(l to r) Chuck Groebe, Carol Fisher, Ankur Patel, Sharon Gorrell, Steve Caton (back), Joel Miller (front), John Millner and Bill Caton.

So many of us in the real estate industry appreciate the art of relationship building and networking and the Illinois chapter of the Certified Commercial Investment Member Institute (CCIM) is working at making that a little easier for its members and partners.  The chapter recently created regional network groups that are intended to meet quarterly in a casual forum.  The first session was this past Wednesday morning in Naperville, with others scheduled in Arlington Heights and Champaign later this month.

John Millner, Illinois Chapter Secretary and organizer of the event stated, “The commercial real estate industry is comprised of many disciplines and these networking events, through CCIM Illinois, provide an opportunity to get to know the people closing deals and services business within your specific market.  Not only does it create an opportunity for referral business but also to expand your resources to best serve your clients.”

As an association partner it was a great opportunity to reach out to commercial practitioners on global business issues and learn some of the topics and trends that commercial real estate professionals in the southwest Illinois region are talking about.

Those who attended the first meeting included: Chuck Groebe, JD, CCIM — Coldwell Banker Commercial, Carol Fisher — White Glove Inspections, Ankur Patel, CCIM — Old Second Bank, Steve Caton, CCIM — Caton Commercial; Joel Miller, CCIM — SVN Landmark Commercial Real Estate; John Millner, CCIM — Bradford Allen Real Estate Solutions; and R. Peter Giadla, CCIM — Seneca Real Estate Group.

(l to r) John Millner and Bill Caton.

(l to r) Chuck Groebe, Carol Fisher, Ankur Patel and R. Peter Giadla.