The former NAIOP has formally reintroduced itself as the Commercial Real Estate Development Association, or CREDA, completing a multi-year effort to align the organization’s identity with the evolution of its membership. President and CEO Marc Selvitelli told Connect CRE that this is the sixth name the association has carried since it was founded in 1967 as the National Association of Industrial Parks, underscoring how the group has periodically updated its brand as the industry has changed.
Selvitelli noted that when he joined the association in 2006, the member base was dominated by office developers, followed by industrial and a small mix of other property types. Today, industrial is the leading asset class among members, followed by mixed-use, multifamily and data centers, with office now in fifth position. He said this shift reflects how many commercial real estate companies no longer focus on a single property type but instead pursue multiple asset classes, sometimes through mergers and acquisitions and sometimes as a deliberate risk management strategy.
A key decision in the rebrand was to emphasize the word “development” rather than “developer” in the new name. Selvitelli explained that the association wanted to capture the full development process, from land acquisition and entitlements to design and legal work, and to recognize the many professions involved. He said roughly 60% of members work for firms that have a stake in development, making the broader term a better fit for the organization’s scope.
Advocacy remains central to CREDA’s mission, as the association continues to engage policymakers on issues that affect commercial real estate. Beyond advocacy, Selvitelli pointed to education as a core pillar, including an advanced certificate in commercial real estate development that walks participants through the full development cycle. That program is aimed not only at professionals at development companies, but also at lawyers, architects, brokers and others who support projects and want to deepen their understanding of the process.
Selvitelli said one driver for the new name was a desire to avoid confusion in time-limited conversations with elected officials and reporters. The former NAIOP name required extra explanation because it referenced industrial and office properties even as the association’s membership and programming expanded well beyond those sectors. He characterized the Commercial Real Estate Development Association label as self-descriptive and better aligned with who the group represents today.
Looking ahead, CREDA plans a sustained effort to improve public perceptions of commercial real estate and development. Selvitelli acknowledged that developers have often been seen as adversarial to community interests and said the association aims to highlight how projects respond to local needs. Internally, CREDA is using the rebrand to broaden its programming across asset classes. Its flagship annual event, long known as CRE.Converge, has been renamed the CREDA Conference and will feature four tracks: industrial, mixed-use and office, multifamily and technology. Selvitelli said the goal is to reinforce CREDA’s role as a primary resource for professionals across the full spectrum of commercial real estate, from industrial outdoor storage to medical office and student housing.
