REJournals.com - Commercial Real Estate Property News for Chicago and the Midwest

This December, Midwest Real Estate News debuts its first Hall of Fame section, profiling more than 60 of the commercial real estate industry’s most important figures. In the days leading up to this issue, we’ll present a sample of the types of names that we’ll be featuring this December. Here’s our profile of Jones Lang LaSalle’s Lynn Schenck, executive vice president in the St. Louis office of Jones Lang LaSalle.

Lynn Schenck
Position: Executive Vice President
Company: Jones Lang LaSalle
Loation: St. Louis

Lynn Schenck

Lynn Schenck might not admit it, but she is a pioneer. She entered the commercial real estate industry in 1978. Back then, this business truly was a man’s world.

This didn’t stop Schenck. She exchanged her wings as an airline attendant for the world of commercial real estate.

Not surprisingly, Schenck faced resistance to her career change. The first commercial real estate companies that she approached steered her toward the residential side of the business. The officials at these firms told Schenck that if she performed in that arena, only then might they take a closer look at adding her onto their staffs.

But Schenck persevered, and eventually landed a spot as a commercial broker.

Those who know Schenck are far from surprised at her unwillingness to give up.

“She faced the skeptics who told her women couldn’t make it in the rough-and-tumble commercial business,” said one nominator. “She even had to politely inform male colleagues she was the broker and not her husband who also attended her first SIOR meeting. Schenck got the last laugh, though, when she became the first female president of SIOR a few years ago.”

Schenck began building a network with other women brokers in the business, who formed the Ladies Lunch Club. Eventually, those eight or so women decided to take their network to the next level, forming the St. Louis chapter of Commercial Real Estate Women (CREW) in 1982.

While she may not consider herself a pioneer, Schenck and her band of brokers put St. Louis in the forefront of change. The chapter started four years ahead of similar chapters on the East Coast and five years ahead of a similar group on the West Coast. Today, CREW St. Louis boasts more than 200 members, making it one of the nation’s largest chapters in the CREW network.

Her accomplishments have more than silenced those early skeptics. Schenck ranks as one of the area’s leading professionals, serving several leading corporations by maximizing the value of their real estate holdings. Edward Jones, Cardinal Glennon Hospital, Duke Realty, Liberty Mutual Safeco Insurance, ABN AMRO, Prudential Insurance and CIGNA are just a few clients that have benefited from her expertise.

During her career, Schenck has participated in some of the area’s largest transactions, leasing or selling more than 10 million square feet of space with a transaction volume well north of $1 billion.

Schenck also believes in supporting the community. She has played a significant role in building The Ronald McDonald House in St. Louis, serving on its board and on its housing, grants and expansion committees. Her compassion for sick children carries over to her board membership on Nurses for Newborns. She co-chaired the Fantastic 50 giving program for Old Newsboy’s day, which makes contributions to several St. Louis charitable organizations. She also supports Kirkwood United Methodist Church, serving as a chair of trustees from 2007 to 2008 and on the Missions Committee from 2004 to present.

Tags | company news, Jones Lang LaSalle, Missouri, St. Louis

© 2012 Real Estate Communications Group. Duplication or reproduction of this article not permitted without authorization from the Real Estate Publishing Group. For information on reprint or electronic pdf of this article contact Mark Menzies at 312-644-4610 or menzies@rejournals.com