"BRIGHT SPOT": Universal President Featured on WREG/News Channel 3

To view the full interview/profile click the link below:

http://wreg.com/2014/02/13/memphis-native-darrell-cobbins-helps-move-memphis-forward/

Universal Sponsors Holiday Season Performance at Hattiloo Theatre

Universal sponsored Hattiloo Theatre's performance of "If Scrooge was a Brother", an urban spin on Charles Dickens' holiday classic "A Christmas Carol". The performances ran during the entire month of December. Written by Hattiloo's Founder/Artistic Director, Ekundayo Bandele, this annual show has fast become a Memphis Holiday Tradition. Universal was proud to lend its support during this season of giving.

Universal Hosts 7th "Regional Power Breakfast"-December 2011

Universal Commercial hosted its 7th consecutive monthly "Regional Power Breakfast", honoring Memphis entrepreneurs V. Lynn Evans, Frank Banks, Melvin Jones, Juan Self, & Jimmie Tucker. These individuals serve as exemplary models of business leadership, service, and corporate citizenship. They were awarded the inaugural Dr. J.E. Walker/A. Maceo Walker "Entrepreneurial Medal of Honor", in dedication to this business pioneering family that founded both Universal Life Insurance Company and Tri-State Bank of Memphis. Both entities serve and continue to serve generations of Memphians for numerous decades, providing jobs and services that for so long were not afforded or available.

Started in June 2011, the Regional Power Breakfast has become a monthly staple for business owners, government decision makers, and economic development professionals, boasting insightful information and broad relationship-building opportunities for attendees.

2012 promises to be even more exciting.

Photos from the event can be found here: http://isaacsingleton.smugmug.com/Events/MBE-Power-Breakfast-December/20669172_2sSrhX#1639090908_SssxVD3

Universal Leader Recognized as "Agent of Change"

MULYP Announces 2011 Agents of Change Award Honorees

Memphis,TN - The Memphis Urban League Young Professionals 2011 Agents of Change were awarded Sat., Dec. 3, during a sold out banquet at Opera Memphis. The awards ceremony celebrated the accomplishments of 11 professional and civic leaders for their commitment to their respective professions and the City of Memphis.

The 2011 Agents of Change Awards Honorees

Agent of Change Award Darrell Cobbins, Owner, Universal Commercial Real Estate, LLC

The MULYP Legends Award Jeffrey Higgs, President/CEO, LeMoyne-Owen College Community Development Corporation

MULYP Member of the Year [YP to Watch] Cynthia Daniels, HR Recruiter

Innovator of the Year Demarcus Love, CEO, ChooMoGo

Community/Civic Activist [The Committed Doer Award] Derwin Sisnett, CEO, Gestalt Community Schools

Health Advocate of the Year [A Healthier You Award] Dr. Anthony Price, Owner, Creative Smiles Dental

Arts Enthusiast of the Year [Change Artist Award] Marcellus Harper, Managing Director, Collage Dance Collective

Educator of the Year [Schooling Our Future Award] Harry Cash, Manager of Youth Services and Community Affairs, City of Memphis

Non-Profit/Faith Based Organization of the Year [Helping Hand Award] Give 365

Greek Organization of the Year Award [Talented Tenth Award] Delta Sigma Theta, Memphis Alumnae Chapter

People’s Choice Award Audria Arnold, Publisher, Love Nu Art Magazine

Darrell Cobbins ends Two-Year Term as MLGW Board Chairman

Darrell Cobbins, President of Universal Commercial Real Estate, ended his two-year term as Chairman of the Memphis Light Gas & Water's Board of Commissioners and Pension Board. His tenure officially ends on December 31, 2011. He chaired his final meeting on December 15th, 2011, receiving appreciation and congratulations from MLGW Board/Staff including President, Jerry Collins and Board Members V. Lynn Evans, Rick Masson, Dedrick Brittenum (Incoming Chairman), and Steve Wishnia (Incoming Vice Chairman).

Assuming the helm of the Board of Commissioners and Pension Board at age 37, Cobbins was noted as the youngest Chairman in the history of MLGW, the nation's largest three-power, municipally-owned utility company.

Universal Fulfills Long-Standing Real Estate Legacy

FROM THE MEMPHIS DAILY NEWS
(Photo: Lance Murphey)

Memphis Small Business Spotlight

Universal Commercial Built On Deep Family Legacy
By JEFF IRELAND
Updated 4:11PM

For some people, the prospect of working with one’s brother, wife and mother on a daily basis would be a less than enticing proposition.

Darrell Cobbins, right, is president and Donnell Cobbins is vice president of Universal Commercial Real Estate.

But as far as Darrell Cobbins, the owner, president and CEO of Memphis-based Universal Commercial LLC, is concerned, there’s no other way he’d rather do business.

“I’m real big on trust,” said Cobbins, who founded the real estate business that focuses on tenant representation and brokerage services four years ago. “Nobody will have your back, or your best interests at heart, like your family. For three generations we’ve been a real estate family. It’s not a hard hurdle to get over. It’s actually very rewarding to continue a legacy that was started more than 50 years ago.”

In the 1950s, Cobbins’ grandfather, Samuel Cobbins, developed one of Memphis’ first black middle-income neighborhoods, Lake View Gardens, located in Southwest Memphis off Horn Lake Road.

The 400-house subdivision housed African-American professionals who were pursuing, as Darrell Cobbins puts it, “the American dream.”

Samuel Cobbins also mentored several real estate professionals who went on to enjoy long and successful careers.

Darrell Cobbins is doing his best to continue to build on his grandfather’s real estate success, albeit in different ways.

When Cobbins first started the company, Universal Commercial had basically one client.

Today the company has clients in the private sector like FedEx and in the government sector like the city of Memphis.

Universal Commercial is licensed in Arkansas and will soon be in Mississippi. The plan over the next three years is to have offices in Little Rock and Jackson, Miss.

“We see ourselves evolving as a regional services firm where we can service clients in those markets,” Cobbins said. “We plan on growing and building a client base in those areas. … We also plan on adding more brokers to our team to help grow the company and grow the footprint. Building and growing the team and expanding our service area geographically is what’s at the forefront of my mind over the next three to five years.”

Cobbins said Universal Commercial is different than larger companies like Colliers International and CB Richard Ellis.

“We’re not into property management,” Cobbins said. “We’re not leasing to fill up buildings. We’re on the other side of the table. We focus on market knowledge, market expertise, negotiation and representation for businesses going into properties.”

While Cobbins’ grandfather was instrumental in his success, his current family is a big part of the operation now.

His mother, Shirley Cobbins, is a licensed agent with the firm who worked with Samuel Cobbins. Cobbins’ wife, Mickey, joined the company in 2007 and handles the company’s operations. A younger cousin, who was a student at Lemoyne-Owen College, has interned at the company.

And his older brother, Donnell Cobbins, is also a licensed agent and part of the team.

Like his brother, Donnell Cobbins said he sees working with family members as a positive.

“It’s actually rewarding,” he said. “We’re uniquely connected. We know each other very well. … There’s a saying that if two people always think alike, one of those folks is not needed. Darrell and I bounce a lot of ideas off one another. We work collaboratively to service the needs of our clients. I think we do a pretty good job of working together.”

Darrell Cobbins graduated from Memphis University School in 1991. He earned his bachelor’s degree in anthropology and sociology from Rhodes College and a master’s degree from the University of Memphis in business administration.

His first job in real estate came in 2001 as a broker with Commercial Advisors LLC and he also worked for Guardsmark and the Greater Memphis Chamber.

When he was a student he wrote a paper about his grandfather.

“He’s legendary in the Memphis real estate community,” Cobbins said. “He helped a lot of people who otherwise wouldn’t have become homeowners. He laid a long legacy for us to pick up and try and carry forward.”

Bankers Panel Marks Third Installment in Power Breakfast Series (August 2011)

Executives urge small and startup businesses to build close banking relationships
By James Dowd
Memphis Commercial Appeal
Posted August 6, 2011 at midnight


Photo by Brandon Dill // Buy this photo

Panelist Joy Bowen talks with Roby Williams before the start of Friday's Minority Business Enterprise Power Breakfast. Likening it to a medical checkup, Bowen urged new business owners to meet regularly with their bankers to head off problems.

While accessing capital is a challenge for many small-business owners, securing adequate financing can prove even more difficult for minority and female entrepreneurs who lack established contacts within financial networks.

That's why developing close relationships with local lenders should be a top priority for entrepreneurs, a panel of financial industry leaders advised during "The Million Dollar Question" forum held at the University Club on Friday.

Sponsored by Universal Commercial real estate company, the event featured panelists Joy Bowen, vice president of diversity banking at First Tennessee Bank; Dorothy Cleaves, vice president of private banking at Paragon National Bank;

Joshua Shipley, vice president of commercial banking at Independent Bank; and Shawn Thomas, vice president of lending at Tri-State Bank of Memphis.

"The first thing I tell anyone thinking of starting a business is to develop a relationship right away with a lender and not wait until a crisis occurs to ask for an extended credit line," Cleaves said. "Open an account, get to know your lender personally and be completely transparent about your finances. In this economy, you've got to be proactive if you want to survive."

Bowen agreed, comparing regular visits to bankers to routine trips to see dentists or doctors.

"You go for a physical or a dental checkup to make sure there aren't any problems or to detect them early on and take care of them," Bowen said. "Use that same mentality with your lender and schedule regular meetings to go over your business operations. You'll be in a much better position to apply for extra capital if you're engaged in the process from the front end."

A midyear report released by the National Small Business Association indicated that more than one-third of small-business owners are facing difficulty obtaining adequate financing for their companies. The issue is exacerbated because many small-business owners don't have adequate assets to apply for traditional loans.

Recognizing that some entrepreneurs may not qualify for institutional financing, Thomas said that alternate sources of lending should also be explored.

"You may want to consider using your personal savings or taking on investors or even working with venture capitalists if you're willing to give up some level of control," Thomas said. "The bottom line is, if your business idea is important enough to pursue, then you need to be diligent about maintaining the finances to keep it going."

Recent economic conditions have led many small-business owners to resist taking on added debt, Shipley said, due to fears of paying loans back. However, he stressed that banks are committed to helping small companies through a variety of avenues.

"We've got credit counseling services and resources available to help small-business owners grow their operations," Shipley said. "We want them to succeed, because that helps us from a business perspective and it benefits the community by creating jobs and wealth."

And that's imperative for the future of the city, said Tomeka Hart, president and CEO of the Memphis Urban League and a commissioner on the Memphis City Schools board.

"There's a disparity of wealth in our community, but supporting minority and female-owned small businesses can create a lasting positive impact in Memphis," Hart said. "It's a huge economic issue, but when one succeeds, we all succeed because our community prospers."

-- James Dowd: (901) 529-2737

Universal Profiled in Memphis Daily News

Universal Commercial President, Darrell Cobbins, was quoted in an article recently in the Memphis Daily News discussing how smaller/emerging commercial real estate firms are navigating during these tough economic times.

Small Firms Find Footing In Competitive CRE Market
JEFF IRELAND
Darrell Cobbins got started in commercial real estate in June 2001, three months before the 9/11 terrorist attacks wreaked havoc on the economy.

And Cobbins started his own company, Universal Commercial Real Estate LLC, four years ago, coincidentally right before another downturn in the economy.

As the owner of a small real estate firm, he learned how to battle larger, nationally known competitors in a depressed market.

“What it taught me then is that you sort of have to bear down and find some of your traditional bread-and-butter-type deals, but also what I call alternative or non-traditional real estate deals,” he said.

Cobbins, whose company recently helped a nonprofit organization with a land deal, said he is always on the lookout for deals that larger firms may ignore.

“For the company, you have to think about getting some of the corporate and midsize deals, but some of them you’re no going to get,” said Cobbins, whose firm recently completed a deal with FedEx. “I think you have to approach it a little bit differently. There’s overhead and expense for large companies that smaller ones don’t have. I think in times like these it’s a good thing that we have the ability to be flexible and creative, which may be harder for a larger company.”

Cobbins is hardly the city’s only sole CRE practitioner dealing with the challenges of competing against the big boys.

Sam Zalowitz is the president and owner of Zalowitz Commercial Realty in Memphis.

Like most everybody else in the real estate game, his company has taken some financial hits the last few years.

With an increased unemployment rate, office space value has dropped. Retail centers are leasing less space and looking for rent reductions.

Smaller companies like Zalowitz Commercial are affected more dramatically financially than larger national firms when there’s less money coming in.

“I noticed a change late last year,” Zalowitz said. “There are a number of shopping centers, once they revert to an institutional owner, the institutional owners are going with larger firms instead of individual brokers because of contracts on a national or regional basis, which automatically terminates some listings on shopping centers that we’ve had.”

Zalowitz said he gets by thanks to referrals coming from clients he has worked with for years, but it isn’t easy.

He works with larger firms on some deals, but still believes there’s value in tenants and landlords utilizing what small firms bring to the table.

“The national company agents aren’t as knowledgeable,” Zalowitz said. “When it comes to leases on behalf of the landlord, they’re more anxious to just make the deal than to make it right for both the tenant and the landlord long term. They’re into numbers. They’re not into people.”

Rent reductions, Zalowitz said, can be particularly damaging to a small firm.

“It impacts you financially as much as it does the landlords because, while the national firms want to get a cash out commission, individual brokers, and I may be a dying breed, take a lot of their commission over time.”

Collierville-based Hart Properties Group LLC is another example of a small firm trying to compete against larger firms in a depressed market.

Sherri Beutelschies, president of Hart Properties, said the majority of her clients are small-business people.

“And small-business people are still being affected by the down economy,” Beutelschies said. “They’re not seeing the growth that large corporate America is starting to see and talk about.”

While things are nowhere near what they used to be, she has seen some signs of improvement. The last six months or so, she said, she has received more inquiries from potential clients.

Hart Properties manages approximately 1 million square feet of property and has been in business since 1998.

“I’m optimistic that it’s going to get better,” Beutelschies said. “But I think when it gets better it’s going to look different than it did before. We’ll have to get used to what the new good is, if you know what I mean.”

She said her company has been forced to change its business plan and marketing strategies to deal with what clients’ new expectations are.

“Those who are adjusting are surviving,” she said. “Those who aren’t are going away.”

Cobbins said he believes that although times are tough for the little guys, there are deals to be made.

“It may not be the household-name transaction,” he said, “but there are still people out there who need real estate expertise and assistance.”

Universal Commercial's President Honored as 2011 Commercial Real Estate "Power Player" by Memphis Business Quarterly

Universal Commercial Real Estate President, Darrell Cobbins, was recently honored as a select member of the 2011 Memphis Business Quarterly "Power Players" list for Commercial Real Estate Brokers.
"It is truly an honor to be recognized as I approach my ten year anniversary as a commercial real estate professional", said Cobbins. "It is a testament to those who gave me an opportunity to enter this field and the clients who have entrusted me with their business real estate needs".

Bass, Berry & Sims Law Firm Profiles Universal Commercial President in 2011 Momentum Magazine

Nashville-Based Bass, Berry & Sims, PLC recently profiled Darrell Cobbins in its annual publication that is distributed to its clients and associates, celebrating their clients' successes and achievements. Many thanks to Gil Uhlhorn, of the Bass Berry Memphis office, for recommending this profile.

Local leaders look for ways to plug the talent drain from Memphis

(MPACT Memphis member Darrell Cobbins tells Tuesday's town hall meeting that he wants to help local leaders understand what young professionals want, so the city can attract and keep those sought-after workers.)



By James Dowd
Posted August 24, 2010 at 5:06 p.m., updated August 24, 2010 at 9:32 p.m.

Alarmed by the city's ongoing hemorrhage of creative talent, local leaders gathered at the FedEx Institute of Technology Tuesday to discuss the plight and flight of the city's young professionals. The invitation-only town hall meeting attracted about three dozen business executives, community leaders and government officials. The event was sponsored by MPACT Memphis, a nonprofit organization founded in 2001 that targets young professionals.

Topping the agenda: Boosting Memphis mojo among 25-to-34-year-olds.
"Memphis needs more creative, innovative young leaders," said City Council member Edmund Ford Jr. "For the future of our community, we've got to encourage young people to get involved." The Bluff City has to do a better job of producing, attracting and retaining young professionals, participants said -- particularly if leaders hope to avoid the downward spiral of the Motor City to the north.
"Just look at Detroit. It's falling apart, but we're not far behind," said Gwyn Fisher, executive director of MPACT. "We're bleeding our middle class. If we don't create a city that young people want to live in, they'll high-tail it out of here as soon as they get a chance." Many already have.

According to an MPACT study, an average of five young professionals per day move out of the city, taking with them their intellectual capital and earning power. Nearly half the respondents said Memphis is not the city they most prefer to live in at this point in their careers, 77 percent say the city is not environmentally friendly and 85 percent said there aren't enough high-tech jobs here.

"We're moving into a knowledge-based economy that requires a vibrant community of young people to fill work force, but to attract those companies with jobs we need people to fill them," Fisher said. "We need to do a better job of growing and recruiting talent and convincing our young professionals to stay here after graduation."

Germantown Mayor Sharon Goldsworthy agreed.
"We have to work together to improve employee development," Goldsworthy said. "We need to leverage our assets and create an attractive environment for young professionals."

The MPACT survey generated a frank discussion of where the city is now, but also offered hope for the future, Fisher said. For example, among the MPACT findings, 68 percent of respondents described Memphis as a good place to raise a family, and 75 percent said they feel a strong connection to the city. Similarly, three-fourths are proud of the city. That's a good foundation to build on, said David Williams, president and CEO of Leadership Memphis.

"I believe we're at a crossroads and the mission is critical," Williams said. "It's going to take a united effort, but I believe we can move forward and prove that the city's best days are ahead of us."

-- James Dowd: 529-2737

MPACT Memphis
Founded: 2001
Address: 506 S. Main, #101
Phone: 528-8340
Leader: Gwyn Fisher, executive director
Members: 800
Community partners: 30
Events: More than 150 programs held each year
Online: mpactmemphis.org

Get to Know the Chairman of the Board (Memphis Light Gas & Water)

Get to Know the Chairman of the Board

Darrell T. Cobbins, a member of the MLGW Board of Commissioners since March 2008, was recently named the new MLGW Board Chairman for 2010, replacing former Board Chair V. Lynn Evans.

Chairman Cobbins established Universal Commercial Real Estate, LLC in 2007, as Memphis’ first black-owned commercial real estate and community development services firm. He has served as Vice President at Commercial Advisors, LLC, a commercial real estate firm, as Senior Resource Development Officer for Memphis Regional Chamber of Commerce and as Unit Manager at Guardsmark, Inc. Cobbins is a graduate of Rhodes College and holds an MBA from the University of Memphis’ Fogelman College of Business and Economics.

This is part 1 of a 5 part interview my coworker conducted with him. See the rest here: http://www.youtube.com/mlgwwaystosave?aia=true

Universal President/CEO Profiled for Civic Service

From the Commercial Appeal:

The person in line to be the youngest board chair of Memphis Light, Gas & Water Division learned years ago how to relate to his elders.

Darrell Cobbins, founder and owner of Universal Commercial Real Estate, will be the youngest chairman of the board of Memphis Light, Gas and Water Division when he assumes the post in January. After graduating from Rhodes College, Darrell Cobbins began work at Guardsmark, a company that employs security officers.
Still in his early 20s, Cobbins had to learn to politic quickly at his new job managing people twice his age throughout the Mississippi Delta. "It was a good experience that matured me fast," Dobbins, now 37, says.

Cobbins was born in Memphis and has lived here his whole life.
Raised by his divorced mother, he and his older brother grew up in Whitehaven.
After Rhodes, Cobbins later earned his MBA from the University of Memphis.
Cobbins also worked in fundraising for the Greater Memphis Chamber.
"I learned a lot about economic development, what it takes to make a company relocate or stay, or how to bring 'x' number of jobs to the region," he says.

In 2001, Cobbins began working for the Commercial Advisors Real Estate Company, where he represented companies in real estate transactions. Cobbins' family has a long history of leadership in the Memphis real estate community.
His grandfather developed Lakeview Gardens. One of the first neighborhoods designed for middle-class black families, the development won numerous national awards.
His mother likewise pioneered as a black woman working in real estate, having had her license for 37 consecutive years.
Now, Cobbins owns his own company, Universal Commercial Real Estate, which he founded two years ago.

The company is the first and only commercial real estate firm in Memphis owned by an African-American. Its name honors Universal Life Insurance Company.
"For years, that was the premier black business in this region," Cobbins says. "They financed mortgages when people couldn't get loans and were a big, positive force in Memphis. I thought, 'Let me try and make that name mean something again through my company.'"
Community involvement is the cornerstone of Cobbins' work.
"When I was younger, my mother took us touring all around town. Over time, this exposure gave me a big sense of civic duty," he says.
"Professional and civic contributions go hand in hand. I have an inability to say 'no' to certain opportunities; if I see a way I can help out, I help out."

Cobbins was recently named to the transition team formed by new Memphis Mayor A C Wharton. "We'll be taking a look at key functional areas in city government that he wants to articulate his position on. We'll be identifying young talent to bring new ideas into City Hall," Cobbins says. "It's a very exciting time for Memphis."

Cobbins describes himself as a "serial social entrepreneur."
Having graduated from Leadership Memphis, The Leadership Academy and having helped found MPact Memphis, Cobbins is also a member of the Memphis Urban League of Young Professionals, New Path and Nexus.
He serves on the board of The Leadership Academy and the Shelby County Crime Commission.