Kidder Mathews has named an Orange County veteran as its new president.
The Seattle-based broker picked Eric Paulsen to oversee its 500 brokers in 19 offices in Washington, Oregon, California, Idaho, Nevada and Arizona, the Puget Sound Business Journal reported.
Paulsen will lead the firm from its office in Irvine, in Southern California. He succeeds Mark Read, who is shifting to a consulting role.
Thirty-five year real estate veteran Paulsen has been the primary engine behind Kidder Mathews’ growth, company officials said.
Since he signed on to the firm in 2021 as regional president of brokerage in Southern California and Arizona, he has recruited nearly 50 brokers, resulting in $7.3 billion in sales volume and more than 4,600 commercial real estate deals.
“This promotion marks an important step in our ongoing succession planning,” Kidder Mathews Chairman and CEO Bill Frame said in a statement. “His experience, positive personality and drive to win make him the perfect fit to lead our growth and amplify our outstanding company culture.”
Before working at Kidder Mathews, Paulsen served as CEO of Topside Real Estate in Newport Beach and managing principal at Cushman & Wakefield’s Orange County and Inland Empire offices, according to the Business Journal.
He also held leadership positions at Ten-X Commercial as well as LNR Property, where he played a major role in development deals and the underwriting and acquisition of several billion dollars of commercial mortgage-backed security positions.
Over his career, Paulsen has closed nearly $10 billion in commercial property deals across the U.S. Before moving into leadership, Paulsen served as an investment broker at CBRE for more than a decade.
“I’m excited about the incredible opportunity to build on our momentum, working with teams across all services to drive even greater growth,” Paulsen said of his new role at Kidder Mathews.
Kidder Mathews, founded in 1969, claims to be the largest fully independent commercial real estate firm in the West, according to its website, with $10 billion in annual transactions, involving 31.7 square feet of annual sales and 42.4 million square feet of annual leases.
— Dana Bartholomew