In December, Midwest Real Estate News ran its first Hall of Fame issue, profiling 60 of the biggest names in the commercial real estate business. Mark Irgens with Milwaukee’s Irgens Development Partners was one of the members of this first Hall of Fame class. Here’s his profile, and the list of his accomplishments.
Mark Irgens Position: Manager and President Company: Irgens Development Partners Location: Milwaukee
It’s not every member of this first Hall of Fame class who received a nomination from the commissioner of Major League Baseball.
In fact, just one person can claim this: Mark Irgens, manager and president of Milwaukee-based Irgens Development Partners.
Bud Selig, the commissioner of baseball and former owner of the Milwaukee Brewers, had plenty of good things to say about the work he’d done with Irgens over the years.
“I have had the good fortune to invest with Mark Irgens in many real estate projects over the past decade,” Selig wrote. “I have never dealt with anyone who is more honest and perceptive. He is truly one of the most remarkable human beings that I have known. He has made a positive and dramatic impact on the real estate business in the Milwaukee area and other locales. His projects are remarkable in every way. Of the many individuals whom I have dealt with over my long career, there is no relationship that I am prouder of than my relationship with Mark Irgens.”
Those are pretty heady words, especially coming from such an influential individual as Selig. But those who have followed Irgens’ career aren’t the least bit surprised.
Irgens has long been a star in the commercial real estate finance and development arenas. In 1983, he formed Irgens Development Partners to add another highlight to an already successful career.
During this career, Irgens has been involved with more than 200 major development projects in the office, service center, medial, research and development, mixed-use and industrial areas. And while completing these transactions, Irgens has developed a reputation that is second to none.
Some of the many major projects on which Irgens has worked include the GE Healthcare Research Park in Milwaukee, 875 East Wisconsin also in Milwaukee, the ASQ Center in Milwaukee and Stone Ridge Business Center in Pewaukee, Wis.
Irgens has also taken active roles in the development of the Wood Lake Business & Technology Center I, II & III Innovation Drive and Oakwood Center at the Milwaukee County Research Park.
His peers say that Irgens leads his company by example, setting the pace for every one of its employees. His main asset? Irgens doesn’t view challenges as burdens. He views them as opportunities. He’ll examine a potential deal from every angle, working until he can resolve any problems that it may have.
This, of course, leads to a lot of closed deals, and even more success for Irgens Development Partners.
As his online bio says: “He is a strategist and master planner who envisions the positive possibilities that a ‘no’ presents. He knows clients want a leader who can navigate the risks and deliver a successful outcome. He knows clients need a real estate expert along with someone who shares their vision and fully understands their business goals and objectives. At the end of the day, Mark provides no less than the highest level of representation for his clients.”
