MAI, CCIM, SIOR, etc.

By Amos Maki
– The Commercial Appeal –

ANYBODY IN THE REAL ESTATE business can tell you Joel Fulmer is a man of many titles. Fulmer, senior vice president of Boyle Investment Co., is probably the only real estate professional in the Mid-South – and one of the select few in the entire nation – to hold four prestigious designations.

His business card is an alphabet soup of titles and disciplines: MAI, SIOR, CCIM and CRE.

“I’m not sure how many more there are in the United States with each title,” said Mark Halperin, executive vice president at Boyle. “I’m not sure there’s many”

Dan Wilkinson, chairman of Colliers, Wilkinson and Snowden, asked Fulmer to join the invitation-only Counselors of Real Estate group, an exclusive club for the nation’s most highly regarded and varied real estate professionals.

“I don’t think there are more than two or three in the entire country who have all those designations,” Wilkinson said. “It’s not extremely rare, it’s exceptionally rare that anyone has all of those.”

Fulmer, the current president of the Memphis Area Association of Realtors Commercial Council, said his goal wasn’t to amass as many designations as possible, but to better understand the marketplace and the needs of his clients.

“I’ve always enjoyed school and education, and education is the key that provides that understanding,” said Fulmer, who is known for his trademark bow ties. “I enjoy the variety and I enjoy having something different to do and understanding market opportunities.”

Fulmer, 56, leases and manages more than 1.5 million square feet of warehouse, retail and office properties.

The majority of his time is spent on brokerage and management, but he still finds time for appraising and consulting work. And from time to time he still likes to build things.

“He’s probably one of the most experienced real estate transaction technicians in the community,” said Halperin, who has worked with Fulmer for 32 years. “He’s done every different type of deal at one time or another and done them well.”

Dick Faulk, SIOR, principal with Crump Commercial LLC, said Fulmer’s command of different real estate disciplines opens doors other might not see.

“What really brings Joel into focus is the scope and depth of his knowledge,” said Faulk, who has worked with Fulmer on a number of deals. “He’ll come up with out-of-the-box ways or approaches to make a deal work.

“I think that’s a tribute to not only his intellect but his knowledge of the business,” he said.

And all those designations aren’t handed out to anyone who wants one; it takes years of hard work and study to earn each title.

“Every designation he’s got is tough to get and they’re all in different disciplines,” said Faulk. “It’s amazing the hats that he wears. It’s incredible.”