Kidder Mathews promotes Paulsen to COO

Kidder Mathews has announced the promotion of Eric Paulsen to chief operating officer. In this role, he will oversee operations across the firm’s 19 locations in Washington, Oregon, California, Idaho, Nevada, and Arizona.

Before being promoted to COO, Paulsen served as president of brokerage, where he was instrumental in driving Kidder Mathews’ growth as the largest fully independent commercial real estate firm in the Western U.S. He joined the company in 2021 as regional president of brokerage for Southern California and Arizona—recruiting over 50 brokers, resulting in $7.3 billion in transaction volume and more than 4,600 completed deals.

“Eric has consistently demonstrated exceptional leadership and strategic vision during his time with us, and I’m confident he will continue to drive success in this new role,” said Chairman and Chief Executive Office Bill Frame, SIOR, CCIM. “His experience, positive energy, and drive to win make him the perfect fit to lead our growth and promote our outstanding company culture.”

“Our strength lies in our platform, people, and the culture at Kidder Mathews,” said Paulsen. “I’m committed to collaboration that empowers our teams to succeed and provide unmatched service to our clients as we continue to expand, while building on operational efficiencies that allow our agents to look forward.”

A 37-year industry veteran, Paulsen has held various prominent positions in commercial real estate leadership. He served as CEO of Topside Real Estate in Newport Beach and Ten-X Commercial, as well as managing principal at Cushman & Wakefield’s Orange County and Inland Empire offices. During his time as vice president at LNR Property Corporation, Paulsen played a key role in acquiring major development deals and underwriting several billion dollars in CMBS positions. Over the course of his career, he has transacted on nearly $10 billion in assets across the country, spanning all product types. Before transitioning into leadership, he spent over a decade as a successful investment broker at CBRE.

Paulsen is a well-known and active member of the business community, regularly sharing his expertise on commercial real estate panels and recently 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.