Each year, Midwest Real Estate News inducts a new class into its Commercial Real Estate Hall of Fame. Here is a look at one of our new inductees, Daniel Cawley, president and chief executive officer of Cawley Chicago in Chicago.
The secret of Daniel Cawley’s success? It’s the same formula that’s worked for Cawley’s Chicago CRE firm, Cawley Chicago: He doesn’t disappear after a deal is done.
“Instead, we represent the client throughout the entire process, remaining accessible, sticking to the truth and doing what we say,” Cawley said.
This simple, but important, strategy has paid off. Cawley Chicago has thrived in the Chicago commercial real estate market since Cawley founded it in 1998. Cawley was inspired to make the big move to opening his own firm after seeing so many national real estate companies consolidating.
Cawley has long been a believer in the strength of personal relationships. He founded Cawley Chicago as a way to offer this personal touch to his clients. And the decision has paid off. Instead of worrying about satisfying shareholders, Cawley focuses on providing the best service to property and business owners. This has resulted in loyal and grateful clients.
Cawley’s work ethic and commitment to his clients has helped this industry veteran build a thriving career, too.
“The single best foundation my life provided are the simple values that my parents instilled in me: Do the right thing, even when people aren’t looking, and do what you say,” Cawley said.
These beliefs have led to the five core principles of Cawley Chicago: Make a difference, be passionate, build integrity-based relationships, have fun and live a healthy lifestyle.
“I believe that there are no accidents in life and every event serves a purpose,” Cawley said. “Our company exists because a client funded me at a lunch in March of 1998. He believed in me more than I believed in myself.”
Cawley also points to the role that mentors have played in his life. These mentors taught him that leaders serve, both their industry and community. It’s why Cawley has spent so much time studying his industry and serving on industry associations.
This combination of passion and valuable lessons led Cawley to develop a CRE platform based on the old model of geographic- and product-specific submarket experts who would go door-to-door to meet every business and property owner in person. This approach is the backbone of Cawley Chicago’s culture, with Cawley referring to it as “street-level intelligence.”
As Cawley says, knowledge of individual submarkets is crucial in commercial real estate. This local knowledge gives Cawley Chicago an edge and has resulted in the company winning assignments. This approach has also allowed Cawley Chicago to become a trusted advisor to its clients.
“I love the collegial culture of this industry that allows us to compete hard against each other, yet we all collaborate to share market information and best practices that get deals done,” Cawley said. “The Chicagoland market is so deep that there is no way a single brokerage company knows all the information.”
When Cawley is not busy forging new relationships and orchestrating real estate transactions, he can usually be found on the golf course, working hard to maintain his single-digit handicap; at the gym; or supporting non-profits and industry associations.
Cawley says that he cherishes time with his family and friends while also deepening his leadership skills and offering his experience in founding, building and monetizing a business.