9 / 92
May 6-May 19, 2015 —
COLORADO REAL ESTATE JOURNAL
— Page 9
Sherman Miller was a gentle
and patient man, but he cast a
large shadow. He was quick with
a smile and always treated others
with respect. He had the inher-
ent gift to make you feel like you
were the most important person
to him at that moment. We were
blessed to have him in our lives,
and our fond and loving memo-
ries of him will not fade with
time.
– Richard B. Morgan, Mutual of
Omaha Bank
Sherm’s passion for his fam-
ily, students and Colorado’s
real estate community was
unmatched. He simply was one
of our best. I miss him already.
– Jeffrey S. Robinson, Hampton
Partners
Sherm Miller was one of Den-
ver’s best! With his endless ener-
gy, and his contagious smile, he
was always willing to lend a hand
to those in need. Sherm helped
lead dozens of commercial bro-
kers and others, regardless of
which company they worked for,
into the life of sobriety, which I
am proud to say I am a part of.
We will miss you Sherm!
– Phillip J. Ruschmeyer Jr.,
Ruschmeyer Corporation
I thought highly of Sherm and
almost went to work for him on
several occasions while he was at
Cushman & Wakefield. When I
learned about his new role at my
alma mater, University of Colo-
rado, I reached out to see if there
was anything that I could do to
help with the program, which
would be a privilege. He was
known by almost everyone in the
industry and no one ever had a
negative thing to say about him,
which is an obvious attribute of
his amazing standup character.
What sad news this is.
– John Egan, Highland
Commercial
Sherman was the face of the
commercial real estate industry
in Colorado. He was truly a class
act.
– Barry Higgins, National Retail
Group
It is rare in life to come across
an individual who has touched
and improved the lives of so
many through genuinely caring
about the success and well-being
of others.
– John Jugl, HFF
Sherm’s legacy within Denver’s
commercial real estate commu-
nity and within the University of
Colorado Real Estate Center will
forever have a great impact! His
legacy as a man was even greater.
– Leon McBroom, HFF
Sherman was an honorable
man and a straight shooter. He
was always a pleasure to work
with over the years.
– Neil Oberfeld , Greenberg
Traurig
I met Sherm Miller in 1980
when I joined Coldwell Banker
in Denver. What I soon discov-
ered was a mutual love for the
game of baseball. This led to
the formation of a group of guys
that played a fantasy baseball
game called Strato-O-Matic, a
complex statistical adaptation of
the prior season for hundreds
of major league players. Teams
were drafted and a 60-game
schedule was played along with
playoffs. Sherm's team was called
the Denver Dodgers and he was
anointed the commissioner of
our league for many years. The
Dodgers once won the Strato
World Series and his name was
engraved on the trophy.
Sherm and I also shared season
tickets for the Colorado Rockies
and I recall sitting with him and
the other ticket partners for the
first game at Mile High Stadium
in 1993.
We all lost a great friend last
week and I'm sure that Sherm
is now playing in his field of
dreams.
– Steve Bye, NorthMarq Capital
Sherm was a great friend, a
wonderful family man and a bril-
liant businessman. He will be
missed!
– Jimmy and friends, Miller
Global Properties
Back in the early ‘90s when
Sherm was running CB and had
almost celebrity-type status, I
remember as a young broker he
said to me once, “Hey buddy”
and I thought, “Sherm Miller
said that to me? Hey, I’m Sherm’s
buddy.” He had that kind of
impact and I still remember this
from almost 25 years ago. (Need-
less to said he didn't know my
name and therefore the buddy
reference, but I was proud I was
recognized by Sherm.)
This past winter Sherm called
me to try to get us to buy a table
at the upcoming CU event. I gave
him four or five good reasons
why I couldn’t, including, “We
just sold the company again and
I would probably get fired if I
bought a table, Sherm.” A few
minutes later, I bought a table.
Sherm was tenacious and I love
a good salesman.
No one did not like ShermMill-
er, he was one of the special ones.
– Greg Morris, DTZ
There are some people who,
in everything they do, embody
the spirit of our great commu-
nity and that is certainly true of
Sherm Miller. For all of us who
had the opportunity to know
Sherm, we mourn a great leader
and champion within the real
estate community here in Colo-
rado. I admired Sherm greatly
and will miss him as a profes-
sional colleague, an adviser and
friend. His legacy will live on
through his family, friends and
by all of us who had the chance
to have our lives touched by this
very special man.
– Riki Hashimoto , NGKF
Capital Markets
Sherm Miller was a leader in
the truest sense; a man so com-
mitted to higher goals that the
challenges of life seemed to just
fall in line behind him, to be
overcome in spite of them. In the
dictionary under “role model”
there’s a picture of Sherm, smil-
ing, of course. Always smiling.
May he rest forever in the peace
of Christ.
– Paul J. Ruff, Triumph Real
Estate Corporation
Sherm was the first person I
interviewed with after I got my
real estate license. I didn’t end
up working with him, but do
know that his kind and generous
nature helped me along my path.
He will be missed.
– Cherie Kirschbaum, City
Projects
I considered Sherm Miller a
mentor, manager and friend.
I decided to interview with
three of the top real estate firms
in 1988. My first two interviews
were very normal with the usual
questions about my resume and
the capabilities of the company.
Then I showed up to my inter-
view at Coldwell Banker Com-
mercial (now CBRE). My inter-
view was with Sherm Miller. I
had never met a guy with more
energy and enthusiasm. It didn’t
matter that CB had not sold an
apartment building in two years;
I wanted to work for Sherm and
his team.
My best memory of Shem was
that after he hired me, he gently
informed me that the full beard
had to go and with regard to the
full suit I was wearing, “No one
wears vests anymore, Jeff !” Over
the years we have laughed about
that conversation.
I have never met anyone more
genuinely excited about other
people achieving success than
Sherm. I was lucky to have
worked with Shem and Mary
during my career. Both are very
special people.
– Jeff Hawks, ARA/Newmark
From our very first dealings
to our very last, two of Sherm’s
many
admirable
qualities
impressed me. First was his sin-
cere dedication to the welfare
and advancement of others,
whether colleagues or students.
Second was his estimation of
effort over accomplishment
(which he appreciated also) and
his belief that everyone could,
and should, make an effort, but
that accomplishment was often
the result of good fortune and
the efforts of others. His efforts
and accomplishments will not
soon be equaled or forgotten.
– Mark Senn, Senn Visciano
Canges P.C.
Sherm was one of the first
people I met when I entered the
commercial real estate industry
in Denver and I am incredibly
grateful for his kindness and pro-
fessionalism. He made a lasting
impact on our industry in Den-
ver and touched many people’s
lives. We will all miss Sherm!
– Brady Welsh, Sherpa
Commercial Real Estate
There is no shortage of quotes
regarding the “measure of a
man.” Nor are there any limits
on the measures themselves:
age, accomplishments, wealth,
accolades, etc. There can be no
argument that Sherman Miller
lost his life too early. But the
years that Shem spent on earth
were well spent. Sherm laughed
often, loved greatly, gave gener-
ously and received humbly. By
any standard, he “lived.” Sherm
leaves in his wake a rich legacy
of family, friends, accomplish-
ments and public service. He will
be missed by so many. And as for
measures, the bar has been set
extremely high.
– Richard M. Calhoun,
RealSource Group
Sherm,
You were an incredible mentor
and leader, and the most positive
person I knew.
I will always cherish our mutu-
al love of baseball and the times
we had at those Rockies games.
You lived the example we all
should strive for and made such
a difference in so many lives,
including mine.
A lot of who I am today as a
professional is because of you!
– Mark Weston, Miller Global
Properties
Sherman Miller was full of
enthusiasm and a strong advo-
cate of educating today’s college
students on real estate. He was a
panelist in a 2013 CoreNet Glob-
al chapter learning event that
brought together three Colorado
universities that have real estate
degree programs. Sherm was
instrumental in the success of
this event and for opening doors
to allow his students to be men-
tored by professionals working in
the real estate industry. He will
be fondly remembered by the
CoreNet Global Colorado Chap-
ter for this contribution.
On a personal note, when
Sherm Miller was the managing
director of CBRE, (aka CB Com-
mercial) he hired me as a cor-
porate services broker early in
my commercial real estate career
and gave me a chance to broad-
en my horizons. I will always be
grateful to him for affording me
this opportunity, for his mentor-
ship and his kindness. Rest in
peace. You will be greatly missed!
– Karla Tucker-Smith, Arrow
Electronics
What I remember about Sher-
man Miller was how kind he
was to respond to me when I
had a question about business
development. Early in my career
I reached out to Sherman, know-
ing how successful he had been
at building business and teams,
and even though he did not
know me, he took the time to
return my phone call and share
his thoughts about building new
business and putting together
the teams to support that busi-
ness. His advice was very helpful
and I appreciated that he took
the time to share his experience
with me. May God bless Sher-
man and his family.
– Tom Potvien, Bridge Property
Management
To me, and many fathers and
daughters who enjoyed float
trips down the Colorado river,
Sherman Miller was a pure plea-
sure to know. This was a time
each year when you cast busi-
ness aside and bonded with your
daughter, her classmates and
their fathers. What I learned on
the first trip I practiced through
the last; be in Sherman’s boat.
Here’s why: There came a time
on each trip when he struck,
and you lived for that moment.
Sherman Miller could jump into
another boat, scale the bags,
jump the oars and steel their
water bucket quicker than any-
one or anything on the planet.
Disarmed. And then, an explo-
sion of water in your favor. We
lived for that moment, and Sher-
man never let us down. As our
daughters grew we talked about
a reunion trip, but it remains a
great memory. My family and I
are honored to have been, even
for a short while, in Sherman
Miller’s boat. May you rest in
peace with a water bucket at
your side!
– John Frew, Frew Development
Group
Sherman was a true gentlemen
and professional in every aspect
of his life.
– Stephen J. Miller, Unique
Properties
Sherm was a force in Denver’s
commercial real estate commu-
nity. He was special because he
took the time to talk to anyone
and hear others’ perspectives. He
was a friend and mentor. He was
a visionary. He gave back and
was always trying to help others.
He was a life learner and will be
missed by all.
– Kevin S. Chadwick, Terrix
Financial Corporation
My favorite stories from Sherm
were about his grandmother,
Nonna. She taught him char-
acter, hard work, and to treat
people the way you want to be
treated. He taught all of us the
same! He will be greatly missed
as a mentor, a friend and a truly
good person.
– Becky Hogan, R&R Engineers
Surveyors
How fortunate am I to have
been touched by Sherm and
his wife, the leading couple in
Denver. Sherm always made me
feel important and worthy of
being his friend and colleague.
We shared laughs in an industry
where some of us take ourselves
too seriously. Sherm’s influence
will magnify over time, the true
effect of a great leader. I miss
you, Sherm.
– Stew Mosko, DTZ
Sherm was truly one of a kind.
I had the pleasure of working
closely with him through the CU
Real Estate Center. He helped
coach my teammates and I to
second place in the 2014 USC
International Real Estate Com-
petition. The time and care he
invested into helping us develop
our careers expanded beyond
any business path and truly
helped mold us into who we are
today. He was not only a profes-
sor and mentor, but also a friend,
and he will be greatly missed.
– Abby Vollmer, Colliers
International
Sherm’s impact on the Denver
real estate community, Univer-
sity of Colorado Real Estate Cen-
ter and lives of people he worked
with is a wonderful legacy. He
will be greatly missed.
– From his friends at Otten
Johnson Robinson Neff +
Ragonetti PC