[1] The CCIM designation was originally established by the California Association of Realtors in 1954 under the name Certified Property Exchanger (CPE).].

[5] A CCIM is a resource to the commercial real estate owner, investor, and user, and is among a corps of over 9,500 professionals around the globe who hold the CCIM designation.

CCIM designees live and work in the U.S., Canada, Mexico, and more than 35 other nations.

In 2007, CCIM Institute launched the Robert L. Ward Center for Real Estate Studies, which offers concentrated courses on specific topics.

CCIMs have access to a suite of online technology tools through the Site To Do Business, and they can post properties for sale or lease through the online CCIMNet commercial real estate exchange.