Each year, Midwest Real Estate News highlights the careers of the most successful CRE pros in the Midwest in its annual Commercial Real Estate Hall of Fame issue. This year, we are running these profiles online, too. Today, we look at the busy career of Keith Schneider, senior vice president with the St. Charles, Missouri, office of Cushman & Wakefield.
Career highlights: Cushman & Wakefield’s Keith Schneider can point to a long list of highlights from his commercial real estate career of more than 30 years. This includes the $8.9 million sale of 132 acres of industrial land in Wentzville, Missouri, a swath of land on which Northpoint developed a 1.1-million-square-foot logistics optimization center for General Motors.
Schneider also represented the Plumbers’ & Pipefitters’ Welfare Educational Fund in the purchase of the former ITT building in Earth City, Missouri, as well as adjacent land for the relocation of its headquarters and training facility. He is currently representing the Wentzville R-IV School District on all of its real estate matters, including several land acquisitions for new schools.
Plenty of honors: Due in large part to this record of success, Schneider has earned several key industry honors. In 200, 2005 and 2016, he earned the Clarence M. Turley Award and nabbed the Largest Land Transaction Award from Cushman & Wakefield in 2008, 2010, 2011 and 2016.
Schneider has also been honored for his work in the community. He received the 2013 Lifetime Distinguished Service Award from the Greater St. Charles County Chamber of Commerce.
A new twist: “As a commercial real estate ‘generalist,’ I find that every day is a new twist, offering a constant flow of new learning experiences,” Schneider said. “I enjoy using creative thinking skills and strategies to help clients solve complex real estate problems. I’ve helped investor clients realize considerable growth in their balance sheet by finding value-add opportunities and helping them capitalize through strategic repositioning.”
Schneider also enjoys the variety that comes with commercial real estate.
“Working with a variety of personalities and businesses also has been rewarding, as I am constantly introduced to people from all walks of life,” he said. “Partnering with my son for the past two years has added a new dimension, and has furthered my enthusiasm for commercial real estate.”
Building trust: The key to success in commercial real estate is trust. Schneider has built this trust in his clients.
“I have tried to build a brand based on not only being knowledgeable in every aspect of my business in my particular market area, but also by being a trusted partner with every client,” he said. “I want my clients to know that the information I give them is information they can count on, and that I operate with complete transparency to the greatest extent possible.”
Out-of-office hours: Schneider and his family own a vacation home at the Lake of the Ozarks. Not surprisingly, this home has become a hub of Schneider’s off-work hours.
“Boating and relaxing on the water with family and friends is pretty hard to beat,” he said.
