Jeffrey Kahan, principal and director of the Investment Services Group of Colliers International’s Chicago office, died Saturday. He was 55.
Kahan had more than 25 years of experience in the real estate field. He was responsible for overseeing the activities of the Colliers’ Investment Services Group as well as actively providing investment acquisition and disposition services to entrepreneurial, institutional and corporate clients throughout the U.S.
“He had tremendous people instincts,” said David Kahnweiler, chairman and CEO of Colliers’ Chicago-area offices. “He knew how to read people extremely well. He was incredibly intelligent in a worldly way and he just saw things faster than a lot of people saw them.”
Despite suffering from multiple sclerosis, Kahan also was very active outside of work.
“He had recently gotten involved with the Washington Institute, which was something that he was a great contributor to because of his worldly view of things,” Kahnweiler said. “He’s traveled the world extensively, even while he was sick.”
At the end of 1997, Kahan was named a principal at Colliers. Prior to that position, he was a principal at Insignia Frain, Camins & Swartchild.
Kahan worked on a team with two other investment sale professionals, Steve Disse and Jeff Devine. Collectively, the team represented numerous institutional and entrepreneurial investors in approximately $600 million of office and industrial sale transactions in the past 12 months. In addition, Kahan was twice named Investment Broker of the Year at the Chicago Commercial Real Estate Awards, which benefit the Greater Chicago Food Depository.
“Jeff developed a base of customers,” Kahnweiler said. “He was recognized as one of the top industrial investment brokers in the Midwest. People do business with people they like, and I would say Jeff’s greatest accomplishment was turning his clients into his friends.”
Funeral services for Kahan were held Monday at North Shore Congregation Israel in Glencoe. Kahan’s wife and three children will receive visitors at their home, 574 Woodlawn Ave. in Glencoe, from 1 to 9 p.m. Tuesday and Wednesday.
