Caton Commercial Real Estate Group expanded its operations by adding an office in Chicago’s West Loop. The office at 171 N. Aberdeen Street will be integral in the creation of a new Caton team whose focus encompasses urban, national and global growth initiatives.
The company, based in Naperville, Illinois, is adding brokerage professionals to focus on local, national and global tenant, landlord and developer representation. This will include working with innovative industry concepts such as co-living, co-working, creative office space, incubators and unique mixed-use buildings.
“We’re excited about bringing our unique perspective on commercial real estate to a more urban clientele,” said Bill Caton, CIPS, owner and managing broker of Caton Commercial Real Estate Group. “Andy Velkme, who will be a key in the creation of this new Caton team, has established himself with many Chicago area businesses, as well as those that operate globally that are seeking innovative urban spaces. Caton has worked diligently to build key relationships that are expanding its focus to the urban core and beyond. It was a logical step for our company to add a presence in the West Loop as part of our growth strategy.”
The new office is part of the new Industrious co-working space in the Fulton Market, which has individual office areas for teams of as many as 100 workers. “As we expand our reach into Chicago’s urban environment, we’re looking to the growing trend of co-working spaces to allow us the flexibility and scale to support this growth,” Velkme said. “With co-working spaces now accounting for a majority of urban office environments, we wanted to fully embrace this segment of the market and be more accessible to clients.”
Velkme was recently honored with the prestigious NAR (National Association of REALTORS) National Commercial Award for his achievements demonstrating excellence in the industry as well as NICAR’s (Northern Illinois Commercial Association of Realtors) 2018 REALTOR of the Year award. With a background in market research for companies from entrepreneurs to the Fortune 500, Velkme brings a knowledge of innovative and disruptive companies from all over the world. Velkme is also a founding member and vice president of the Latvian American Chamber of Commerce.