It was a night created to honor the top individuals and companies in the Illinois commercial real estate industry. And the biggest names in this industry flocked to the Westin O’Hare hotel in Rosemont June 4 for the 2026 Illinois Real Estate Journal Real Estate Awards ceremony.
More than 600 attendees filled the dining hall to watch presenters from the local CRE market hand out awards to industry stars both new and old. The evening celebrated the biggest deals of the year; the busiest brokers and developers; standout performances from property managers, real estate attorneys and subcontractors.
Networking was on the menu, too. Attendees had the chance to network during a busy cocktail hour. It was an opportunity for attendees to catch up on industry news and deals or simply chat about the personal lives of their peers and competitors.
A highlight of the evening? The lifetime achievement award given to Laurence Weiner, chair of 56 Maple and co-founder of Marc Realty one of Chicago’s older commercial real estate firms. Weiner founded Marc Realty in 1976 with this brother, Elliott, building the company into a CRE powerhouse. During a video tribute, Weiner’s CRE peers paid tribute to what they called one of the hardest-working and most ethical commercial real estate professionals in the Chicago market.
Weiner’s personal philosophy of working hard, living modestly, honoring partnerships and buying well? It’s proven to be a success. And it’s certainly a philosophy that many of the other award winners last week share.
Click here to see a complete list of winners from the big event. Click here for more photos of the evening.
