Each week, Midwest Real Estate News profiles a member of its most recent Commercial Real Estate Hall of Fame class. Today, we highlight the busy career of Suzanne Hendrick, senior vice president and managing director of asset management for Chicago’s MB Real Estate.
Years in the business: 25
A big job: Some commercial real estate jobs are bigger than others. Suzanne Hendrick, a senior vice president with Chicago’s MB Real Estate, has one of the big ones.
Hendrick is responsible for managing and guiding MB Real Estate’s ever-growing property portfolio. In this role, she acts as a leader and mentor to the company’s on-site management teams, directs the day-to-day operations of the asset management group and charts the group’s business development and strategy.
Hendrick has excelled in this role, helping to grow MB Real Estate’s asset management group into one of the busiest in the Chicago market.
A successful career: Hendrick’s peers recognize that this industry veteran is a skilled leader and tireless worker. This is no surprise; Hendrick has thrived at multiple high-profile stops during her long career.
Before joining MB Real Estate, Hendrick served as vice president at The John Buck Company and held the position of general manager at 111 South Wacker Drive, an iconic Class-A high-rise office building in downtown Chicago.
This building, while under Hendrick’s watch, earned The Outstanding Building of the Year (TOBY) award in 2011. Hendrick was also the project administrator for the building’s LEED-EBOM gold certification in 2010.
Before her time at The John Buck Company, Hendrick managed several high-profile buildings in Chicago with Hines Interests. She has been involved in the strategic repositioning of several notable properties, including 200 West Monroe, 321 North Clark and 303 East Wacker.
The people matter: Hendrick has found a career that she loves. And a big reason for this love? It’s the people.
“I have had the pleasure of working with incredible co-workers, clients, tenants, vendors and peers,” Hendrick said.
Building a successful career: How has Hendrick reached the heights of her industry? She points to some simple, but effective, strategies.
“I’m successful in commercial real estate because I’m a good listener, I have an inquisitive mind and I’m passionate about what I do,” she said. “Advocate for what you believe in and don’t be afraid to take some risks.”
Giving back: Despite the time it takes to manage such key Chicago buildings, Hendrick has found time to give back to her community. She was a member of the John Buck Company Foundation’s charitable committee, for instance, where she served as its chair. Hendrick remains a strong supporter of that foundation even today.
Hendrick is currently the co-chair for BuildOn’s annual Chicago Breakfast and was a mentor in the non-profit’s Partnership Program.
Out-of-office hours: Outside of work, Hendrick likes to spend time with her family, travel, garden, cook and bake. She’s also a big fan of taking long walks with her yellow lab, Stella.