Kidder Mathews has promoted Eric Paulsen to president of brokerage, where he will lead more than 500 brokers across the firm’s 19 locations in Washington, Oregon, California, Idaho, Nevada, and Arizona.

Paulsen, a 35-year industry veteran, has been a driving force behind Kidder Mathews’ growth and expansion as the largest fully independent commercial real estate firm in the Western U.S. Since joining the company in 2021 as regional president of brokerage in Southern California and Arizona, he has recruited nearly 50 brokers, resulting in $7.3 billion in volume and more than 4,600 successful transactions.

“This promotion marks an important step in our ongoing succession planning,” said Kidder Mathews Chairman and CEO Bill Frame, SIOR, CCIM. “Eric is an exceptional leader. His experience, positive personality, and drive to win make him the perfect fit to lead our growth and amplify our outstanding company culture.”

“Three years ago, I joined Kidder Mathews because of its forward-thinking leadership, collaborative culture, and exceptional business platform,” said Paulsen. “Now, I’m excited about the incredible opportunity to build on our momentum, working with teams across all services to drive even greater growth.”

Before Kidder Mathews, Paulsen served as CEO of Topside Real Estate in Newport Beach and managing principal at Cushman & Wakefield’s Orange County and Inland Empire offices. He held leadership positions at Ten-X Commercial and LNR Property Corporation, where he played a significant role in acquiring major development deals and the underwriting and acquisition of several billion dollars of CMBS positions. Throughout his career, he has closed nearly $10 billion in assets across the country in every product type. Before moving into leadership, Paulsen was a successful investment broker at CBRE for over a decade.

Paulsen is a well-known and active member of the business community, regularly sharing his expertise on commercial real estate panels and currently serving as president of the 1,300-member Southern California Chapter of NAIOP — the leading organization for developers, owners, and investors of office, industrial, retail, and mixed-use real estate. In recognition of his influential role in the industry, the LA Times named him a 2024 Commercial Real Estate Visionary.