Colorado Real Estate Journal -
As Peter Scoville sees it, success in commercial real estate is dependent on one thing, yourself. And the co-founder and owner of Cushman & Wakefield|Colorado Springs Commercial wouldn’t want it any other way. “The success you experience in this industry is solely contingent on yourself. You have total accountability and responsibility for what you achieve and how you succeed. It is a very attractive facet to the business for someone competitive like me,” explained Scoville. “Ultimately, it is never someone else’s fault. It is right in your face if you lose an assignment; you experience the consequences financially and in your relationships. “It also is the most challenging part of the business, without a doubt,” continued Scoville. “But at the end of the day, there are no excuses. You are responsible for your successes and your failures.” The Boston native graduated from Colorado College with a Bachelor of Arts in English and worked for year as a teacher at The Colorado Springs School before realizing teaching wasn’t offering the professional challenges he craved. So Scoville turned to real estate. Throughout college, Scoville and his friends completed a number of fix-and-flips, which cultivated his interest in real estate. The fix-and-flip experience, however, enforced in Scoville that residential real estate was too emotional, so he thought he’d try commercial real estate. More than a dozen years later, Scoville is one of Colorado Springs’ top Class A office and medical office leasing and investment sales professionals. “I realized the freedom, the financial rewards of real estate and the ability for me to be accountable for my success – I was hooked,” Scoville said of his start in commercial real estate, which began with NAI Highland LLC. Since the start of his career as a runner for Michael Palmer and Jim Spittler at NAI Highland, Scoville specialized in office properties. He also knew he wanted to carve out a career in which he would be seen as more than just a broker but also a resource and consultant to clients. “I wanted to focus on just one asset type. As opposed to doing a little of everything, I wanted to do a whole lot of one thing and be an expert on it.” Scoville left NAI Highland in 2006 to join Cushman & Wakefield’s Colorado Springs office. After two years of being a corporate Cushman & Wakefield office, the Springs location became an affiliate office for the firm and merged with Palmer McAllister. It was an alliance that set the stage for Scoville and partner Greg Phaneuf to establish Cushman & Wakefield|Colorado Springs Commercial, a small, locally owned brokerage company with the market reach and presence of Cushman & Wakefield, earlier this year. Despite being a principal of the firm, Scoville still believes in the responsibility of the individual guiding his career. “I want to be a broker, not a manager, and make it a fun culture, a different business environment,” said Scoville. “We aren’t there to make money off of our brokers but help them achieve the success they want.” As for Scoville’s success, he attributes it to relationships. “It’s been said a million times before in this industry, but it’s true. It’s a relationship business,” he said. “You can’t get discouraged or take a one deal, short-term approach. You never know where business will come from. “Being able to help a client is really rewarding,” he continued. “The idea of using my knowledge to win business is the most fun part. I’m very competitive and it’s a competitive business, which is what I like most about it.” Using creativity to find solutions for clients works for those big and small, Scoville emphasized. Over his career he has worked with clients such as Healthcare Realty Trust, DPC Development, Corporate Office Properties Trust, Exelis, USADA, Colorado Center of Orthopedic Excellence and United Technologies. Scoville is a past president of the board of Realtors Commercial Industrial Society and is heavily involved with the Colorado Springs Regional Business Alliance (formerly the Greater Colorado Springs Chamber of Commerce and Colorado Springs Regional Economic Development Corp.). The competitive drive that pushes Scoville at work also propels him at play. Scoville is a competitive mountain biker who also enjoys skiing and rock climbing. Scoville travels extensively pursuing his passions with his wife, Kelli, and children, Emily, 6, and Soren, 4. He also is co-chairman of the USA Pro Cycling Challenge Colorado Springs Stage, an effort he says is his way to put Colorado Springs on an international stage.