Michael Kavanau Senior Managing Director Holliday Fenoglio Fowler, LP Chicago
Michael Kavanau has made a dramatic impact at Chicago’s Holliday Fenoglio Fowler, LP: During his 24 years at this firm, Kavanau has been involved in more than $9 billion worth of commercial real estate transactions.
Kavanau, who serves as senior managing director and co-head of HFF’s Chicago office, doesn’t have a secret formula for his success. He simply works hard, studies his market, provides his clients with top-notch service and isn’t satisfied until he closes the best deal for his loyal clients.
In early 2002, Kavanau transferred from HFF’s Boca Raton, Fla., office to establish a debt-placement group in the company’s newly established Chicago office. Under Kavanau’s direction, the Chicago debt-placement group has become one of the top firms in the market. And the Chicago office, under the co-direction of Kavanau and Matthew Lawton, has surpassed the $25 billion mark in production across all business lines as it approached its 10-year anniversary.
At HFF Chicago, Kavanau is primarily responsible for originating debt transactions throughout the Midwest. He’s also responsible, of course, for managing the daily operations of the Chicago office. That’s a lot of responsibility, but not enough to overwhelm Kavanau, who continues to provide top service to clients involved in the multi-housing, office, retail and industrial sectors.
During his time at HFF, Kavanau has compiled an impressive list of clients. This clientele includes Beacon Capital Partners, Fidelity Management & Research, Hines, The Bainbridge Companies, Tishman Speyer, General Electric Pension Trust and Estein & Associates USA.
Kavanau has also closed several major deals during his more than two decades with HFF. For instance, Kavanau played a major role in the 2010 sale and financing of 300 North LaSalle in Chicago, a property that traded for $655 million and received $350 million in financing.
Kavanau’s work has not gone unrecognized. In both 2008 and 2009, he and his team won the Greater Chicago Food Depository Mortgage Banker of the Year award.
Outside the industry, Kavanau has found time to support several local charitable organizations. He has been proactive in ensuring that HFF Chicago donates to such charities as Friends Against AIDS, City of Hope, Chicago Children’s Charities, the Greater Chicago Food Depository and the Wellness House Cancer Center. Kavanau is also a member of the Freddie Mac Leadership Council.
