Aaron earned his CCIM designation 2008. A CCIM (Certified Commercial Investment Member) is a recognized expert in the disciplines of commercial and investment real estate. Six percent (6%) of the estimated 150,000 commercial real estate practitioners nationwide hold the CCIM designation.

In July of 2011 Aaron earned the designation of SIOR. Real estate professionals who have earned the SIOR designation are recognized by corporate real estate executives, commercial real estate brokers, agents, lenders, and other real estate professionals as the most capable and experienced brokerage practitioners in any market.

Aaron is the only broker in Amarillo that holds both the CCIM and SIOR designations. Of the 150,000 Commercial Real Estate Professionals throughout the United States, only 3% hold both the CCIM and SIOR designations.

He serves on the Chapter Advisory Committee for the Texas Alpha Chapter of Sigma Alpha Epsilon at Texas Tech University. He and his wife, Erin, have three sons.

Aaron serves as Partner and Broker at Gaut Whittenburg Emerson.

With more than twenty one years of commercial real estate experience, Aaron has personally completed more than 1,500 office transactions valuing in excess of $350 million and totaling more than 4.5 million square feet.

Aaron began his career with The Vanguard Commercial Group in Dallas, Texas. During Aaron's time in Dallas, he exclusively represented tenants at the local as well as Corporate Services level.

Prior to moving to Amarillo, in 2004, Aaron was with Scribcor Texas, where he worked as a Transaction Manager charged with negotiating and managing a portfolio of 1,100 leases, consisting of 12,000,000 square feet, for the Texas Government. While with Scribcor Texas, as a 'Tenant Rep', Aaron personally negotiated more than 120 leases, totaling more than 1.2 million square feet at an average savings of 20% per lease yielding a savings of $10,000,000 for the taxpayers of the State of Texas.

Some of Aaron’s recent notable transactions include:

  • Re-lease of the 31-Story FirstBank Southwest Tower. After the FBSW Tower coincidentally lost 3 large tenants who totaled 150,000 sq.ft. (1/2 of the of the building’s occupancy), Aaron leased the property from 45% back up to 85% in just 18 months.
  • Purchase and Lease up of the 71,000 sq.ft. Atrium at Coulter Ridge. Represented Landlord in the purchase of the 50% occupied Atrium at Coulter Ridge. In less than 2 years, Aaron leased the property to 90%.
  • Represented multiple owners in the lease up and sale of the 31-story Chase Tower. In just 2 years, Aaron took the Chase Tower from 60% occupancy up to 98% occupancy, more than doubling the value of the asset
  • Represented Landlord in the lease up and sale of the downtown Wells Fargo Center. Aaron took the occupancy of the 117,000 sq.ft. WFC from 65% up to 99%, more than doubling the value of the asset
  • Represented owner in the lease up and the sale of Helm Plaza 1 downtown. Aaron took the occupancy from 60% up to 100% in just 2 years.
Xcel Energy 100,000 sf Office Lease
Amarillo Club 19,200 sf Office Lease
Willis of Texas 11,500 sf Tenant Rep.
B&F Law Firm 17,500 sf Office Lease
GSEC 33,000 sf Office Lease
OAG 10,000 sf Office Lease
Marsh Enterprises 10,000 sf Office Lease
PFP&P Law Firm 10,000 sf Office Lease
CCB&B Law Firm 7,812 sf Office Lease
CMMS 10,000 sf Office Lease
NWTX Surgery Center 23,000 sf Office Lease
GSA – Census 6,200 sf Office Lease
Chicago Title 6,421 sf Tenant Rep.
Conoco Phillips 8,000 sf Office Lease
WTA&M University 30,516 sf Office Lease
Chase Tower Sale $20MM Asking Price
Fisk Building Sale 2.1MM Asking Price
JP Morgan Chase 20,000 sf Office Lease
TX DHS 144,000 sf Tenant Rep.
Blue Cross 18,000 sf Office Lease
Best Western Amarillo Inn $4.3MM Asking Price
TX DHS 21,000 sf Tenant Rep.