Indianapolis-based Resource Commercial Real Estate has won a coveted partnership with Colliers International, one of the world's largest commercial real estate brokerage firms.

Resource, which will remain locally owned and operated, will be known as Colliers International effective immediately, the company said.

The former local Colliers affiliate, Colliers Turley Martin Tucker, dropped the Colliers flag on March 1 to become Cassidy Turley. The move to rebrand the St. Louis-based outfit left the Colliers brand and platform available to other firms in several major cities, including Indianapolis.

IBJ reported in February that Resource was the front runner to take over the affiliation. The firm, with 26 active full-time salespeople, is the third-largest Indianapolis-area commercial real estate brokerage, according to IBJ's 2010 Book of Lists. It was founded in 2005.

Landing an affiliation with a national real estate network helps provide leads and extend the reach of local firms. The companies typically pay royalties to belong to a national or international real estate network, and are expected to send leads to other firms with the same affiliation.

“Joining Colliers was a terrific cultural and strategic fit for us," Resource CEO Sam Smith said in a statement. “We were also really impressed with their senior leadership vision, and passion for making Colliers International a global, as well as a local, leader in the eyes of our clients. Clearly their model is working.”

Colliers is the world’s second largest commercial real estate services company, with $2 billion in annual revenue and more than 15,000 employees in 480 offices.