6 Reasons Bob Knakal Stands Alone in CRE
- Unmatched Consistency – Over 2,351 buildings sold in 41 years, averaging more than one closing per week.
- Built From the Ground Up – Co-founded Massey Knakal, a single-market firm that outperformed global competitors for over a decade.
- Legacy of Leadership – Trained a generation of brokers; 31 NYC firms are led by Massey Knakal alumni.
- Innovation and Differentiation – Pioneered the Territory System, published oversized capability books, and created viral marketing tools.
- Record-Breaking Production – Top global producer at Cushman & Wakefield for four consecutive years.
- Humility and Mentorship – Despite global influence, remains approachable and dedicated to helping the next generation succeed.
Greatness Is Always Debated
The conversations and arguments about who is the best make for lively discussion around dinner tables and at local bars. Was it Michael Jordan or LeBron? What about Bill Russell? Who was the best quarterback of all of them? Brady? Montana? Elway? Was the best baseball player the Hit King Pete Rose? Barry Bonds? Babe Ruth? What about the Say Hey Kid, Willie Mays? Wasn’t he the best “all around”? But Yogi won the most championships. Are we talking all-around or by position? Does era come into play? Hockey was a very different fast-paced, high-scoring game when Gretzky played – what does that say about his seemingly impossible to pass all-time point record?
Why I’m Making the Case for Knakal
When it comes to commercial real estate investment sales brokerage, I would like to lay out my case for Bob Knakal. Many already consider him to be the GOAT. But some argue that others have done more dollar volume than him. His $22 billion is formidable but not nearly the highest total ever. So why do I vote for Knakal? Here’s why:
The Numbers That No One Can Match
Over a 41-year career, he has brokered the sale of 2,351 buildings. That’s 1.1 buildings per week over 41 years! That is astonishing. It is also generally accepted to be the highest total for any individual broker in history. And I believe that. Think about this – up until the 1980s, specialization was not a common practice in commercial brokerage. Many of the top brokers of the 1950s through 1970s did a bit of everything. Sales, office leasing, store leasing, property management, etc.
Brokerage Specialization Changed the Game
Just like in pre-1970s baseball, they didn’t keep track of closers’ stats as most pitchers hurled complete games back in those days. Relief pitching closing statistics started about fifty years ago, but baseball has been around much longer than that. In the same way, broker specialization has really been in vogue since around the time Knakal started.
The Advantage of Big Firms vs. Going It Alone
The three or four brokers who have attained higher dollar volumes than Knakal have all worked at the largest global companies their entire careers. It’s much easier to win business that way and get referrals from networks that span tens of thousands of teammates. Knakal has closed the overwhelming majority of his sales while at his firm Massey Knakal Realty Services, a local one-market shop that was competing with much larger regional, national, and global brokerage companies. 26 of his 41 years were spent at what he calls, “Our little popcorn stand of a firm.”
The Legacy of Servant Leadership
Next, let’s look at the impact he has had on those around him. It’s hard to find anyone in the industry that has gone on to do great things in the brokerage world that worked with those brokers having the top dollar volume of sales. Knakal, along with partner Paul Massey, ran Massey Knakal with a true Servant Leadership management style. Training others intensively, building their self-esteem, and constantly motivating them to do better than their best. Today, in the NYC investment sales market, there are 31 companies, or divisions of companies, that are owned by or run by folks who learned the business at Massey Knakal. That, in and of itself, is an unmatchable legacy.
Not Just a Team — He Built a Company
Building a brokerage business is no easy feat either. The top dollar volume brokers never built a company on their own. Maybe they built teams, but that is very different from building a company and running it. Massey Knakal started in 1988, and from 2001 to 2014, according to the CoStar Group, the number two company in NYC sold about 1,300 properties. Massey Knakal sold over 4,000, lapping the field by more than 3 times for 14 years in a row. Where have you ever seen that level of dominance in any market, in any discipline, anywhere in commercial real estate? The company was sold to Cushman & Wakefield in 2014 for $100 million.
Breaking Records at Cushman & Wakefield
While at C&W, Knakal was the top-producing or originating capital markets producer globally for four years in a row, including 2014, 2015, 2016, and 2017. Another feat that I have not found anywhere. Normally, top producers change year by year.
The Visionary Marketer and Innovator
Lastly, let’s look at the creativity and innovation that Knakal has brought into the industry. In the 1980s, he and Massey developed “the Territory System” where they placed a senior broker in each neighborhood to create granular market knowledge which enabled the firm to differentiate itself, and that differentiation led to a competitive advantage. This approach was a system that hadn’t been tried in commercial real estate before that.
Marketing Genius and Personal Brand Builder
He was the first CRE broker I am aware of who created a series of nine hardbound, oversized capabilities books and sent them out to thousands of clients and potential clients. He created a business baseball card that has gone viral. Over the years, he has autographed over 25,000 of these. Do you know another broker who signs autographs? He has imagined and created The Knakal Map Room, a first-of-its-kind research center that draws people from every corner of the globe. He has embraced technology and social media and, at 63 years old, has been the number one commercial real estate influencer on LinkedIn for two years running.
Humility and Generosity Set Him Apart
And, most importantly, through all of his success, Knakal remains humble, approachable, accommodating, and helpful to young people in the business. He constantly gives advice to wide-eyed listeners and is eager to see others succeed. When interviewing him for this article, he summed his approach up succinctly: “At the end of the day, all I want to do is help clients meet their objectives and achieve the very best results possible. If my clients are happy, I’m happy. That’s what matters.”
Why I’m Casting My Vote
You might rank dollar volume of sales above all else, but for my money, when it comes to commercial real estate investment sales brokerage, Bob Knakal is truly the Greatest of All Time.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Q1: Has Bob Knakal sold more total volume than other brokers?
No, but total volume isn’t the full story. While others did more in dollars, Bob has closed more buildings — a better measure of consistent deal-making over decades.
Q2: Why is his building total so important?
Because each building represents a relationship, a transaction, and a negotiation. Doing that over 2,300 times shows unmatched consistency and reliability.
Q3: What made Massey Knakal different?
They implemented a “Territory System” that focused brokers on specific neighborhoods, leading to deep market knowledge and a clear competitive edge.
Q4: What happened after Massey Knakal was sold?
The company sold to Cushman & Wakefield for $100 million, where Knakal became the top global producer four years in a row.
Q5: What’s his influence today?
He’s still an active force in CRE, especially through LinkedIn, where he’s been the #1 influencer in commercial real estate for two years straight.
Q6: What’s his legacy beyond deals?
Knakal helped shape a generation of brokers — with 31 NYC firms led by former Massey Knakal team members — and continues to mentor others in the industry.
