“I was absolutely thrilled,” Klemmer recalls in noting the award has feted some of New England’s most accomplished CRE pros, from Andrew W. Hoar, Thomas J. Hynes Jr. and William F. McCall Jr. to James L. Elcock, Brian T. Hines and Lenny C. Owens Jr. “Those are some really big names, and just being considered for that same list is just a real honor,” says Klemmer. Five finalists were selected prior to the event at Boston’s Intercontinental Hotel and the Lehigh University engineering major calculated that was about as far as the salutation would go. “As a small firm, I never figured I would win it,” he says. “I was totally surprised,” he says of hearing his name announced. “It was wonderful.”

Besides the regal company he is now keeping, Klemmer says the award is special because it is peer-powered, i.e., one must be nominated by others in the industry and not from their own organization before passing muster at the CBA screening committee. Klemmer did have a solid 2009 despite the brutal economy—exemplified by the 216,000-sf lease by client PetEdge that won for best industrial deal and negotiating the $8 million sale of 300 Jubilee Dr. in Peabody to Brookwood Financial Partners—but CBA’s Broker of the Year goes beyond the bottom line. Key considerations include ethics, competency and civic contributions. “It’s not just about the numbers,” explains CBA President John Barry. “Winning (Broker of the Year) shows you are respected as a person and a professional by those you work with every day … It’s definitely a big deal.” And while Klemmer might have been taken aback, colleagues insist the selection makes perfect sense. “Absolutely,” says Robert J. Nahigian, 2005’s CBA recipient who also knows Klemmer as holders of the prestigious Society of Industrial and Office Realtors credential. Nahigian is the group’s past New England chapter president, whereas Klemmer is now at the helm.

Nahigian credits Klemmer for courting brokers in the up-and-coming category. “It is really important we grow,” says Nahigian, although the arduous nature for earning SIOR designation makes the pool rather shallow. Most daunting is a mandated three-year track record of billings in excess of $300,000 annually, a level even harder to reach in the down economy. Klemmer has toiled to recruit those bright lights available, says Nahigian, and is committed to increased social events to further promote member camaraderie. A bowling night last month went over big, relays Nahigian, as have monthly breakfast programs featuring CRE leaders.

According to Klemmer, the social soirees and regular meetings are designed to complement the SIOR experience, but as a staunch supporter of the title, the industry veteran now entering his 25th year in the business insists the greatest worth is in its professional application, giving members access to an international fellowship of 3,000 colleagues in 26 countries and 580 cities.  Klemmer says it can be especially useful outside one's own market, noting the $29 million sale of a Puerto Rico warehouse for a local client as one that stands out for his firm.  "I never would have been able to do that deal without SIOR," he explains. "It's an incredible network."

There are legitimate concerns the CRE slump will make membership harder to expand, Klemmer accedes, but he says for now, SIOR New England has a solid crop of newcomers. “I’m very encouraged by the quality of the young people in the business right now,” he says, adding SIOR is trying to address the performance guidelines in the dour economy so long as its strict standards are not compromised.

For his own endeavors, 10-year-old Klemmer Associates has emerged as one of the dominant CRE service firms north of Boston, with a particular emphasis from Interstate 93 east into such markets as Beverly, Danvers, and Salem up through the northernmost tier of Interstate 495. Much of the area has struggled in the past 24 months, but Klemmer says he is “satisfied’ with 2009 and the beginning of 2010, anchored by a burst of leasing at the speculative 138 Conant St. in Beverly. “That has helped a lot,” Klemmer says, estimating 36,000 sf of transactions struck there in the past six months to put the $12 million property built by Connolly Brothers at 92 percent leased.

A visible site off Route 128 and first-class product are reasons the four-story, 65,000-sf building has succeeded in tough times, according to developer Stephen J. Connolly IV, but he also cites Klemmer for beating the bushes and chasing even marginal prospects as key factors in the outcome. “Greg and Tim (Brodigan) have worked quite hard for us,” says Connolly, who tabbed Klemmer Associates upon breaking ground in 2007 just as the economy was tanking. “Greg helped create a stir that this is a different property than anything else out there, and that image and his hard work drove a lot of people to the building,” says Connolly. Among the occupants are Eastern Benefits Group, the Lahey Clinic and Orchard Brands.

A national lecturer and holder of several prime designations including Counselors of Real Estate, Nahigian counts Klemmer among the area’s most astute professionals. “Greg is on a great track,” says Nahigian, citing the engineering degree as one quill most brokers cannot reach for a particularly useful industry skill. “I’ve always found that fascinating about Greg,” says Nahigian, a Lehigh alum himself who also happens to share the same birthday as Klemmer. The president of Newton-based Auburndale Realty Co. has another kinship that made the CBA result gratifying. “It was great to see a suburban broker win it,” he says.