Case Study: Building a Talent-Driven Edge in Project Management
How CBRE’s Center of Excellence Became a Growth Engine - Powered by People
The Challenge
In commercial real estate, project overruns are common. But at CBRE, a pattern was emerging: even well-planned initiatives were slipping.
Account Directors—mostly from facility management backgrounds—were calling in urgent support. Project Management teams were stretched. Best practices weren’t sticking. Clients were feeling it.
It wasn’t a process issue.
It was a people capability issue.
The Mission:
CBRE’s Project Management Center of Excellence (COE) needed a new identity. Not just a holding place for project leaders between assignments—but a strategic capability builder that:
Account teams wanted to bring in
Clients saw as high-value
Executives viewed as a competitive advantage
RANGER: Embedding Expertise Where It Counts
Enter Ranger—cross-functional experts embedded in struggling or scaling account teams to coach, support, and turn things around. Rangers weren’t auditors—they were partners. And their presence led to real results.
“I can sell the Ranger program all day long.”
— Bret Nave, Executive Managing Director
PART: Proactive Project Risk Reviews
We scaled the Project Advisory Review Team (PART)—seasoned internal experts who assessed live and planned projects. The goal? Help project teams surface risks, apply best practices, and build confidence—before things derailed.
Over time, we noticed the same root issue: performance hinged on the people more than the process.
SOAR: Elevating Strategy Through People
From Ranger’s came SOAR (Strategic Operational Assessment Review)— a high-impact, people-first initiative that assessed team capability and guided long-term development.
Being invited to participate in a SOAR became a résumé highlight. And for the accounts? It meant stability, performance, and visible commitment to improvement.
Results That Mattered
10+ years of double-digit CAGR in Project Management service
27% improvement in client satisfaction (Kingsley Survey)
Zero red accounts, with most moved to top-tier satisfaction
Industry top-quartile employee engagement
Ranger and SOAR programs became enterprise-wide differentiators (even contributing to revenue-generating offering)
I specialize in practical, scalable strategies that elevate performance without breaking what already works.
