Family-related photos and mementos far outnumber professional plaques in the downtown Spokane office of commercial real estate broker, investor, and developer Dave Black.


The dcor is dominated by pictures of Blacks deceased father, James S. Black, a name synonymous with real estate here, and of Daves two sons, A.J., 10, and Andrew, 8. The images and other memorabilia offer testament to the blood underpinnings of a nearly half-century-old enterprise that provides many jobs and accounts for tens of millions of dollars worth of transactions here annually.


The kinds of things I do are very similar to what my dad did. His talents, even though I didnt work around him very long, Ive inherited from him in some way, Black says. I really feel like I was left a great set of tools to use, and Ive tried to use them to the best of my ability.


His entrepreneurial father, he says, took the family business from A to B, and I would hope that I could take it from B to C, and beyond. I feel thats part of my legacy, as well as hopefully to pass on to his sons a similar toolbox.


Black, 47, is CEO and part-owner of both Tomlinson Black Commercial Inc., which touts itself as the Inland Northwests largest commercial real estate brokerage, and affiliate Tomlinson Black Management Inc., which manages and leases a wide range of properties. Together those companies employ about 70 people and handle real estate dealings worth $75 million to $175 million each year.


He also has ownership interests in Tomlinson Black Northwest LLC and Tomlinson Black Affiliate Services Inc., which respectively operate and provide support services to more than a dozen Tomlinson Black residential real estate offices here that collectively have about 500 agents.


Additionally, he manages and is working to expand the holdings of some 40 partnerships that own upwards of $150 million worth of mostly commercial real estate in the Inland Northwest.


To take that investment activity to what he calls the next level, Black says he and three associates recently formed a company called Black Proinvest LLC to manage a $20 million equity fund thats being set up to invest in properties throughout the Northwest. (See story page A3.)


The most fun of my day is working up new deals to do, he says, because its a creative process and it takes all of the skills one can muster.


Though he now has worked in commercial real estate for close to half of his life, he still talks about it excitedly.


Its a fabulous business because every minute of every day is different, Black says. He adds, Im so blessed to have such a great career, working with great people every day. I enjoy the art of the deal. Its like Monopoly in real life.


Part of what keeps him energized, he says, is the excitement of knowing whats happening in the community and being a part of it, and his associations with other business and civic leaders here.


His confident, irrepressibly upbeat demeanor contrasts sharply with the insecurities he says he felt 20 years ago when his father, dying of cancer, named him interim president of the prominent, but smaller enterprise then known as James S. Black & Co.


He was 26 then, still stunned from his fathers shocking cancer revelation at dinner the night before, and he says, It was intimidating. I was very nervous, (filled with) high anxiety.


Up to that difficult point in his life, Black had enjoyed a fulfilling adolescence and early adulthood. The youngest of four children, he was born in 1957the year his father founded James S. Black & Co.and attended Ferris High School, where he was an all-city football and baseball player. He also was active in scouting and, per family tradition, became an Eagle Scout.


He went to Washington State University on a baseball scholarship and earned a bachelors degree in construction management there. I was always interested in construction. A lot of my buddies were going into construction, and I thought that would be a good field to go into, he says.


He then considered taking a job in San Francisco with Bechtel Corp., the global engineering and construction company, but says he found the idea of working in a 64th floor cubicle in an urban setting unappealing.


Instead, he opted for a delay tactic, he says jokingly, continuing his education and obtaining a masters in business administration from the University of Denver, which at the time was the only university offering an MBA with a construction and project-management emphasis. He says he almost took a job in Denver as a commercial agent with Coldwell Banker Commercial, but decided not to because I knew in the back of my mind I probably wanted to move back to Spokane.


He then spent six weeks touring Europe with some friends, before returning to Spokane and going to work for James S. Black, at his fathers gentle urging, in 1981.


He didnt really tell me he wanted me in the business until I came back from Europe because I didnt really know what I wanted to do, and his father sensed that, Black says. He said, Why dont you just come down and try it for a month or two.


Black started out as a commission salesman in the commercial division, working not directly for his father, but rather for Mark Pinch, who now is president and half-owner of Tomlinson Black Commercial.


It was a tough time in the real-estate business, Black recalls. Interest rates were high back then, and James S. Blackdespite having a sizable market presence herewas struggling, he says.


I didnt make a deal for six months, Black says. I was working hard, but the business takes a lot of experience, contacts, and communication skills. Youve got to be a competitor. It takes every skill that youve learned, and its tough for a young guy to break in.


His first commission check, when it finally came, was for $22,000, which he says was about the same amount that Bechtel had offered him as a starting annual salary. At that point, he says, I thought, This is a pretty good business.


In July 1984, he says he was on the top of the worldhaving won distinction as the companys top commercial salesman the year beforewhen his father summoned him for dinner one night. He said, I had a doctors exam. Ive got cancer, and Ive got a one-way ticket out of here, Black says. He says his father also informed him that he wouldnt be returning to work.


The next morning, Black says, his father issued a company memo naming him as interim president. His father died about four months later, on Nov. 19, and Black became the companys sole stockholder the following year.


Strong support


Though intimidated at first, he says, I relied on the great people we had at the company, and some of those people are still there today. All you really have at a real estate company is the ability of your people.


In the years that followed, Black says, he steadily became more knowledgeable about the various facets of the business. The 80s was a tough decade, but we grew substantially, and in the 90s, we grew even more, he says. He adds, though, that he began to feel like a circus show performer who must keep a number of plates spinning on the tops of balancing sticks.


He and fellow Spokane real estate executive Bob Tomlinson, head of Tomlinson Realtors, began talking about the possibility of joining the two companies operations to capitalize on the respective strengths of each and to expand their marketing presence here. James S. Black had been dominant in the commercial and property-management segments of the market, while Tomlinson had enjoyed stronger recognition and growth in the residential market. That merger was completed in 1995, creating the Tomlinson Black Group of Companies.


It made all the sense in the world, says Black, noting that some of the asset exchanges allowed him to focus on commercial real estate where his main interests lie. Furthermore, he says he has learned from Tomlinson in the years since then that it isnt necessary to own companies wholly for them to be profitable ventures, and that sharing ownershipand, hence, responsibility, risks, and rewardswith key employees has its benefits.


Black says, I still feel like the guy at the circus whos trying to keep all the plates spinning. He notes, though, My boys are my pride and my joy, and I spend half my time with them.


Black swims regularly to stay in shape, is an avid snow and water skier, and also enjoys mountain biking. He keeps a ski boat docked next to his home along the Spokane River in Millwood.


Of having a front yard that runs right up to the bank of the Spokane River, he says, It doesnt get any better than that.


Black doesnt regret any of the career choices hes made, but says laughingly, I would like to have been a ski bum for one winter.


Looking back to his early years with his fathers company, he says he was sensitive to the possibility he might be perceived negatively by some as riding on the coattails of his successful father.


You always have this feeling in any business that youre the old mans kid, and are judged by others through that prism, regardless of whether you succeed or fail, Black says. But after being involved in the highly competitive real estate field for awhile, You realize its a sink-or-swim business, and you stop worrying what people think about you. I feel like Ive been successful in my own right.


Now also looking ahead to the possible next generation of Blacks to be involved in the real estate market here, he says, Nothing would be better than to have it almost brings tears to my eyes one or both of my sons working with me some day.