SVN | Chicago Commercial Encourages Chicago’s Community-Based Projects to Apply for Grant

Posted on August 31, 2018 by SVN

SVN | Chicago Commercial Encourages Chicago’s Community-Based Projects to Apply for Grant

Project Submission Deadline is September 14, 2018.

Chicago, IL (August 29, 2018) SVN | Chicago Commercial, one of SVN International Corp.’s top offices with a history of strong community involvement, encourages Chicago community-based organizations to apply for a grant through the SVN Communities Program, presented in conjunction with Patronicity. Grants of at least $10,000 are available based on crowdfunding efforts and matching funds. The application deadline is September 14, 2018. Interested organizations should submit their information on the SVN Communities/Patronicity website at https://www.patronicity.com/SVN#!/

In order to be considered for SVN |Chicago Commercial’s grant, organizations/projects must fulfill two requirements: 1) be based in the City of Chicago; and 2) activate a new or underused public or community space, or enable public safety improvements with preference given to permanent physical projects.

The SVN Communities Program is a place-based crowdfunding grant program aimed at supporting community driven projects in the cities and regions where SVN operates. The program provides a matching grant to groups able to meet their crowdfunding goal. Selected projects will run a crowdfunding campaign with Patronicity aiming to hit their crowdfunding goal within 60 days. Groups should then be ready to finish their project within six months of reaching their target.

“We are excited to review applications and select a worthy project for our community grant,” said Michael Thanasouras, Managing Director of SVN| Chicago Commercial. “Our firm has a deep history in Chicago, and we are always working to make our city better.”

You can read the entire news release here.

Learn more about how SVN Communities is working to support community driven projects in the places where we operate, and visit the SVN/Patroncity crowdfunding site to view current projects and to apply for a grant.

SVN Specialty Awards: Innovator of the Year – Al Stepan

Posted on May 6, 2016 by SVN

Recognizing the SVN Difference with Specialty Awards

If you read my recent blog post about the SVN Annual Conference highlights, you know that the SVN Specialty Awards recognize members of the SVN community who have distinguished themselves in 2015 by making significant impacts on the commercial real estate industry and beyond. The awards – which included Team Player of the Year, Ambassador of the Year, Collaborator of the Year, Trainer of the Year, Humanitarian of the Year, Prospector of the Year, Innovator of the Year, and Firm of the Year – looked beyond production results and instead focused on culture. The winners of this year’s SVN Specialty Awards each embody traits that the SVN culture values immensely: practicing collaboration, cooperation and conscious capitalism while excelling in commercial real estate.

SVN Innovator of the Year 2015 – Al Stepan

When it comes to treating an SVN franchise like a business, no one is more of an innovator than Al Stepan. He has led the organization in investing in bringing in outside specialists to support recruiting, which has allowed him to scale his teams. He was also a driving force behind the consolidation of our Denver and Fort Collins offices, positioning them to be a regional powerhouse. These are just a couple of the examples of thinking big and applying best business practices to the operation of an SVN franchise. And it’s an innovation that we can all learn from.

Al Stepan is a principal of SVN | Chicago Commercial and serves as a Managing Director along with Michael Thanasouras and Scott Maesel in Chicago, IL.

The SVN blog will be featuring one SVN Specialty Award winner every week for the next few weeks. Stay up to date with SVN and CRE industry news.

SVN Specialty Awards: Team Player – Steve Kawulok

Posted on March 18, 2016 by SVN

Recognizing the SVN Difference with Specialty Awards

SVN Team Player of the Year 2015 – Steve Kawulok

Steve Kawulok, Managing Director of SVN | Denver Commercial has been with SVN since 2007 and under his direction, the Fort Collins office has been a top performing office for as long as we can remember. However, the fact that there were a number of nominations for Steve that came from around the country is a testament to his ability to be a true SVN Team Player. This year, Steve took it to another level when he was instrumental in building the SVN presence in Denver. To a quote one of the nominations that came in:

“His unique strong – yet soft-spoken – style made him the perfect candidate to blend the multiple Colorado offices and work together with the leaders from the Chicago SVN office to establish a regional presence in the Denver metro area. He is a real team player.”

The SVN blog will be featuring one SVN Specialty Award winner every week for the next few weeks. Stay up to date with SVN and CRE industry news.

SVN Restaurant Resource Group Gears Up for 2016

Posted on February 18, 2016 by SVN

Focusing on Mixed-Use Property, SVN Restaurant Resource Group Starts the Year with New Goals in Mind

After a record-setting year of sales and leasing volume, the SVN Restaurant Resource Group is heading into 2016 with refined focus on mixed-use assets. The team has identified 25 ‘high-opportunity’ retail corridors in Chicago and nearby transportation oriented suburbs.

Why Mixed-Use?

Mixed-use properties in Cook County offer a unique tax advantage over strictly commercial properties. A mixed-use property’s assessed value is based on 10% of market value while a commercial property’s assessed value is based on 25% market value. Based solely on classification, two properties with identical market values may have dramatically different real estate tax liability.

Better federal tax depreciation benefits are also available for mixed-use property owners. For instance, if residential rentals account for more than 80% of the asset’s overall income, the property improvements are depreciated over a 27.5 year period versus a typical 39 year period.

Investors of mixed-use buildings are often entrepreneurial, making it a “natural fit for our personalities and results-driven market strategies,” as described by SVN Advisor Marcus Sullivan.

High-Opportunity Neighborhoods

SVN Advisor Tim Rasmussen details the methodology in determining the 25 target corridors: “We recognized several common characteristics in neighborhoods where our team and clients were most successful: well-defined retail corridors, shifting demographics, high walkability scores, and close proximity to rapid transit.”

It is estimated that over 50% of neighborhood retail/commercial space is occupied by restaurant and other food related business. This trend is likely to continue as traditional brick-and-mortar retailers dwindle in the wake of e-commerce. However, the SVN Resource Group concedes the shifting dynamics present repositioning opportunities for savvy investors and restaurateurs.

Top Tier, Middle Market

The SVN Restaurant Resource Group emphasizes assets valued between $500K- $5.0M. According to SVN Advisor, Jim Martin, “These tend to be fairly easy to finance with local and regional banks, i.e., the MB’s and Bridgeview Banks of the world.”

Martin explains the strategy is consistent with the mid-market world where SVN typically contends. “We rarely compete with the likes of CBRE or JLL, yet we’re able to leverage a national platform, the most sophisticated commercial real estate tools in the industry, and ultimately win the business.”

New Blood

Christian Peppler has joined the SVN Restaurant Resources Group and will provide advisory services for mixed-use property owners throughout the Greater Chicagoland Area. Christian brings six years of commercial real estate experience and has overseen $10M in real estate transactions.

About The SVN Restaurant Resource Group

The SVN Restaurant Resource Group provides first-in-class advisory to clients in the foodservice and hospitality industry. Landlords, restaurant and nightclub operators, bakeries, caterers, hotels, food processors and manufacturers rely on the experience, local market knowledge, industry relationships, and technology advantages possessed by this highly specialized team of commercial real estate professionals. SVN has over 200 offices throughout the US, Mexico and Canada.

To learn more, visit the SVN Restaurants website here.

[bctt tweet=”“We’re able to leverage a national platform, the most sophisticated commercial real estate tools in the industry, and ultimately win the business.””]

2013 Sperry Van Ness® Specialty Award Recipients

Posted on April 9, 2014 by SVN

If you missed the 2014 Sperry Van Ness® National Conference held in San Antonio, TX, you missed all of the incredible individuals and teams who received a 2013 Specialty Award.

The Specialty Awards were given to those who far exceed the everyday commercial real estate responsibilities. These recipients are nominated by his or her peers and are considered leaders within the organization and contributors to the community. As an organization it truly is amazing to see all of the knowledge, character and drive that Sperry Van Ness Advisors possess. Please find below a list of this years recipients.

Nicole Abresch, Collaborator of the Year (Kassandra Bruhn not shown)

SVN l Chicago Commercial, Firm of the Year

Firm of the Year: SVN Chicago Commercial
The Firm of the Year Award is given to the SVN office that goes above and beyond to help fellow SVN offices and Advisors. SVN Chicago Commercial has been the host, promoter, and hospitality provider to new recruits, business owners and more. SVN Chicago Commercial always says ‘yes’ to anyone who asks for assistance.

Ambassador of the Year: Alex Ruggieri – Champaign, IL
The Ambassador of the Year Award is given to the SVN Advisor who embodies the SVN culture and helps contribute to the success of the company. Alex is not only a top producer, but he authors articles for major publications, hosts podcasts as well as radio shows. He is a model SVN Advisor.

Team Player of the Year: Doug Wilson – Columbus, OH
The Team Player of the Year Award is given to the SVN Advisor who collaborates in a significant way with other SVN Advisors or offices across the nation. Doug contributes throughout his Mid-West region and assists fellow team members daily.

Trainer of the Year: Curt Arthur – Salem, OR
The Trainer of the Year Award is given to the SVN Advisor who most exemplifies the qualities of a high-caliber mentor. Curt goes out of his way to take a call from a prospect, deliver webinars to new Advisors and continually mentor those in our SVN community.

Innovator of the Year: Justin Horwitz – Phoenix, AZ
The Innovator of the Year Award is given to the SVN Advisor who embraces the latest CRE technology, including all the SVN tools available to enrich business practices. Justin uses the SVN National Sales Calls, Product Councils and various other tools to find, win and fulfill business on a daily basis

Prospector of the Year: Justin Verner – Baltimore, MD
The Prospector of the Year Award is given to the SVN Advisor who consistently prospects and develops a strong pipeline of business for the future. Justin uses all of our SVN tools available while maintaining great relationships and trust with his clients.

Collaborators of the Year: Nicole Abresch – Salisbury, MD & Kassandra Bruhn – Phoenix, AZ
The Collaborator of the Year Award is given to the SVN Office, Advisor or Staff member who takes the SVN dedication to collaboration to the next level. Nicole and Kassandra assisted the SVNIC marketing team with pilot programs and contribute regularly to social media and branding efforts.

Humanitarian of the Year: Wesley Cox – Salisbury, MD
The SVN Humanitarian of the Year Award is given to the Advisor who makes an extraordinary effort to give themselves to their community. The Mission of Mercy, The Christian Shelter, Salvation Army, and the Village of Hope are a handful of the organizations that have benefited from Wesley’s work.

Please join us in congratulating every 2013 Specialty Award recipient, individuals who truly embody the SVN Difference!

*All Sperry Van Ness offices are independently owned and operated.

What a Deal … SVN Chicago Commercial Closes Largest Sale in Sperry Van Ness History

Posted on April 8, 2014 by SVN

A huge congratulations to Jerry Goldner, Vice President of Investment Sales at SVN Chicago Commercial, for recently closing the largest single deal in Sperry Van Ness history.

The property, Walton on the Park South, is located in Chicago’s Gold Coast at 2 West Delaware Street. The sale consisted of 160 units of the 201-unit high-rise rental condominium tower and an adjacent 17,180 square-foot development site zoned for 261 residential units. It was purchased by Miami developer, Crescent Heights, Inc.

Not only is this the largest deal in SVN history, but the largest for Goldner who, acting as sole broker, closed the deal with an unsolicited offer. Goldner has over 34-years of commercial real estate experience in the Chicago market and proved that when you work hard and offer the SVN Difference, you can do anything you set your mind to. Click here for full transaction details.

“This transaction started over 4 years ago when I represented the previous owners. It has been the most challenging and rewarding experience of my 34- years as an investment Advisor.”

Sources
The Broker List

*All Sperry Van Ness offices are independently owned and operated.