Daniel Arends
Principal, Executive Vice President
Colliers
Chicago
There’s a reason why Colliers’ Principal Dan Arends is known as one of the top commercial real estate professionals in the Chicago market: It’s all about the numbers.
During his career of more than three decades, Arends has amassed impressive career stats, negotiating 1,600-plus assignments totaling more than 13 million square feet of leases on behalf of his clients.
Those numbers are significant. But Arends doesn’t rely on any secret formula to reach them. Instead, Arends can track his success to his client-focused approach, where he walks clients through the benefits of each transaction in “layman’s terms” and then delivers everything he promises. This approach, Arends says, is the cornerstone of his success.
And his success has been a steady one. Arends is annually acknowledged for his work and has qualified for Colliers’ Everest Trip, which recognizes the firm’s top producers, for 23 consecutive years. He has also won NAIOP’s Transaction of the Year award and Prime Group’s Most Prepared Broker. He has also been named a finalist for the Greater Chicago Food Depository‘s Office Broker of the Year award 13 of the past 15 years.
What has kept Arends in this business for more than 33 years? He says that he most enjoys the people side of the business. He takes time to understand his clients’ professional and personal challenges and goals. While others continue to push for virtual work, Arends still prefers to meet with his clients in person so that he better understands their work environments and requirements. Regarding his own team, Arends believes being together helps the team foster a culture and bond that allows them to share ideas and develop more creative deal solutions.
A former college tennis player at the University of Wisconsin, Arends also understands the preparation it takes to compete at the highest level, a skillset that has come in useful in his professional life, too. Arends prepares tirelessly to make sure he understands any avenue that can benefit his clients.
Outside of work, Arend’s passions are simple: family and sports. Arends, along with his wife Sue, have loved watching and coaching their children DJ, Taylor and John in their chosen sports and activities.
Arends is not hesitant about supporting his professional community, either. He serves as a Board Member and Past President of Chicago Office Leasing Brokers Association (COLBA), a Steering Committee Member and Past Chairman of Colliers’ Tenant Advisory Council and is presently Chairman of Colliers’ Law Firm Services Group.
