1 million square foot portfolio.

What were some of the keys to your success?
I was fortunate to have a mentor at each stage of my career. There were also some painful experiences I learned from early on, particularly the failed downtown development.

How has Charlotte changed?
There’s been a fundamental shift in the banking industry. Before this recent crisis, I had a friend in the business who always used to say, “Charlotte’s one phone call away from disaster.” Well, we survived 2008-2009. Another big change has been the influx of institutional owners into the Charlotte market today.

What would you do if you weren’t in commercial real estate?
I’d spend more time hanging in the mountains, traveling, and doing more volunteer work with some of my favorite charities (includes Communities in Schools & Ronald McDonald House). Family is also very important to me, so I always try to keep a good work-life balance.

Briefly describe your time as CRCBR president:
I was president in 2004. We’d been thru 9-11, people were active, membership was growing, and we had started the new CPE. Old leaders were initially hesitant to endorse CPE because it was so expensive, but we closed our eyes and pulled the trigger. Volunteerism also continued to build – before we had relied on the same early leaders, but they couldn’t do it forever. Developers had also been a huge support from the start.

What was the most important deal you’ve seen during your career?
When Lincoln Property came to town to develop the Bank of America Corporate Center and Belk agreed to sell the land. For Charlotte, that was a whole new ballgame.

What’s your favorite piece of real estate?
Bank of America Corporate Center

What are your favorite restaurants?
Upstream (Philips Place) and Phil’s Deli (Strawberry Hill)



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