PHOENIX, ARIZ. (March 9, 2020) – NAI Horizon has hired an industry expert who will help its office aggressively target the church and religious facilities market in order to deliver a more strategic and purpose-driven set of professional real estate services.
Thomas Smith joins NAI Horizon as a Senior Vice President during a period of dynamic growth for the Arizona firm and sees his primary mission in serving church leadership teams as enabling each church to “link real estate with ministry.”
As a former leading broker and later Executive Vice President with CB Commercial (CBRE) where he developed CB University and also led Corporate Communications/Marketing, Smith has used that experience (along with a successful track as a partner in the worldwide real estate practice at Arthur Anderson) to develop a strategic consulting based sales and marketing platform to now serve churches and their religious facilities.
“We are pleased to have Thomas join our team and lead this new market segment,” said NAI Horizon CEO and Designated Broker Terry Martin-Denning. “Thomas’ strategic approach to client service aligns perfectly with the NAI brand and our objectives.”
Smith’s experience as a developer of office and industrial properties enables him to consult and advise each church client in their options to build, buy or re-construct existing facilities that might best serve each church in a cost-efficient and holistic manner that helps to sustain or promote growth and stability within each congregation and on each balance sheet.
Smith joined the Church Realty Solutions practice in San Diego as a Partner in 2014 and has authored and designed its unique integrated sales and marketing platform and elements. (CRS also serves churches in Southern California through NAI San Diego).
The objective outcome is that the CRS platform and process consistently deliver desired results when buying, selling, or leasing a church property and most often is known to exceed client expectations.
“I’m excited about joining NAI Horizon and employing the many resources it has created to effectively deliver world-class results to my future clients in the Arizona church community,” Smith said. “CRS is driven by passion, purpose and tenacity; but essentially serves as part ministry and part business for me. It also presents the opportunity to serve each church in a manner that will ultimately help sustain their stability in achieving the goals of their ministries.”
Smith has served on a variety of nonprofit boards such as Arizona Special Olympics and Home Aid San Diego along with Senior Community Centers of San Diego and has been involved with Pop Warner football as a head and assistant coach for more than 30 years starting originally in Scottsdale then most recently with the San Diego Torrey Pines teams.
In addition to having authored “Winning in Commercial Real Estate Sales: An Action Plan for Success,” Smith has given more than 25 keynote presentations to real estate and other types of firms at their national sales meetings
A native of Michigan, Smith received a BS in business from Arizona State University.