Commercial Real Estate Services

What Commercial Real Estate Services does

Commercial Real Estate Services, Inc. (CRES) is a privately held, woman-owned commercial real estate firm founded in 1990 by Pat Wolf and headquartered in downtown Saint Paul, Minnesota. The company operates a four-service platform spanning landlord representation, property management, tenant representation, and consulting, with a deliberately small team of 11-50 professionals serving the Twin Cities metropolitan area. Its positioning is explicitly local and personalized, competing against larger national CRE firms through boutique service quality rather than scale.

CRES owns and manages a portfolio of approximately 485,700 square feet across five commercial office properties: The Golden Rule Building (300,000 sq ft), The 428 (60,000 sq ft), 81 On Seventh (47,000 sq ft), Ridgeview Office Center (47,700 sq ft), and Oakview Office Building (31,000 sq ft). The firm differentiates on health, wellness, and sustainability, with The 428 being the first regional building to achieve both WELL Gold and LEED Silver Core and Shell certifications and the first national recipient of the USGBC Building Health Leadership Award. Property operations incorporate biophilic design, bipolar ionization air purification, touchless fixtures, and Energy Star / IREM Certified Sustainable Property standards.

The revenue model is a mix of professional services (landlord and tenant representation commissions, consulting) and managed services (property management and asset management fees). Pricing is quote-based and not publicly disclosed. Customer base spans government (Minnesota Department of Commerce), nonprofits, and enterprises across financial services, logistics, sustainability, healthcare, and technology — all anchored to long-term leases within the managed portfolio. The firm relies on a hybrid direct-sales and website-driven marketing motion, with no disclosed digital platform beyond the Workspeed tenant service portal.

Name

Commercial Real Estate Services

Legal name

Commercial Real Estate Services, Inc.

Website

https://cres-inc.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1990

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Commercial Real Estate Services, Inc. is a woman-owned, Saint Paul-based commercial real estate firm providing landlord representation, property management, tenant representation, and consulting services across a ~485,700 sq ft portfolio in the Twin Cities metro, focused on health, wellness, and sustainability-certified buildings.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Commercial Real Estate Services

NAICS

Real Estate Property Managers (53131), Offices of Real Estate Agents and Brokers (5312)

SIC

Real Estate Agents & Managers (For Others) (6531), Operators Of Nonresidential Buildings (6512)

akta.pro primary industry

Commercial Real Estate Asset Management (BPAJAMAB)

Keywords

• Commercial real estate services
• Property management
• Tenant representation
• Landlord representation
• Real estate consulting

Headquarters

HQ city

Saint Paul

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Landlord Representation: Property positioning, marketplace awareness, marketing and lease-up strategies for building owners and landlords
2. Property Management: Full-service property management including strategic planning, accounting, financial reporting, budgeting, maintenance, and tenant relations
3. Tenant Representation: Advisory services helping business partners find office space and negotiate lease or purchase agreements
4. Consulting Services: Tailored consulting services for business partners with specific needs, whether short-term projects or long-range strategies

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Commercial Real Estate Services, Inc. (CRES) is a privately held, woman-owned commercial real estate firm that delivers four core service lines — Landlord Representation, Property Management, Tenant Representation, and Consulting Services — to building owners, landlords, and tenants in the Twin Cities market. The firm also directly owns and operates a managed portfolio of five commercial office properties totaling approximately 485,700 square feet across downtown Saint Paul, Eden Prairie, and Minnetonka, with deep specialization in health, wellness, and sustainability practices (WELL, LEED, Energy Star, IREM CSP).

Product overview

Commercial Real Estate Services, Inc. provides comprehensive commercial real estate services through four core service offerings: Landlord Representation, Property Management, Tenant Representation, and Consulting Services. The company manages a portfolio of five commercial office properties in the Twin Cities area totaling approximately 485,700 square feet: The Golden Rule Building (300,000 sq ft, downtown St. Paul), 81 On Seventh (47,000 sq ft, downtown St. Paul), The 428 (60,000 sq ft, downtown St. Paul), Oakview Office Building (31,000 sq ft, Eden Prairie), and Ridgeview Office Center (47,700 sq ft, Minnetonka). The company specializes in health, wellness and sustainability practices, integrating these principles across all managed properties and services.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Landlord Representation Property positioning, marketplace awareness, marketing and lease-up strategies, and tenant mix management for building owners and landlords to maximize asset value and NOI.
• Property Management
• Tenant Representation
• Consulting Services
• The Golden Rule Building

Quantifiable outcome

• First building in the region to achieve both WELL Gold and LEED Silver Certification for Core and Shell
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers10 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration1 record

Feature6 records

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights3 records

Direct peers

• Frauenshuh Commercial Real Estate: Minneapolis-based commercial real estate services firm offering property management, leasing, and tenant/landlord representation across the Twin Cities. Highly comparable to CRES in geography, service mix, and boutique scale; notably CRES SVP Sherry Hastings previously led Frauenshuh's leasing division for 18+ years.
• NAI Global: Global network of independently owned commercial real estate brokerage and property management firms, with strong Midwest presence through local member offices. Highly comparable to CRES as a relationship-driven, multi-service CRE firm targeting similar owner and tenant clients.
• The Ackerberg Group: Minneapolis-based commercial real estate investment and management firm focused on office, retail, and mixed-use properties in the Twin Cities. Comparable to CRES in local market focus, property management capabilities, and boutique scale with strong sustainability orientation.

Broad incumbents

• CBRE Group: World's largest commercial real estate services firm offering property management, agency leasing, tenant representation, and investment sales globally. Operates a Minneapolis office competing directly with CRES for Twin Cities landlord and tenant mandates, but at vastly greater scale and breadth.
• JLL (Jones Lang LaSalle): Global commercial real estate services and investment management firm providing property management, leasing, tenant representation, and consulting. Direct competitor to CRES across all four of CRES's service lines in the Twin Cities and broader markets.
• Colliers International: Global commercial real estate services company offering property management, landlord/tenant representation, and project management. Operates a significant Minneapolis presence providing the same integrated services as CRES to overlapping client segments.
• Cushman & Wakefield: Global commercial real estate services firm with property management, agency leasing, tenant representation, and consulting services. Competes with CRES in the Twin Cities for institutional landlord mandates and large corporate tenant requirements.
• Newmark Group: Commercial real estate advisory firm offering leasing, investment sales, property management, and consulting services globally. Competes with CRES in the upper Midwest for office leasing and management mandates.
• Avison Young: Global commercial real estate services firm offering property management, landlord/tenant representation, and consulting across major North American markets including Minneapolis. Competes with CRES for office leasing and management mandates in the Twin Cities.

Regional players

• Mid-America Real Estate: Midwest-focused commercial real estate firm specializing in retail and office brokerage, property management, and tenant representation. Comparable to CRES in service mix and boutique scale but with stronger retail specialization and broader Midwest geography.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/profile.php

Compliance11 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Commercial Real Estate Services