Commercial First
Commercial First is a boutique commercial real estate brokerage in Hickory, NC, focused on main-and-main retail, office, and industrial properties. It serves investors, business owners, healthcare, and industrial users across six Western North Carolina counties under NC and SC broker licenses.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2000
- HeadquartersHickory, United States
- Headcount1–10
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What Commercial First does
Commercial First is a privately held, boutique commercial real estate brokerage headquartered in Hickory, North Carolina, operating under NC broker license #196483 and SC broker license #71146. The firm deliberately limits its listings to "main on main" retail, office, and industrial properties, serving property investors, business owners seeking expansion, healthcare providers, industrial users, and main-street retail tenants across six counties in Western North Carolina (Catawba, Burke, Caldwell, Alexander, Lincoln, and Iredell), with cross-border reach into South Carolina.
The company operates a traditional brokerage service model with no proprietary technology platform. Its digital presence consists of a property listings website with search and filter functionality, downloadable PDF property flyers, a New Listing Alert email subscription, and social media profiles on Facebook, LinkedIn, and Instagram. Core offerings include brokerage for sale (land, retail, office, industrial, investment) and lease (retail, office, industrial, medical) transactions, supplemented by portfolio management for clients with multiple holdings.
Commercial First generates revenue through transaction-based commissions on commercial sales and leases. Pricing is per square foot for typical leases (~$17–$30/SF NNN with upfit allowances), monthly for smaller office suites (~$500/month all-inclusive up to ~$5,200/month for executive space), and fixed-price for land and building sales. Customer acquisition is sales-led, relationship-driven, and primarily referral-based, with the boutique model and deep local broker expertise positioned as the primary differentiators.
Commercial First firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Commercial First
- Legal name
- Commercial First
- Website
- https://commercialfirst.net
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2000
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1–10 employees
- Short description
- Commercial First is a boutique commercial real estate brokerage in Hickory, NC, focused on main-and-main retail, office, and industrial properties. It serves investors, business owners, healthcare, and industrial users across six Western North Carolina counties under NC and SC broker licenses.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Commercial First industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Commercial Real Estate Brokerage
- akta.pro primary industry
- Retail Brokerage (BPAJABAB)
Keywords
Where Commercial First is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Hickory
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
Commercial First business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales
Revenue model
- Commercial Real Estate Sales Commission: Traditional real estate brokerage commissions earned on commercial property sales transactions. Fees are typically a percentage of the transaction value.
- Commercial Real Estate Lease Commission: Brokerage commissions earned on commercial property lease transactions, typically quoted on a per-square-foot or percentage basis.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Unit Pricing | Annual | Retail/Office Lease - Price per SF NNN |
| Unit Pricing | Monthly | Executive Office Lease - Monthly Rate |
| Unit Pricing | Monthly | Small Office Suite - All Inclusive Monthly |
| Unit Pricing | Annual | Retail Space Lease - Price per SF NNN |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels1 record
Marketing channels6 records
Commercial First product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Commercial First is a boutique commercial real estate brokerage based in Hickory, NC that represents clients in the sale, lease, and acquisition of "main on main" retail, office, and industrial properties across Western North Carolina and South Carolina. The firm focuses on Main Street and local-market commercial real estate for property owners, tenants, and investors.
Product overview
Commercial First is a commercial real estate brokerage firm offering a unified service platform for buying and leasing commercial properties. The core offerings include property listings for sale (land, retail, office, industrial, investment) and for lease, supplemented by portfolio management and a new listing alert subscription service. The company operates primarily in the Catawba Valley region of North Carolina, with properties spanning multiple categories including retail, office, industrial, land, medical, and investment properties.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Commercial Retail Property Brokerage Brokerage services for buying, selling, and leasing "main on main" retail properties in Western North Carolina and South Carolina, targeted at local property owners, investors, and tenants.
- Commercial Office Property Brokerage Brokerage services for buying, selling, and leasing office properties across Western North Carolina, including Catawba, Burke, Caldwell, Alexander, Lincoln, and Iredell counties.
- Commercial Industrial Property Brokerage Brokerage services for the sale, lease, and acquisition of industrial properties in Western North Carolina and South Carolina.
Companies that use Commercial First
Customer profileSegments4 records
Ideal customer profiles1 record
Commercial First technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Commercial First partnerships and signals
Strategic signalScale indicators2 records
Recent moves4 records
Expansion highlights4 records
Commercial First competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- NAI Global: Network of independently owned commercial real estate brokerage firms providing sales, leasing, and property management across retail, office, and industrial asset classes. Operates with a similar boutique/local-affiliate model targeting mid-market commercial clients.
- Sperry Van Ness (SVN International): Franchise network of independent commercial real estate brokerages serving retail, office, industrial, and investment properties in secondary and tertiary markets across North America. Directly comparable as a relationship-driven commercial brokerage model operating outside the largest MSAs.
- Lee & Associates: Privately held commercial real estate brokerage firm with regional offices across North America specializing in retail, office, industrial, and investment sales. Comparable in being relationship-driven, agent-owned, and focused on mid-market commercial transactions outside gateway markets.
Emerging players
- Crexi: Digital commercial real estate marketplace and data platform serving brokers, investors, and tenants across retail, office, industrial, and multifamily properties. Represents the technology-enabled emerging competitor whose self-serve model could disintermediate traditional boutique brokerages.
Broad incumbents
- Cushman & Wakefield: Top-tier global commercial real estate services firm with full-service brokerage across retail, office, and industrial properties. Increasingly penetrating secondary markets with digital tools, representing competitive pressure on independent regional brokerages.
- JLL (Jones Lang LaSalle): Global commercial real estate services company with full brokerage, capital markets, and advisory capabilities across retail, office, and industrial. Represents scaled competition for boutique brokerages, particularly as JLL expands its digital listing and valuation platforms.
- Coldwell Banker Commercial: National commercial real estate franchise brand affiliated with the Coldwell Banker system. Competes for the same retail/office/industrial clients and listings that Commercial First serves, but with significantly broader geographic reach and brand recognition.
- Marcus & Millichap: Large national commercial real estate investment sales firm specializing in retail, office, industrial, and multifamily properties. Operates a relationship-driven brokerage model at scale, competing with independents for mid-market commercial investor clients.
- Colliers International: Global commercial real estate services firm offering brokerage, property management, and advisory across retail, office, and industrial asset classes. Represents the large-scale incumbent that boutique regional brokerages like Commercial First compete against for commercial mandates.
- CBRE Group: Largest global commercial real estate services and investment firm, offering brokerage, valuation, and advisory across all major property types. Serves as the dominant incumbent whose expansion into digital and secondary markets most threatens independent brokerages.
Market position
Strengths4 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat3 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
Commercial First social profiles
Digital presenceCommercial First financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Commercial First leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles1 record
Commercial First funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Commercial First M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Commercial First
What does Commercial First do?
Commercial First is a boutique commercial real estate brokerage based in Hickory, NC that represents clients in the sale, lease, and acquisition of "main on main" retail, office, and industrial properties across Western North Carolina and South Carolina. The firm focuses on Main Street and local-market commercial real estate for property owners, tenants, and investors.
Is Commercial First a public or private company?
Commercial First is a private company. It is classified as unknown and is currently operating.
When was Commercial First founded?
Commercial First was founded in 2000. It employs 1 to 10 people.
Where is Commercial First based?
Commercial First is headquartered in Hickory, United States, in the North America region.
How does Commercial First make money?
Two revenue lines are on record. Commercial Real Estate Sales Commission is the primary driver. The others are commercial Real Estate Lease Commission.
Who are Commercial First's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are NAI Global, Sperry Van Ness (SVN International) and Lee & Associates. Crexi is listed as an emerging player. Broad incumbents are Cushman & Wakefield, JLL (Jones Lang LaSalle), Coldwell Banker Commercial, Marcus & Millichap, Colliers International and CBRE Group.
Does Commercial First have an API?
No public API is recorded for Commercial First.
What industry is Commercial First in?
Commercial First's product category is Commercial Real Estate Brokerage. Its primary akta.pro industry code is BPAJABAB, Retail Brokerage.