Eschliman Commercial Real Estate (ECR, ecrproperty.com) offers site selection resources for office, retail, warehouse, land, and commercial investment prospects, as well as listing services. 30+ year industry veteran and President, Robin Eschliman, also hosts an economic development show on 1400 KLIN AM, “Grow Lincoln”, which covers businesses opening, closing, moving, and expanding, as well as local guest interviews. Husband Ted Eschliman joined the company two years ago after a 40-year career in music retail, co-owning Dietze Music.
We sat down with Ted and had a Q&A to learn more about the company and the people behind it.
What makes ECR unique in the industry?
Our community spirit. We pride ourselves in being involved with roots in local government institutions including Robin’s term on the City Council and currently volunteering on the Lincoln Journal Star Editorial Board, plus the four homeowners’ association boards where we’ve lived. We serve on the YMCA Committee of Management, Realtor Committees, Aging Partners, and volunteer in various church and civic organizations.
How long have you lived in Lincoln?
We are pretty much lifelong Lincolnites!
What is your favorite part about doing business in Lincoln?
What’s great about doing business in Lincoln is how its professional commercial real estate community cooperates, and it is effective connecting business owners and tenants with sellers and landlords through an impressively congenial network. Our core charter is we win when both parties, Buyer/Seller or Tenant/Landlord benefit mutually in a transaction. It contributes to the economic growth of the city.
What is the greatest challenge your business has faced?
Currently, it is the scarcity of inventory. The rising costs have made it tougher to expand, but despite this, business has never been better!
What changes have you seen in the industry lately?
A big change is technology and ease of communication. The era of Google and internet information can become problematic though, when a client thinks they have all the data but still needs the guidance of a professional to act intelligently with good decisions navigating the detail of codes and procedure, as well as negotiating. That’s where we come in, and many are unaware they don’t have to pay us until a deal is done. We can save our clients a lot of hunt and search time.
What is the most rewarding part of the job?
Many boast sales numbers (and yes, we’ve had our million-dollar property transactions), but our greatest reward is when we’ve closed the deal on a sale or lease agreement, both parties come away the better. Then, we’ve really done the job. Tenants/Buyers have a new place to flourish and Landlords/owners are able to reinvest in new ventures. We want to be part of the machinery that grows Lincoln and makes it a better place to live.
