For a quarter of a century, the Alabama Center for Real Estate (ACRE) has brought together professionals from across the commercial real estate industry for its annual Alabama Commercial Real Estate Conference & Expo. On Feb. 20, more than 400 professionals will gather at Harbert Center in downtown Birmingham for the 25th installment of ACREcom.
“ACREcom is really the place to be seen in the industry,” says Grayson Glaze, executive director of ACRE, which is housed within the Culverhouse College of Business at the University of Alabama. “The event will draw commercial real estate professionals as well as those who serve the industry, property managers, economic development professionals and people who are considering getting into the field.”
At the silver anniversary of ACREcom, attendees can expect to hear from some top movers and shakers in the national commercial real estate scene. Attendees will also come away with fresh insights and outlook for the industry in the coming year and in the current economic environment, Glaze says.
Conference Lineup
Conference attendees can expect to catch up on the latest news and trends in the industry by attending the morning and afternoon sessions.
“With the election behind us, the general outlook across the commercial real estate industry is more favorable, as interest rates are dropping and regulations are expected to loosen,” Glaze says. “However, there are concerns for the industry looking forward, including potential construction costs with new tariffs and labor shortages.”
The morning sessions will focus on the macroeconomic trends that are expected to influence the commercial real estate industry in the coming months.
These sessions will include an economic outlook panel featuring Barrie Scardina and James Bohnaker, of Cushman & Wakefield. Scardina is president of Americas retail services, agency leasing and alliances, while Bohnaker is senior economist.
An industry outlook panel will feature national industry leaders Tom McGee, president and CEO of the International Council of Shopping Centers; Mark Selvitelli, president and CEO of NAIOP, the Commercial Real Estate Development Association; and Chad Hagwood, senior managing director and Southeast regional director for Lument.
Finally, an economic development outlook panel will include insights from in-state leaders: Denzel Okenido of law firm Burr & Forman, Miller Girvin of the Economic Development Partnership of Alabama and Ed Castile of the Alabama Department of Commerce.
The conference’s afternoon sessions will focus more on the business of commercial real estate, with panels covering topics such as property management, commercial real estate development and using AI in business. Attendees will hear from leaders of what Glaze calls “the new guard” of commercial real estate such as Kyle Matthews, founder, chairman and CEO of Nashville-based Matthews Real Estate Investment Services.
With more than 25 offices across the country, including a Birmingham office opened in 2023, and more than 1,000 agents and employees nationwide, Matthews Real Estate Investment Services is both a commercial real estate firm and a technology firm. In addition to investing in and managing commercial real estate properties, the firm operates a technology division, Matthews PropTech, which is tasked with creating an exclusive ecosystem of productivity tools to streamline the entire transactions process.
Since Matthews founded his company in 2015, it has become the fastest growing commercial real estate firm in the United States. It is regarded as the largest privately held brokerage platform in the country and has successfully closed more than 20,334 transactions totaling $54 billion in sales volume. Matthews comes to the University of Alabama every year to speak to real estate students in the Culverhouse College of Business, and Glaze is eager for industry professionals from across the state to hear from him, too.
Commercial real estate practitioners can earn up to six hours of continuing education credits by attending the conference, three hours for the morning sessions and three hours for the afternoon sessions.
About ACRE
The Alabama Center for Real Estate is one of four industry centers housed within the University of Alabama’s Culverhouse College of Commerce. The center’s purpose is to advance Alabama’s real estate industry by providing relevant resources in the areas of education, research and outreach. In addition to focusing on educating college students pursuing real estate industry careers, ACRE also provides ongoing education, such as the annual conference and expo, for the greater industry.
“The University of Alabama has one of the nation’s largest real estate programs,” says Glaze, who serves as adjunct professor of real estate management as well as ACRE executive director. “We have 800 students from 42 states in the program, and our center serves the industry as a whole, developing the next generation of talent and educating the industry.”
In its efforts to accelerate and promote Alabama’s real estate industry, ACRE focuses on building relationships, Glaze says, adding that the organization’s 25th annual conference promises to be a memorable event where industry relationships can blossom and flourish, while industry professionals and aspirants access the resources and education to equip them for the days and years to come.
Nancy Mann Jackson is a Madison-based freelance contributor to Business Alabama.
This article appears in the February 2025 issue of Business Alabama.
