Will Forcello, the Senior Managing Director and New Jersey Market Leader at CBRE, always has been a numbers guy.
From his time at school (finance major) and throughout his time at the only company he’s ever worked for (he was a research professional for much of his early career), he always has enjoyed looking inside the numbers.
“Math and statistics were always subjects I gravitated towards,” he said.
Forcello said he found them fun and fascinating and that they helped deliver meaning.
“Statistics can get really creative,” he said. “I guess most people wouldn’t describe it that way, but it can be. It’s like writing a thesis. You select data points to build and support a story line. So, it is really interesting.”
So, it only makes sense that when Forcello started in the Market Leader role in January of last year, he made sure to put the biggest emphasis on … people.
“In the space that we serve in the commercial real estate world, we don’t have a physical product,” he said. “Our product is our service, so our people are critical.
“It’s not just the sales force at the front lines and the platform, but it’s the people who are backing them. How do I build alignment and energize them the right way? That’s my focus.”
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Don’t be confused, Forcello still loves the numbers. You can hear it when he describes the opportunities and challenges in office and industrial — asset classes that, along with retail, define the company’s efforts in New Jersey.
On the office side, he points to one stat he says cannot be overlooked: 82% of leasing activity so far this year has occurred in Class A product, as tenants chase quality even as functionally obsolete buildings get converted out of the supply.
It’s why he expects renewal activity to make up a bigger share of leasing going forward, driven partly by cost and partly by supply constraints that don’t always show up in the headline numbers.
On industrial, he points to a similar flight to quality driven by building design rather than sheer size, with the first half of 2026 producing all-time record leasing — a pace he expects to continue. The challenge is finding buildings of the right size.
“It gets back to design,” he said. “It’s not easy with real estate to be flexible, but you can be. Those buildings are going to be the winners.”
Forcello says these insights are what make CB a market leader.
“People speak highly of our research capabilities and our data — that’s always been the case,” he said. “Delivering proprietary market data, better than you’re going to get from any other source covering the office and industrial market in New Jersey, is a differentiator at our firm.”
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Forcello will admit he’s not an expert on leasing. But he knows who is.
“I have the best brokers in the business around me,” he said.
Not that he doesn’t understand the role.
He joined CBRE right after earning a degree in finance at Boston University nearly two decades ago. Forcello began his career as an industrial leasing broker, back when industrial wasn’t the hot asset class it is today, he said.
Wanting a broader understanding of the market rather than just the deals in front of him, he moved into a research role built to fill a data gap in New Jersey — and excelled enough that 18 months later, when his boss announced her departure, he found himself vying for her job.
He got it, then expanded into a tri-state suburban research position as CBRE launched sales management across the platform. From there, he moved into sales management leadership in New Jersey, and a geography-leadership track eventually led him to the market leader role, which he took over officially in January of last year.
Based in the Saddle Brook office, Forcello manages three offices and 139 employees, including 81 producers.
“It’s a big operation and a big market; that excites me,” he said. “Before I stepped into this role, I evaluated opportunities in smaller markets. I wanted to get into a significant market that has dynamics like New Jersey, one that’s diverse in industrial, office and retail.
“I think the New Jersey market is very unique and dynamic, which makes for people who are unique and dynamic, which keeps things engaging and challenging.”
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Forcello’s obsession with numbers stretches into his personal life.
A fitness fanatic, he tracks everything.
“I track my macros,” he said. “I’m a trainer’s best client. If they tell me you’re going to eat this many grams of protein on a day, this many grams of carbs, and this many grams of fat, I’m going to do it by the book.”
Forcello currently running high-carb, low-fat, which he says is tougher than it sounds: “I actually find that that’s a lot harder than low-carb, high-fat.”
His family and friends joke that he can eat the same meal every day.
“I can and I do,” he said.
But only six days of the week. On Sunday, he splurges. Even offers recommendations.
“You have to try the Delfino from The Pizza Shop by Flour in Hoboken,” he said. “It’s phenomenal.”
“It’s thin, the sauce is lighter. It’s topped with caramelized onions, fennel sausage and a little chili oil, so you get that great combo of sweet onion, savory sausage and just the right amount of kick.”
Forcello has burger reviews on request, too.
“I seek out high fat food on Sundays,” he said. “And I have a sweet tooth, too.”
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Forcello feels his ability to mix finance and fun, data analysis and shooting the breeze as a differentiator.
“I have a personality,” he said. “I’m not the bland back-office type. I think that’s what I’ve been trying to lean on in my professional trajectory.”
So far, it’s clearly working. But don’t be confused; Forcello is quick to note there always is work to do.
“I am constantly on the improvement journey,” he said.
The same can be said for his goals at CBRE.
Eighteen months into the role, he feels he’s done a lot to get the team reorganized and refocused. Now, it’s time to hit new heights.
“There’s a lot of potential to grow this business,” he said. “There are opportunities in New Jersey that should allow the really aggressive growth plan that I have for this business.”
Asked for a specific growth number, he wouldn’t bite: “I’ll keep it vague, but it is double digit,” he said.
Forcello said he looks forward to the challenge. And in the end, he knows his ability to motivate the team will be the deciding factor.
“It’s leveraging the people that we have,” he said. “It’s adding additional people that complement our existing professionals. I think we can get there. We have the people to do so.”
