Chicago-based Kinzie Real Estate Group has a lot to celebrate this month, starting with its five-year anniversary. The real estate services start-up opened its doors in 2011 and by the end of its first year Kinzie had grown to just under 20 employees and nearly 2 million dollars in business. Fast-forward five years and those numbers have greatly increased to include more than 50 employees across three divisions and over $100 million dollars in construction activity slated to start this year.

“When we launched five years ago, market demand was strong throughout the Midwest for servicing distressed real estate,” said Spinell, president of the Kinzie Group of Companies. “Our core competencies in receivership, asset management, brokerage and general contracting services perfectly positioned us for success in a tricky market.” 

Today, the expertise Kinzie brings to the table is a valuable asset to individual investors as well as ground-up residential and commercial developers, financial institutions, law firms, private equity firms, and special servicing companies. 

“We knew once the market recovered, we’d be a strong partner for commercial and residential developers,” Spinell noted. “In 2011, Kinzie was already well-positioned for additional growth in the development industry with a renewed focus on pre-development services, design build value-add process, general contracting, and sales and marketing.”

Staying Focused on a Foundation for Growth

In addition to a well-timed launch, Spinell also credits the firm’s success and growth to staying focused on what his teams do best and approaching each opportunity with open communication, honesty, integrity, and transparency.

“Maintaining strong relationships is very important in this industry, and we want to be known just as much for our character as we do for the quality and value of our work,” said Spinell.

Kinzie remains diverse in its service offerings playing the role of development services partner, general contractor and brokerage consultant as needed. The company has forged relationships with various developers and private equity firms including Alatus, Capital Crossing, Interstate Partners, Metropolitan Housing Development Corporation, REVA Development Partners, and Summit Investment, to name a few.

Examples of past and current projects include The Oaks of Vernon Hills, a 332-unit LEED certified apartment community in Vernon Hills, Ill.; Enclave at Heritage Estates, an estate-style single-family home community in Lake Barrington, Ill.; The Residences of Orland Park Crossing, a transit-oriented 231 unit luxury rental community in Orland Park, Ill.; Watermark at the Grove, the first luxury rental community built in Elgin, Ill. since the late 1970s; and Northgate Crossing, an integral part of the 17-acre town center development with 288 apartment units in the village of Wheeling, Ill.

Brokering Success

Kinzie Group has made a distinctive mark in the industry as a trusted advisor on sales and marketing for many different property types ranging from single family homes to partially completed multi-family buildings and projects.

Leading the Kinzie Brokerage team is Steven Maher, principal and managing broker, who focuses primarily on the sale of multifamily investment properties and managing the sales and for clients’ development projects; Christine Lutz, director of residential brokerage at Kinzie Brokerage, who brings an analytical perspective to the home-buying and selling process by identifying unique opportunities within Chicago’s diverse residential market; and, Andy Kiener, vice president and director of project sales at Kinzie Brokerage, who, throughout his career, has been involved in generating over $1 billion of revenue in the development and management of residential real estate, throughout the United States. Together, they offer well-rounded solutions to complex real estate challenges.

“The seasoned leaders on the brokerage team [Maher, Lutz and Kiener] have been very successful together in the past so, when Andy Kiener joined Steven [Maher] and Christine [Lutz] over a year ago, we knew the combined 75 years of marketing experience behind this power trio would bring incredible value to the organization,” Spinell added.

What’s Next?

As Kinzie continues to diversify its business units, the company is inking new deals on a weekly basis. For example, they’ve provided development services consulting and will be the general contractor for Verandah, an age-restricted community of for-sale condos, townhomes and assisted-living residences coming to Hanover Park, Ill. Additionally, Kinzie is part of the team developing a multi-phase, master-planned community in Minneapolis, Minn. The company has also been named general contractor on a luxury rental community in Deer Park Crossing, teaming up with REVA Development Partners, and the brokerage division has been tapped as exclusive broker for a $4 million mansion on an 11-acre estate in Barrington Hills, Ill.

Spinell expects to see the addition of new team members to keep the company in step with current and future market trends. Kinzie’s growth has necessitated the opening of new corporate offices in Vernon Hills, further expanding the company’s presence in the Chicago market.

The development of a new web site focused solely on the company’s builder division is also in the works and will reflect the company’s commitment to continued evolution with fresh functionality and engaging interactivity.

“It’s our team of professionals who make this company a success,” noted Spinell. “The people are the life blood of this organization and, without the commitment and passion everyone brings to their job, our story would be much different.”

About Kinzie Real Estate Group

Kinzie Real Estate Group of Companies is a fully integrated real estate service provider based in Chicago. It serves the needs of clients in the Midwest and throughout the United States. Kinzie Builders plans to start more than $100 million in contracting of new multi-family, single-family and repurposed projects this year. For more information, visit www.kinziegroup.com.