Willard Says...

What your office says about you

Where a business chooses to office sends a powerful message to the public and in many ways, defines who and what your business is all about. Your setting will dictate […]

Running a successful office building part 2

On the northwest corner of Monroe and Clark sits the latest addition to a seemingly endless supply of new hotels in downtown Chicago: Hyatt Centric The Loop. Prior to the […]

The 2015 Top Ten Events In Downtown Chicago Commercial Real Estate

2015 has been a wild and crazy year in Downtown Chicago commercial real estate. In my 20 years in the industry, this is the most active phase that I can […]

2016 Predictions

If 2016 is anything like 2015, we are in for quite a ride this year. Here are some of my predictions on what lies ahead in the world of downtown […]

Excuses, Excuses

If you’re a CRE professional, you’ve probably heard every excuse in the book for why a deal falls apart. Sometimes things just don’t work out for unforeseen reasons, but more […]

“Baby Brokers:” Lessons Learned, Lessons Earned

I’m coming up on my fourth year of being a licensed broker. I’m younger than most of my clients, and certainly younger than most of my colleagues. Like almost every […]

Queering Chicago’s CRE Market

This blog is based on our podcast episode: “Queering Chicago’s CRE Market ft. Gerber/Hart Library and Archives. For the best experience, we highly recommend listening to that episode here. An […]

The “Real World” Isn’t Real

“In the real world, this would never fly.” “In the real world, you’ll need to know this.” “In the real world, you’ll be held to a much higher standard.” These […]

Black History Landmarks of Chicago

As we start to close out Black History Month and head into March, we here at Willard Jones have decided to look at some of Chicago’s most iconic Black Cultural […]

Do The Evolution

As 2023 disappears in our collective rearview mirrors, there is finally enough evidence at hand to reasonably project what the future of the office will look like. After analyzing the […]

Remembering Chicago’s Fallen on September 11, 2001

The following tributes were compiled from the individuals’ obituaries, articles, statements from friends and family, and biographies sourced from the 9/11 Memorial and Museum. We recognize that these are mere […]

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Unearthing the Forgotten History of Chicago’s Oldest Buildings

Like many others, I have vivid memories of sitting in my high school history classes, slumping in my chair and using my textbook as a pillow. Old stuff didn’t matter […]

How to be Disabled in Chicago

It is a uniquely difficult experience to watch your own body devolve from something you previously perceived as strong and resilient to something that barely passes for functioning. The first […]

3 Lessons I Learned During My Time Undercover as a Wealthy Chicagoan

I am not a wealthy Chicagoan. I’m a second-year law student still paying off medical debt from 2019. But through a series of fortunate events and strategic use of my […]

The Mishegoss of the Loop

One of my mentors — the late, great Howard Weinstein — was quite proficient in Yiddish. A favorite word of his was mishegoss, meaning “craziness,” or some type of senseless […]

Whiplash from the Past

The year was 1901, and Chicago was a blossoming city with a booming economy. At the forefront of its success were the lumber and meat industries, and the city was […]

Remembering Tom Horwich

The Chicago real estate community lost another legend last week with the passing of Tom Horwich. While much of Tom’s work was under the radar, his influence on those of […]

Three Terrifyingly True Tales from the Loop

This month, in honor of Halloween, we’re bringing you three terrifyingly true stories from our very own portfolio. Amongst the glamor and glory of Chicago’s business district is the very […]

The ABCs of DEI in CRE

In the business world, there are a few buzzwords that regularly make their rounds in corporate conversation. Words like “synergy.” “Circling back.” “Putting a pin in it.” “Tabling it.” “Seamlessness.” […]

The Walking Man

One of the best parts of my job as a commercial real estate broker is not being tied to my desk for 10 hours per day. Typically, I have several […]

Transforming The Loop

For those of us who have emotionally, professionally or financially invested in downtown Chicago, the last two years have been difficult to stomach. From the moment you arrived to well […]

For the Love of All That is Holy, Please Stop Predicting the Future of the Office

I’m really tired of reading the same articles over and over again. Every week, there’s a new “think piece” about the so-called future of the office. Every word-count-hungry Hemingway with […]

The Office (R)evolution

In your wildest imagination, could you have even foreseen a scenario in which the streets of Downtown Chicago would be zapped of its trademark energy, office buildings would generally sit […]

REAL ESTATE IN THE TIME OF COVID-19

As we all try to cope with our new world and everything it entails, I sincerely hope that you and your families are staying healthy and sane during this unparalleled […]

The Central Loop Elixir

I have been working in the Central Loop for nearly a quarter of a century and in my humble opinion, rumors of the Central Loop’s demise are exaggerated. Undoubtedly, challenges […]

2020 Predicitons

Happy New Year! As we ring in 2020, it is time once again to look into the future and forecast what lies ahead for the new year. First, let’s revisit […]

THE 2019 TOP TEN EVENTS IN DOWNTOWN CHICAGO COMMERCIAL REAL ESTATE

With yet another year just about in the rearview mirror, it is time to take a look back at the key events which made 2019 so fascinating.  I hereby present […]

Salt of the Earth

As we approach Thanksgiving 2019, it is the most appropriate time of year to express a hearty appreciation for all of the talented individuals who truly are responsible for ensuring […]

Same Story, Different Day

I have written in this blog space before how important it is for brokers to keep up on current events in the real estate industry. The truth is, it has […]