Dan O’Neill named to Midwest Real Estate Hall of Fame

Congrats to our very own, Dan O’Neill, on being named to Midwest Real Estate’s Hall of Fame!

Knowledge and relationships matter: NAI Hiffman’s Daniel O’Neill consistently closes the biggest commercial deals, year after year. He’s built an ever-expanding base of big-name clients.

How has he done this? As O’Neill says, there is no secret formula. It comes down to market knowledge and earning the trust of his clients. O’Neill works hard to deliver the best results to his clients, whether they are selling a property or leasing space. Because he knows the Chicago area and its suburbs so well, he knows when properties are priced right. He also takes the time to understand the needs of his clients, working hard to find them commercial space that checks off every item on their wish lists.

It’s this combination that has made O’Neill one of the top-producing commercial pros in the Chicago-area market.

“I value the importance of deep market knowledge,” O’Neill said. “This extends to knowing all of the assets in your market, the tenants in the market and your competition. But of equal and in many ways of more significant worth, is the value of your relationships, because commercial real estate is a business built on trust.”

A history of success: O’Neill began his career with NAI Hiffman in 1994, back when it was known as Hiffman Shaffer Associates. Today, he is a partner in one of the top-producing brokerage teams in Chicago. Results matter in this business, and O’Neill gets them. That’s why his client list includes such big names as TH Realty, formerly TIAA-CREF; Equity Office; Blackstone; The Davis Companies; LNR Partners; and Sun Life Financial.

It’s also why you’ll see O’Neill’s name attached to the biggest commercial transactions each year. O’Neill recently closed a 202,000-square-foot sale to Ryan Companies in Oak brook; a 131,000-square-foot lease for SKF USA in Naperville; and a 62,000-square-foot lease for Rasmussen College in Oak Brook.

A true consultant: O’Neill began his commercial real estate career immediately after graduating from college. What has kept him in the industry for so long? This veteran points to the satisfaction he gets from helping his clients meet their real estate needs.

“I enjoy being able to offer sound advice based on the well-developed instincts I’ve cultivated over the past two decades in the industry,” O’Neill said. “Reducing costs and maximizing the return on a real estate investment is essential for the competitive position of any company, and it provides me with great satisfaction when my expertise helps corporations meet their goals.”

A steady presence in an uncertain market: No two days are the same in commercial real estate. It’s impossible to predict what challenges might face a broker on any given day.

This doesn’t bother O’Neill. In fact, it’s one of the factors he enjoys about the commercial real estate business.

“It’s important to understand the unexpected variables and the influences that impact market volatility,” O’Neill said. “Understanding how these fluctuations impact an asset, and the timing required to position it for the maximum outcome, are the components that make commercial real estate challenging, but also that make it an exciting business to be in.”

View the full Midwest Real Estate Hall of Fame issue here.