Menlo Group Senior VP Becomes Member of Elite Commercial Real Estate Society

Tempe, AZ, April 25, 2018 --(PR.com)-- When Grafton Milne joined the commercial real estate industry fresh out of college a decade ago, he looked for ways to push himself to continually improve. At the top of the list was achieving the SIOR designation awarded by the Society of Industrial and Office REALTORS®. This month he turned that goal into a reality.

“I have always tried to apply Covey’s Principle of ‘Sharpening the Saw’. I am always looking for ways to become better in all aspects of my life. Obtaining the SIOR designation was a perfect way to push myself professionally,” Milne said.

SIOR, which boasts of having just 3,100 members across the globe, is the pinnacle of achievement for anyone desiring to become one of the top brokers in their city. The exclusiveness means that these brokers are considered the most ethical and trustworthy professionals in the field.

“I have always looked at local SIOR’s as being the 'cream of the crop' in our market,” said Milne.

Milne started his real estate career working alongside his brother Tanner. In the summer of 2007 they worked together for a commercial developer and as the Phoenix market began to decline that year, Grafton took a gamble and followed his entrepreneurial-minded brother and they started Menlo Group Commercial Real Estate in October 2008. Since then, Grafton has been involved in hundreds of real estate sale and lease transactions. One notable transaction was the sale of the former Phoenix Memorial Hospital in downtown Phoenix.

“It is an absolute honor to be welcomed into such an elite group of professionals. Not only are SIOR designees known for being the top producers in their markets but they are market-tested, ethically driven, and respected in the industry,” Milne added.

Since the organization began, SIOR members have completed over 78,000 transactions. The average SIOR member has sold a million square feet of space for a total dollar volume of 31 million spread across 30 transactions. Members can hold specialty designations in industrial, office, sales manager, executive manager or advisory service.

Grafton is not the first member of the Menlo Group team to obtain the SIOR designation. His brother Tanner achieved the coveted SIOR office designation roughly one year ago. He believes more will follow. Many of the brokers at Menlo Group already hold the Certified Commercial Investment Member (CCIM) designation and are encouraged to take the next steps in progressing toward their SIOR designation.

In their new corporate office completed last year, Menlo Group has the following quote from Thomas Edison posted on the wall for the entire office to see, “Opportunity is missed by most people because it is dressed in overalls and looks like work.” Hard work is required to become an SIOR with its stringent qualifications and certifying expertise. This aligns perfectly with the core values at Menlo Group.

SIOR, founded by industrial brokers Frank Binswanger and David Houston in 1939, started life in Philadelphia where it was vital in helping find land for building plants to help in the World War II effort. It slowly grew from those beginnings to spread across America as well as around the rest of the World. SIOR is affiliated with the National Association of REALTORS®.

Menlo Group Commercial Real Estate is a full-service commercial real estate brokerage that services the industrial, retail, child care and general, medical and dental office markets in the Metropolitan Phoenix area. We exist to illuminate the path to success for our clients, brokers and employees. Yes, we're a commercial real estate firm. But really, that's just the vehicle we've chosen to help people find their own definition of success. Finding just the right location and structure for a client, the right tenants for a building, the right fit for brokers and employees. Those are the things we strive for every day.