real estate broker, Inland Companies
Company: Inland Companies Inc.
Title: Real estate broker
Education: BBA, St. Norbert College
Family: "My lovely wife, May."
City of Residence: New Berlin
Hobbies and Interests: "Any sport involving a ball or disc, prison outreach basketball, staying up-to-date on business trends, and spending time with my family."
What are you working on? "Most of my time is spent leasing two premier office projects, Milwaukee Center and Honey Creek Corporate Center. In addition to that I am working on a couple of tenant rep deals, a few sale deals, and corporate services for M&I Bank."
How does the market look to you? "The leasing market is showing signs of strength. Most of the deals I am working on are with firms that are expanding five to 15 percent a year. The suburban market has been stable and the downtown market is gaining momentum. Class A space has shown the most progress and will likely see rent growth in the next year."
What was the best deal you’ve ever been involved in? "Last year I was involved in a long-term 20,000-square-foot transaction at the Milwaukee Center. It was the first deal I did when I came to the Inland Companies. It was a great introduction to the company because the dynamics of the deal came together perfectly. I had the opportunity to work with both Scott Welsh and Steve Pape, the landlord was both receptive and responsive, and the tenant broker, Bill Bonifas (CB Richard Ellis) was a pleasure to work with as well. It really was the ideal situation for any broker to be in."
What was the funniest moment of your career? "There was a small office building I had been working on for quite sometime that was in desperate need of a deal. An interested party finally stepped up to the table and it seemed like we might finally get something done. When the prospect came back for the second showing they brought a few of the board members. As protocol calls for, I arrived about 15 minutes early to make sure the space was in good order and the lights were on. When I got off the elevator I was welcomed by one of the worst stenches of my life. I could barely walk out of the elevator cab to detect where the smell was coming from. Both restrooms (which were open and exposed to the common area) had been recently exercised and the stench was not dissipating. Not knowing what to do I went to my car and looked for anything that would help the cause and all I came up with was a bottle of my cologne. I sprayed it profusely until the showing and while it disguised the original stench, it left an equally disturbing one. Needless to say we did not end up getting the deal."
