Growing up, Kevin Segerson didn’t picture his future in real estate. In fact, he used to conduct interviews of his sisters, friends and neighbors in his basement as a child because he aspired to be a talk show host. But now as CBRE‘s First Vice President, Segerson is the one answering the questions.
Segerson explained that it was after college when he got started with real estate. He began working for Dan Wagener and Jeff Gilbert at Wagener Equities, where he focused on leasing industrial spaces in Lake and Cook Counties.
“It was an amazing first exposure to business development, relationship management and lease negotiation,” he said.
Two and a half years later, Segerson joined Trammell Crow Company, now known as CBRE, where he and his team represent both tenants and landlords. Currently, the team has 33 listings—three of which are new construction projects in O’Hare.
“All are exciting and challenging but the new construction developments are unique in that all three are coming out of the ground now and therefore require a different form of marketing, negotiating and teamwork,” he said.
According to Segerson, the team includes CBRE, the developer, attorney, architect and builder.
“All parties must maintain direct and cohesive dialogue in a joint effort to deliver space to prospect tenants on time and at budget,” he added.But it’s the collaboration within the industry that hasn’t always been easy, Sergerson explained.
It’s building and finding a team of like-minded people to help and be helped by that has proved to be the biggest challenge for him.
“Happily, this happened three years ago in partnering with Matt Mulvihill,” he said. “From there, our team grew as Cal Payne joined us, followed by Katie Wunderlich.”
Although it may be an initial challenge, it’s creating those new relationships with clients and the team that Segerson finds most rewarding in his role.
“Clients become friends, so ‘going to work’ is fun,” he added.
Recently, Segerson and his team represented a tenant client in a new lease transaction in Chicago, and a lease renewal in Dallas. He said they have been fortunate to have assisted them with other operations across the U.S. and Mexico.
“We are getting to partner with other CBRE professionals while delivering the same level of service to the client,” he said.
And aside from the projects, there’s also more that Segerson is looking forward to in his personal life. He and his wife, Michelle, are planning a trip for their first wedding anniversary in July.
“We love to travel,” he said. “Near or far, we love spending time somewhere new.”
