Collectibles certification, grading company expands area headquarters

LAKEWOOD RANCH — The Certified Collectibles Group has expanded its Lakewood Ranch headquarters to 82,000 square feet through the purchase of a 21,000-square-foot facility.

CCG provides expert, impartial and tech-enabled services that add value and liquidity to collectibles, according to a press release. 

The company has been hiring at a rapid pace as it experiences tremendous growth in demand for its services amid a booming collectibles market, the statement says. CCG now employs more than 400 people globally, with 330 in Sarasota.

Susan Goldstein of MSC Commercial, the commercial division of Michael Saunders & Co., represented Lake Jackson Venture LTD in the sale of the building at 6802 Energy Court, according to a separate statement. CCG, through a private trust held in the name LRLVII LLC, paid $4.73 million for the building. Ian Back of IBRE represented the buyers, the release adds. 

“This is a strong purchase price for commercial real estate and a clear indication that more businesses are looking to Lakewood Ranch and our region as an attractive location for their headquarters,” Goldstein says in the statement. “20,000 +/- SF building for an owner/user is uncommon in this market, but something to watch as demand increases.”

The new building will allow CCG to continue to grow its team and operations, company officials say. CCG is currently hiring for nearly all positions, including entry level, specialist and management positions. New employees who start by June 30 are eligible for a $1,000 sign-on bonus. 

In addition to hiring, CCG is expanding its production through multi-million-dollar investments in technology, including artificial intelligence, robotics, advanced software and more.

“CCG is laser-focused on providing best-in-class services to our customers as demand for our expertise increases,” says CCG CEO Steven Eichenbaum in a statement. “This new building reflects our continued commitment to our customers and the collectibles markets.”

Like the original CCG facility, the new location will be outfitted with hundreds of security cameras, access control and walk-in vaults where collectibles are stored when not in process. It's located about 1 mile from CCG’s original facility in Lakewood Ranch in Sarasota County.

CCG is comprised of eight companies that provide third-party authentication, grading and encapsulation services for coins, tokens, medals, paper money, comic books, trading cards, sports cards, magazines, concert posters, stamps and estate items. Since 1987, the CCG companies have certified more than 60 million collectibles with a combined fair market value of more than $30 billion, a release says. Certified Collectibles Group reported more than $100 million in revenue in 2018.