The Society of Industrial and Office REALTORS® is an international professional commercial and industrial real estate association based in Washington, D.C. It offers a professional designation to commercial brokers and other industry professionals. It has 3,400 members in 686 cities and 36 countries. SIOR designees can hold the following specialty designations: industrial, office, sales manager, executive manager, or advisory service. SIOR also includes associate members, who are corporate executives, developers, educators, and other involved in the commercial real estate industry.
Founding
The idea of forming an organization for industrial real estate brokers began in 1939. Despite the continued growth of industrial real estate, its specialists had little representation within the National Association of Real Estate Boards, the predecessor to today's National Association of Realtors With this in mind and anticipating the increased need for industrial spaces on account of the outbreak of World War II, industrial realtors Frank G. Binswanger and David T. Houston, Sr. made an effort to organize and coordinate industrial realtors across the United States and Canada. They were able to gain sponsorship for the founding of Society of Industrial Realtors, and in the fall of 1940 at NAREB's national convention in Philadelphia, and the formation of a national body of industrial realtors was approved. One year and two months later, The United States entered World War II. The society was instrumental in locating existing, and immediately available, plant space that could be utilized for the production of defense, and later, war material. Over 200 brokers from across the United States and Canada surveyed suitable facilities and reported their findings to the War Department.
Today
SIOR has certified thousands of members with the prestigious SIOR designation, a professional symbol of the highest level of knowledge, production, and ethics in the real estate industry. Real estate professionals who have earned the SIOR designation are recognized by corporate real estate executives, commercial real estate brokers, agents, lenders, and other real estate professionals as the most capable and experienced brokerage practitioners in any market. A professional affiliate of the NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF REALTORS®, SIOR is dedicated to the practice and maintenance of the highest professional and ethical standards. SIOR maintains a commitment to business and industry by providing outstanding professional services, publications, and educational programs. The SIOR designation stands unchallenged for excellence in the performance of real estate services, and is universally recognized as the prerequisite in the selection of a commercial real estate broker, agent, or consultant. Just the Facts SIOR has more than 3,400 members in 685 cities and 36 countries. SIOR designees can hold the following specialty designations: industrial, office, industrial and office, sales manager, executive manager, or advisory service. SIOR also consists of affiliate members who include corporate executives, developers, educators, and others involved in the commercial real estate industry. Transactions On an average year, SIOR members report more than 2,500 transactions totaling around 150 million square feet and nearly USD $20 billion in leases and sales in the industrial, investment, office, land, alternative assets, and redevelopment sectors. That sum is just a fraction of the total business done by SIOR members around the world.
