JLL Expands Chicago Industrial Real Estate Team With Five Hires as Leasing Demand Surges

JLL has added a five-person industrial real estate team to its Chicago O'Hare office, the firm announced June 4, 2026, significantly expanding its coverage across the Chicago metropolitan area's most active industrial corridors at a time when regional leasing demand is accelerating.

Adam Haefner, SIOR, joins as Managing Director; Marty Mikaitis and Zeke Rowan as Executive Vice Presidents; Nick Fazio as Vice President; and Anne McGrath as Sales Coordinator. Collectively, the team brings transaction experience spanning more than 50 million square feet and over $2.5 billion in total consideration.

Industrial Real Estate Leasing Rebounds Across Chicago Corridors

The hires arrive against a backdrop of renewed leasing momentum in the Chicago industrial market. According to JLL's Q1 2026 U.S. Industrial Market Dynamics report, Chicago-area new leasing totaled 14.4 million square feet in the first quarter, a gain of more than 19% year-over-year. The firm attributed the increase in part to occupiers that deferred real estate decisions through much of 2025 moving forward on previously shelved requirements.

Nationally, industrial leasing activity surged 17.8% year-over-year in the first quarter, with net absorption reaching 50.9 million square feet, according to the same report.

"Chicago's industrial market is at an inflection point — demand is strengthening, build-to-suit activity is accelerating, and clients are navigating more complex decisions around supply chain configuration and site selection than at any point in recent memory," said Jackie Shropshire, Chicago Industrial Lead at JLL. "This team has spent their careers in the specific corridors and deal types where that demand is most concentrated. Their command of the I-55 and I-80 corridors, Northwest Indiana, and South Chicago, combined with serious institutional relationships and a proven track record in development and investment, gives JLL a meaningfully stronger position across the full southern arc of the Chicago market."

Team Profiles

Adam Haefner brings 26 years of commercial real estate experience advising institutional owners and corporate clients on landlord and tenant representation, build-to-suit projects, investment sales, site acquisitions, and sale-leasebacks across the Chicago metropolitan area and internationally. He has participated in transactions totaling more than 50 million square feet and over $2.5 billion in total consideration over the course of his career. Haefner is a past president of the Association of Industrial Real Estate Brokers and a member of SIOR and NAIOP. Prior to joining Avison Young, he served as Director of Brokerage Services at DarwinPW Realty.

Marty Mikaitis focuses on the I-55 South Corridor, I-80 markets in Illinois, and Northwest Indiana, and manages national site-selection assignments across a range of industries — a capability the firm described as increasingly in demand as companies reconfigure supply chains in response to shifting trade policy and reshoring priorities. At his prior firm, Mikaitis participated in transactions totaling over 10 million square feet, more than 1,400 acres, and $800 million in total consideration. He developed his industrial brokerage expertise at Darwin Realty and began his career as a sales trader in financial markets.

Zeke Rowan brings a decade of industrial real estate experience with a primary focus on the North I-55 corridor, South Chicago, South Suburbs, and Northwest Indiana. His practice spans tenant and owner representation, build-to-suit and development projects, and investment acquisition and disposition, with particular depth in institutional investment sales. Rowan participated in transactions totaling 17.5 million square feet, 1,976 acres, and over $1.6 billion in total consideration. He holds a BS from the University of Illinois and is a licensed real estate broker in Illinois.

Nick Fazio, a Chicago native, brings submarket knowledge of the I-55 corridor and surrounding submarkets, focusing on landlord representation locally and tenant representation across Chicagoland and nationally. He participated in transactions totaling 5.3 million square feet, 750 acres, and over $675 million in total consideration. Fazio holds a BS in Advertising from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign and is a licensed real estate broker in Illinois.

Anne McGrath brings more than 24 years of experience supporting industrial brokerage teams. As a licensed real estate broker, she will support the team in daily operations, marketing, transaction management, client reporting, and event coordination. McGrath previously served Fortune 500 clients including General Motors, General Electric, and Sears Holdings across transaction and property management roles.

Institutional Client Roster

The team's client portfolio includes institutional investors and corporate users such as Kury Industrial, Prologis, Crow Holdings, Venture One, Clear Height Properties, Transport Properties, TradeLane Properties, Newly Weds Foods, AUI Fine Foods, MWD Logistics, and Crescent Foods.

JLL (NYSE: JLL) reported annual revenue of $26.1 billion and operations in over 80 countries as of March 31, 2026, with a global workforce of more than 113,000. The firm provides services across office, industrial, hotel, multi-family, retail, and data center property types.