Colbert Coldwell
Co-founder 1906Background
Colbert Coldwell was an influential American real estate entrepreneur who co-founded Coldwell, Banker & Co. In the aftermath of the 1906 San Francisco earthquake. He possessed a visionary understanding of the need for professionalized, analytical real estate services in the rapidly expanding American West, establishing the foundational principles of integrity and market expertise that would define the firm for over a century.
Role at CBRE Group, Inc.
CBRE is the product of over a century of rolling global consolidations, but its foundational DNA traces back to the devastating aftermath of the 1906 San Francisco earthquake. Following the destruction of the city, the real estate market was chaotic and plagued by unscrupulous speculators and fraudulent transactions. In 1906, Colbert Coldwell, a young real estate agent, recognized the desperate need for integrity and objective valuation in the rebuilding process. He founded a small real estate company based entirely on the principle that the broker must act solely in the best interest of the client, rejecting the common practice of brokers secretly trading properties for their own profit. In 1913, Benjamin Arthur Banker joined the firm as a partner, and the company was officially named Coldwell Banker. For decades, Coldwell Banker operated strictly as a respected, regional commercial and residential broker in the Western United States. The defining pivot that transformed it into a global entity began in the late 1980s. The commercial division separated from the residential division (which was sold off and remains a separate entity today). Renamed CB Commercial, the firm began an aggressive acquisition spree across the United States. The masterstroke occurred in 1998, when CB Commercial acquired Richard Ellis International (REI). REI was a prestigious, property consultancy founded in London in 1773, with deep, historic roots managing aristocratic estates across the British Empire. This transatlantic merger created CB Richard Ellis (eventually shortened to CBRE), combining the American brokerage power of Coldwell Banker with the elite, entrenched global network of Richard Ellis, forming the undisputed, globe-spanning titan of modern commercial real estate.