I love my job. No really, I love my job. Sure, the money is good, and the hours are reasonable. Also, the freedom to work with who I choose is hard to beat. But what really excites me is the knowledge that I play a role in helping companies grow, which leads to more workers that get paid better than before. My favorite memories have all occurred at ground-breaking ceremonies (of which I’ve been involved in a dozen). Invariably, the owner of the company tells those gathered that outside of his marriage and the birth of his children, that this is the greatest day of his life. That the new building will allow the company to reach new heights and create a legacy. What could be greater than being part of that!
My hobby is fairly common – I love to travel. My goal is to be on an airplane once a month. I don’t always achieve that, but I try. Sometimes with my family, sometimes with just my wife. Sometimes with couples, sometimes with just the guys. Friends from high school, college, or work, it doesn’t matter. I just want to be on a plane once a month. Hopefully to a place or event that I’ve never been to before. While I like a nice restaurant or a fancy resort as much as the next guy, I’m probably more comfortable taking public transportation and eating street food, because you get to see how a place really is, not just the brochure version.
Inspired
“If you tell the truth you don't have to remember anything.”
Professional Background & Experience
Chris Gary is an Executive Vice President with NAI Hiffman specializing in industrial
real estate. Chris represents property owners, tenants and buyers in the greater
Chicagoland area, helping to create real estate solutions. Chris’ primary areas of
focus include properties within the Southern Chicago suburban industrial markets
and Indiana. In his career, Chris has completed over 400 deals, totaling over
32,000,000 square feet and over $1,000,000,000 in value. He has also served as
president of the Association of Industrial Real Estate Brokers and was named a CoStar
PowerBroker 2014 through 2018.
Prior to joining the firm, Chris gained exposure to the field of real estate working as
Vice President in industrial real estate for Darwin Realty & Development Corporation
for eight years. Prior to this he was founder and partner of JACK Golf Properties
LLC where he designed, developed and constructed a 26-acre golf practice center
in Justice, Illinois.
Professional Affiliations & Designations
- Real Estate Broker, Illinois & Indiana
- NAIOP Chicago Award of Excellence 2021 – Industrial Build-to-Suit Development of the Year (Duke Realty)
- NAIOP Commercial RE Development Association
- NAI Global Top 10 Producers – 2016
- CoStar Group Power Broker 2014 – 2018
- Association of Industrial Real Estate Brokers (AIRE), Past President
- Recipient of AIRE Frank Mahoney Award of Excellence (Newcomer of the Year award) 2006
Strategic Clients
A. Finkl & Sons | AMS Mechanical | Ashley Capital | Avgeris | Becknell Development | C-III Realty | Cabot | CenterPoint Properties | Dakkota | DP Partners | First Industrial | Folding Guard | Insulation Fabricators | Leeco Steel | Lincoln Financial | Link | Mirvac | ML Realty Partners | Multi-Wall | National Express | Nufarm Americas | Prologis | RREEF | Skender Construction | STAG | Venture One | Vienna Beef
Noteworthy Transactions
- Ashley Capital 5,174,743 SF (56 transactions)
- Becknell Development 1,761,994 SF (30 transactions)
- Lincoln Financial 1,385,633 SF (6 transactions)
- Glen Una 1,247,534 SF (13 transactions)
- Mirvac 1,024,147 SF (3 transactions)
- Multi-Wall 960,107 SF (3 transactions)
- Transwestern 878,280 SF (3 transactions)
- Link 877,475 SF (4 transactions)
- DP Partners 763,000 SF (3 transactions)
- C-III Realty 704,891 SF (5 transactions)
- Nufarm Americas 782,963 SF (8 transactions)
- Duke Realty 680,000 SF
- Cabot 642,455 SF (3 transactions)
- Jacobson Warehouse 612,015 SF (6 transactions)
- ML Realty Partners 517,687 SF (5 transactions)
- A. Finkl & Sons 508,000 SF
- RREEF 497,480 SF (4 transactions)
- Prologis 435,361 SF (2 transactions)
- STAG 405,804 SF (2 transactions)
- Insulation Fabricators 371,934 SF (5 transactions)
- First Industrial 369,000 SF (4 transactions)
- Dakkota 247,000 SF
- AMS Mechanical 232,714 SF (3 transactions)
- Warehousers of Lafayette 200,100 SF