Wallingford, CT After 50 years in the industry, Bruce Cagenello, CCIM, announced his retirement. A long-time member of the Connecticut Chapter of CCIM, Cagenello was a fixture of meetings and events. Having joined the business in 1971, his career began with Westledge Associates, which he bought from Westledge School with his partner Bill Reilly.
In the following years, Cagenello opened six offices in the greater Hartford area, sold Westledge Associates, started the firm CARECO, and moved to Prudential Real Estate (now Berkshire Hathaway). In addition to his business, Cagenello was chairman of the Connecticut Real Estate Commission for 15 years and treasurer of the Connecticut Association of Realtors for eight years. He was also an elected Justice of the Peace for 20 years and married many couples.
While it would be impossible to list all of Cagenello’s many brokered transactions, he is particularly proud of selling 172 West Main St. in Avon, where Berkshire Hathaway’s offices now reside. In addition, he sold the Big Y grocery store in North Simsbury, which just opened this year. Having brokered the Key Bank on Rte. 44 in Avon, he is looking forward to the transaction’s last commission check, which he’ll receive when he is 102 years old. According to Cagenello, “the best part is doing business with people you like and respect. It’s like frosting on the cake.”
Cagenello lives in Masonicare at Ashlar Village, in Wallingford, where he serves on the scholarship committee. Both a Mason and a Shriner, Cagenello is looking forward to getting more involved in the organizations with his newfound time. Additionally, he and his wife, Dody are excited to spend more time with their five great grandchildren.
CCIM Institute created the language of global real estate investment. Our courses and worldwide community deploy commercial real estate investment methodologies and tools that speed the pathway between opportunity, a go/no-go decision, and success for an asset, taught by instructors who are themselves industry leaders. Today, the organization, through its 50-plus chapters, continues to innovate best practices and elevate the commercial real estate professional through its core designation program to earn the CCIM pin — real estate’s most coveted credential — and its topical education courses offered through the Ward Center for Real Estate Studies. In addition, membership in CCIM includes the industry’s best technology and operational platform, allowing entrepreneurial and mid-sized businesses to compete with the largest multinational providers. Today, almost 70 percent of designees hold the title of owner, partner, principal, or president, representing an exclusive worldwide referral network of 13,000 members in 30 countries. Ultimately, CCIM represents a larger vision of the commercial real estate provider, leveraging investment analysis, opinions of value, and underwriting to become a leader in sourcing capital, building a cash-flow vehicle, and ultimately creating value. Information at www.ccim.com.