Boulder real estate brokerage underscores customer service

Acquire handles commercial, residential, vacation rentals
08/04/2006

Source: Boulder County Business Report
Author: Stephanie Phillips

BOULDER - For Paige Coker Heiman, business is all about customer service. So much so that she built her own company on that premise.
"I think customer service is a dying art," Heiman said. "It is hard to receive the customer service you received 20, 30 or 40 years ago."

As founder and managing broker of Acquire, a real estate brokerage company based in Boulder, Heiman strives to provide a class of service beyond all others. Heiman doesn't target a specific section of the market, but instead targets a specific type of client. When taking on new clients, her chief concerns are understanding their needs, finding the right space and meeting all of their expectations.

"My philosophy centers around customer service, follow-through and taking care of my clients extremely well," Heiman said.
She said her typical clients are people who are extremely busy doing their own business and who are looking to a real estate adviser to help them through the process because they don't have time to focus on it.

Lisa Calkins, president of Amadeus Consulting, is one of those clients. She said she has continued to use Heiman as a broker because she knows her business and understands what she needs in a property.

"There is a lot more to commercial space than the physical space itself," said Lisa Calkins, president of Amadeus Consulting. "For example, who the landlord is and how he or she is to work with. This is often overlooked by other Realtors. Paige makes sure I'll be able to live in it over the next five years."

Acquire began as a commercial real estate brokerage, and deals in retail, industrial and office space as well as land. This year, the company is expanding into the residential market with a new division, Acquire Home.

The company also has a third division, Acquire Vacations, which specializes in short-term vacation rentals, primarily in the Bachelor Gulch area. This business venture was born out of Heiman's own need. After she received very poor service from a company she hired, she decided she could provide this service and do it better. Her husband, Paul Heiman, runs this division of the business.

Paige and Paul Heiman founded Acquire in December 2004 with their own finances. She declined to disclose the company's revenue, but she said the company is profitable. According to Heiman, the company has handled approximately $18.5 million in real estate transactions.

Acquire has seven employees, including Heiman. Each of her brokers specializes in either commercial or residential real estate. Although she wants to see the company grow, she also wants to be sure she can service existing and new clients with the same level of service she founded the company on. Right now, Heiman is able to be involved with each of her clients.

"I like that she is small and independent, and you don't get lost in a big firm," said Ron Werner, co-founder and co-owner of HW Home. Heiman has helped him find both retail and warehouse space since the store opened in Boulder.

Prior to founding Acquire, Heiman was a broker and principal with The Colorado Group. When she left, she brought all of her clients with her, giving her a stable client base to start with, she said.

"You end up building a relationship with a commercial broker," said Tim Miller, chief executive officer of Rally Software Development Corp., who has worked with Heiman for several years. "You want to know who you are working with and what you can expect."

Because the company is new, Heiman has been fiscally conservative and has not yet been able to allocate resources to advertising. All of her new business has come from referrals, however she believes advertising is on the horizon.
Heiman works primarily with properties in Boulder and Broomfield counties, although she has dealt with a small number in Weld County and Denver. Opportunities outside of Boulder are increasing, Heiman said. While she intends to explore those possibilities, her focus will remain on Boulder County, where she feels her knowledge best serves her clients.