Bob Chodos

Bob Chodos
Principal
Colliers International
Chicago

How much of an impact has Bob Chodos had on the Midwest commercial real estate industry? One number spells it out: 13 million.

As in, during his 30-year career, Chodos has completed tenant representation assignments totaling more than 13 million square feet. And if that number isn’t impressive enough, consider this one: 7 billion. Those career transactions have been valued in excess of $7 billion.

It’s little wonder, then, that Chodos, principal with the Chicago office of Colliers International, is considered such a valuable member of the area’s commercial real estate profession by both his peers and his loyal clients.

A quick look at Chodos’ career spells out just how significant his deals have been. Chodos, for instance, once closed a 411,000-square-foot lease for Jenner & Block LP, a 400,000-square-foot headquarters relocation for Sara Lee Corporation and a 217,000-square-foot lease restructure for Schiff Hardin.

Thanks in part to these big deals, Chodos has been an Office Broker of the Year nine  times at the Chicago Commercial Real Estate Awards event. He was also the 2005 winner of the NAIOP Suburban Office Transaction of the Year award, an honor he won thanks to his big Sara Lee headquarters relocation deal.

Chodos’ peers point to his tenacious negotiation style and market knowledge as two reasons for his success. They also credit his devotion to his clients; Chodos isn’t satisfied until he’s landed the best deal terms for his clients.

Outside of his career, Chodos hasn’t hesitated to support his community. He is a member of the board of directors and executive committee for Junior Achievement of Chicago. He also sits on the board of directors for the Chicago Central Area Committee and The American Red Cross.

Chodos supports his industry, too. He is a member of Colliers’ Executive Committee and a member of both SIOR and COLBA, the Chicago Office Leasing Brokers Association. He’s active, too, with the Executives Club of Chicago and the Economic Club of Chicago.

Peter Kepic

Peter Kepic
Principal
Colliers International
Southfield, Mich.

Not many commercial real estate professionals can boast that they’ve spent four decades working in the industry. Even fewer can claim that they’ve been a top producer for the vast majority of these 40 years.

Peter Kepic, principal with the Southfield, Mich., office of Colliers International, can make both claims.

Kepic has worked in the real estate business since 1972. And in his 40 years in this industry, he’s consistently ranked as one of the top producers in the Detroit area, specializing in industrial and high-tech properties.

Kepic hasn’t even allowed Michigan’s struggling economy — and the fact that many of his clients work in the automobile or related industries — slow him down. Kepic retains his clients not only because of his vast experience and deep market knowledge, but also because he is so well-liked in the business community.

You don’t thrive in this business for four decades without learning the benefits of building strong relationships. And Kepic does all that he can to build such relationships. His loyal clients don’t look at Kepic as only a real estate professional. They consider him a trusted advisor and, in many cases, a long-time friend.

This makes all the difference in a real estate career. And it’s the real secret behind Kepic’s impressive success.

And Kepic isn’t putting on an act when he works tirelessly to support his clients. He does the same thing for his community. Throughout his career, Kepic has found time to support a variety of charitable organizations. One of his favorite charities is Cornerstone Schools in Detroit. This organization challenges children to excel in their academic studies. It also challenges them to display good character and citizenship.

The charity is a perfect fit for Kepic, who has also relied on honesty, a strong work ethic and a commitment to his community throughout his long career.

Of course, this isn’t surprising. How else can someone do so well for so long in a career that is so tremendously competitive?

Kepic’s peers understand just how valuable this industry veteran has been to the business of commercial real estate. This explains why Kepic is a multiple winner of Colliers International’s Awards of Excellence, earning these awards nearly every year since 1998.

Laurence Elbaum

Laurence Elbaum
Principal, Co-Founder
Bradford Allen
Chicago

Laurence Elbaum has never let challenging economies slow him down. And he’s not about to let today’s difficult real estate market slow growth at the company he co-founded and serves as principal, Chicago’s Bradford Allen.

According to his peers, Elbaum has displayed steady leadership as Bradford Allen, like all successful commercial real estate companies today, has adjusted to a changing economy. Under Elbaum’s stewardship, Bradford Allen, the Chicago location of TCN Worldwide, has continued to perform solidly even as the commercial real estate market’s struggles have continued.

Elbaum’s fellow real esate professionals point to his focus on providing the best training possible for new brokers and his continuous efforts to recruit new talent to Bradford Allen for the company’s success. Elbaum is also one of the leading voices at the firm advocating new strategic directions. This focus on the future and on planning for it has kept Bradford Allen a step ahead of the sluggish economy.

In addition to his position as principal at Bradford Allen, Elbaum serves as chairman of the board for TCN Worldwide. In addition to his recruiting efforts at Bradford Allen, Elbaum also oversees TCN Worldwide’s North American recruitment efforts.

Elbaum relies on a host of qualities to remain so successful. He possesses a deep understanding of commercial real estate, and understands what makes for a successful deal. He also works hard, is honest and isn’t shy about mentoring the newer brokers at Brafdford Allen.

His experience in the industry helps, too. Elbaum started his real estate career in 1990 in New York City. He’s seen, then, both good and bad markets, and knows how to succeed in both. He opened Chicago’s Bradford Allen in 2003 with partner Jeffrey Bernstein.

Back in his New York days, Elbaum achieved a bit of history. He served as senior managing director for Insignia/ESG, making him the youngest person to achieve this title in the firm’s history. During his 10 years with that firm, Elbaum completed more than 7 million square feet of transactions.

Outside of the real estate industry, Elbaum is an active volunteer and contributor for the Lymphoma Research Foundation. He recently earned the foundation’s Chicago Tribute Award.

Martha Nevanen

Martha Nevanen
Vice President, Marketing and Communications
Marquette Real Estate Group
Minneapolis

Reporters seeking last-minute interviews on commercial real estate trends know just how well Martha Nevanen does her job. So do the commercial real estate professionals at such companies as RJM Construction, United Properties and Cushman & Wakefield/NorthMarq.

As vice president for marketing and communications with Marquette Real Estate, Nevanen works daily with reporters, editors and many of the biggest names in the commercial real estate business, all to make sure that the companies that make up Marquette are able to effectively tell their stories. When you see an official from NorthMarq Capital quoted in the Minneapolis Star Tribune or one of the top producers from Cushman & Wakefield/NorthMarq profiled in a trade magazine, the odds are good that Nevanen made the interview happen.

It’s an important job that Nevanen holds. It’s more difficult today for companies to be heard. There is constant competition from blogs, Web sites, Tweets and Facebook posts. Nevanen, though, has used the latest social-media tools, along with long-held relationships with industry reporters, to help Marquette’s real estate companies cut through the noise.

Nevanen directs the marketing efforts for such companies as NorthMarq Capital, RJM Construction, United Properties and Cushman & Wakefield/NorthMarq. Marquette Real Estate serves as the holding company for each of these firms. Her job is to promote the milestones, acheivements, honors and successes of these companies. And no one does a better job of this than does Nevanen.

Nevanen best displayed her skills recently when she took the lead on promoting two major rebrandings of Marquette Real Estate companies. Just this year, Nevanen managed the rebranding of NorthMarq when this company merged with the Minnesota office of Cushman & Wakefield.

In 2008, Nevanen was responsible for rebranding United Properties, which had reorganized into three separate entities under the umbrella of Marquette Real Estate Group.

In both instances, Nevanen was able to distill what could have been complicated messages into ones that members of the real estate press were able to quickly grasp and report on.

Outside of her work, Nevanen finds time to give back to her community. She volunteers for such organizations as CornerHouse, NAIOP and IABC. She earned her bachelor’s degree in journalism from the University of Missouri, one of the top journalism programs in the country.

Michael Kavanau

Michael Kavanau
Senior Managing Director
Holliday Fenoglio Fowler, LP
Chicago

Michael Kavanau has made a dramatic impact at Chicago’s Holliday Fenoglio Fowler, LP: During his 24 years at this firm, Kavanau has been involved in more than $9 billion worth of commercial real estate transactions.

Kavanau, who serves as senior managing director and co-head of HFF’s Chicago office, doesn’t have a secret formula for his success. He simply works hard, studies his market, provides his clients with top-notch service and isn’t satisfied until he closes the best deal for his loyal clients.

In early 2002, Kavanau transferred from HFF’s Boca Raton, Fla., office to establish a debt-placement group in the company’s newly established Chicago office. Under Kavanau’s direction, the Chicago debt-placement group has become one of the top firms in the market. And the Chicago office, under the co-direction of Kavanau and Matthew Lawton, has surpassed the $25 billion mark in production across all business lines as it approached its 10-year anniversary.

At HFF Chicago, Kavanau is primarily responsible for originating debt transactions throughout the Midwest. He’s also responsible, of course, for managing the daily operations of the Chicago office. That’s a lot of responsibility, but not enough to overwhelm Kavanau, who continues to provide top service to clients involved in the multi-housing, office, retail and industrial sectors.

During his time at HFF, Kavanau has compiled an impressive list of clients. This clientele includes Beacon Capital Partners, Fidelity Management & Research, Hines, The Bainbridge Companies, Tishman Speyer, General Electric Pension Trust and Estein & Associates USA.

Kavanau has also closed several major deals during his more than two decades with HFF. For instance, Kavanau played a major role in the 2010 sale and financing of 300 North LaSalle in Chicago, a property that traded for $655 million and received $350 million in financing.

Kavanau’s work has not gone unrecognized. In both 2008 and 2009, he and his team won the Greater Chicago Food Depository Mortgage Banker of the Year award.

Outside the industry, Kavanau has found time to support several local charitable organizations. He has been proactive in ensuring that HFF Chicago donates to such charities as Friends Against AIDS, City of Hope, Chicago Children’s Charities, the Greater Chicago Food Depository and the Wellness House Cancer Center. Kavanau is also a member of the Freddie Mac Leadership Council.

Hugh Williams
Principal
Avison Young — Chicago
Rosemont, Ill.

Hugh Williams

During his real estate career, Hugh Williams has worked with a long list of impressive corporate clients. The reason for this is simple: These clients trust that Williams will provide them with the best customer service possible.

Williams, principal in the Rosemont, Ill., office of Avison Young, boasts that rare combination: He loves what he does, and he’s one of the best at what he does.

This is evident to Williams’ clients, who are fiercely loyal to this industry veteran. During his real estate career, Williams has worked with such big names as Dow Chemicals, ITT, Heidelberg USA, Abbot Land and Development, USAA Realty Company and Alchan/Pechiney Plastic Packaging.

Williams’ top service, combined with his market knowledge, skill and ability to craft the best deals for his clients, has helped the industry veteran earn several prestigious real estate awards. In 2009, Williams was a finalist for the NAIOP Suburban Office Transaction of the Year award, and in 2006 he was named a CoStar Power Broker.

In 2004, Williams notched the NAIOP Suburban Office Transaction of the Year award, and two years earlier he was named the Metro Chicago Industrial Broker of the Year.

Williams understands the value of teamwork. And he didn’t just learn this during his time at Avison Young or at his previous stop at Cushman & Wakefield. After graduating from Northwestern University with his master’s degree in database marketing in 1996, Williams played professional football in Europe, a career that relied heavily on teamwork.

In his current career, Williams applies many of the lessons he’s learned on the football field. Working as a team, he knows, is the best way to accomplish any task, big or small.
This explains why Williams is so eager to volunteer his time to help mentor younger real estate professionals; it’s all part of building a successful team.

Outside of work, Williams has served as a leader in his community, too. He has volunteered his time with such organizations as the Big 10 Advisory Commission, Congo Square Theater, The Hope Institute Advisory, NAIOP Chicago, Posse Foundation Leadership Council and Project REAP Advisory.

The 2011 total beats last year’s donation by 4,600 pounds.

Seldin Company officials anticipate another 2,000 pounds of donations from apartment communities outside of the Omaha metropolitan area.

The participating apartment communities waived application fees and offered $50 off the first month’s rent to any new resident who donated at least 10 canned or non-perishable food items to the drive.

Jon Savoy

This December, Midwest Real Estate News presents its second Commercial Real Estate Hall of Fame, honoring more than 50 of the industry’s top names. It’s our most popular issue of the year.

We’ll also be running profiles of several of our Hall of Fame inductees on Rejournals.com. Here’s a sample from our December issue.

Jon Savoy
President
Lee & Associates of Michigan
Southfield, Mich.

It’s not surprising that Jon Savoy’s clients are so fiercely loyal to him. For more than three decades, Savoy has delivered these clients the highest-quality service.

This has led Savoy, president of Lee & Associates of Michigan in Southfield, Mich., to a successful 33-year career in an industry known for sudden highs and fierce lows. Savoy, though, has maintained a steady business through both the ups and downs.

Again, credit for this goes to Savoy’s commitment to customer service, and to the loyal group of clients that it has brought him. These clients stay with Savoy through the best and the worst of commercial real estate markets.

Savoy’s peers recognize this. It’s why his fellow members of the Michigan CCIM chapter recently named him Michigan Broker of the Year. And it’s why his fellow brokers in Oakland County, Mich., recently named him their Broker of the Year.

This kind of respect doesn’t just happen. Commercial real estate professionals have to earn it. Just ask officials with the CoStar Group; they named Savoy a Power Broker. First Industrial Realty Trust understands Savoy’s commitment to his industry, too; officials with this trust named Savoy the Most Valuable Broker in Detroit. Midwest Real Estate News hasn’t been shy about honoring Savoy, either; this magazine has named Savoy as one of its Top 40 over 40 for the strong work he’s turned in during his career.

Savoy, in addition to serving his clients so diligently, has also made an impact in the Michigan real estate market. He opened the Lee & Associates of Michigan office in May of 2005. Since then, he has served as a mentor and motivator for the professional brokers who have joined his team.

Savoy’s influence has been felt across the Lee & Associates network. He wrote and published Your Lee & Associates Advantage, a sales and customer-management system that Lee & Associates has adopted throughout its entire national organization.

The announcement follows an extensive property search by AMA officials to evaluate future workspace options as its current lease at 515 N. State St. expires in August 2015. AMA officials explored several options, including renovating current workspace and even moving to a new development, but felt the move to 330 N. Wabash (former headquarters to IBM) offered the most attractive option.

“The AMA is an iconic organization, and we’re moving to an iconic building, which will provide a great working environment for our employees and the work we do on behalf of America’s physicians,” said James Madara, M.D., AMA’s executive vice president and chief executive officer in the release. “It’s been a thorough and exhaustive process, and we feel this decision makes good sense economically and logistically. It will allow us to upgrade our work environment with minimal disruption to our current workflow and our employees’ commutes.” The new location is just two blocks from current AMA headquarters.

Steve Stratton, Mike Sessa and Jock Howland from Jones Lang LaSalle represented the AMA in the transaction. Prime Group Realty Trust owns 330 N. Wabash.

The building that will serve as the AMA’s new headquarters was designed by famed architect Mies van der Rohe and has been designated with landmark status by the city of Chicago. Completed in 1971, the building recently has undergone extensive renovations and is equipped with modern amenities to support AMA operations. AMA will occupy between 275,000 and 300,000 square feet in the 52-story building.  Upon the AMA’s occupancy in 2013 the building will be renamed “AMA Plaza”.

The AMA has been headquartered in Chicago since 1902 and has approximately 1,100 Chicago-based employees.

We’ll also be running profiles of several of our Hall of Fame inductees on Rejournals.com. Here’s a sample from our December issue.

Diana Parent

Diana Parent
Managing Director
Sperry Van Ness/Parke Group
Fort Wayne, Ind.

Don’t tell Diana Parent that she works in a tertiary market. That hasn’t stopped her from becoming a consistent top producer for Sperry Van Ness.

As managing director of Fort Wayne, Ind.-based Sperry Van Ness/Parke Group, Parent has closed an impressive number of sale and lease deals. And she makes these closings no matter how well, or poorly, the commercial real estate market happens to be performing.

For instance, the weak commercial real estate market didn’t prevent Parent from earning the Sperry Van Ness Achiever’s Award in 2010 and the company’s Partner’s Circle Award one year earlier.

In a business notorious for its highs and lows, Parent has remained consistent; and that’s resulted in a steady and successful 18-year career. It’s also drawn praise from peers who marvel at her work ethic, honesty, skill and market knowledge.

Today, Parent manages a full-service real estate firm with more than 30 employees. Her peers say that Parent is always ready to share her experience with the commercial real estate professionals in her office, and that her leadership skills have helped Sperry Van Ness work successfully through the country’s economic downturn.

Before coming to Sperry Van Ness, Parent worked for such big names as Duke Realty and CB Richard Ellis. This experience, her peers say, gave Parent the solid, well-rounded foundation that she draws upon today.

Her work hasn’t gone unnoticed at Sperry Van Ness. In 2010, the company ranked Parent as the fourth-highest producer in the country. Outside experts have noticed Parent, too. In 2007, Indiana Business Journal selected Parent as one of the magazine’s Future 40 business leaders.

In addition to her work at Sperry Van Ness, Parent has found time to volunteer in her community, serving on several local boards of directors and charitable organizations. Her community work includes time spent with Children’s Hope, Vincent House and the Indiana Women’s CEO Forum. She is also an active member of the St. Vincent de Paul parish.