Chicago-based Spaces Real Estate merges with Evolve Real Estate

Full-service residential real estate brokerages Spaces Real Estate and Evolve Real Estate have merged. Evolve co-founder Jonathan Sheil, who was one of the first six agents at Spaces prior to starting his own business, has rejoined the company as director of agent development, bringing with him a 15-person team of leasing agents who will work under the Spaces name.

“The merger with Evolve is a win-win for both companies,” said Bentley Phillips, founder of Spaces Real Estate. “We were in search of a new director of agent development and knew Jonathan would be a great asset, especially since we already had a relationship. The addition of Jonathan and his team allows us to increase headcount with experienced agents who share our knowledge of the Chicago market and commitment to client service.”

Sheil first started working for Spaces in 2013. He remained with the firm until 2017, when Sheil left to co-found Evolve Real Estate with Roger Daniel. Evolve has a strong focus on residential leasing and generated more than $1 million in gross commissions income—as a result of nearly 700 leasing transactions—during the firm’s first 18 months of operation.

At Evolve, Sheil built his team from the ground up, identifying potential agents based on their success in other sales-related positions such as recruiters or food and beverage sales. Once on board, he established performance plans, provided classes and offered guest speakers to help educate new agents and set them up for success in real estate. At Spaces, he is developing a scalable version of this technique to further grow the business.

“We are honored to become part of a widely respected company known for its longstanding relationships with renters, homebuyers and property owners,” said Sheil. “The decision to bring our companies together and integrate our hardworking, knowledgeable teams is one that will benefit both agents and the clients they serve.”