JLL expands Chicago Industrial team with 5 new hires

CHICAGO, June 4, 2026 – JLL announced today that a five-person industrial team has joined its Chicago O’Hare office, significantly expanding the firm’s capabilities across the Chicago Metropolitan area’s most active industrial corridors. 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.

The team brings deep specialization across the I-55, I-80, and Northwest Indiana markets — submarkets that have seen renewed leasing momentum heading into 2026. According to JLL’s Q1 2026 U.S. Industrial Market Dynamics report, national industrial leasing activity surged 17.8% year-over-year in the first quarter, with net absorption reaching 50.9 million square feet. Chicago-area new leasing totaled 14.4 million square feet in Q1, up more than 19% year-over-year, as occupiers that deferred decisions through much of 2025 moved forward on previously shelved requirements. Collectively, the incoming team brings transaction experience spanning more than 50 million square feet and over $2.5 billion in total consideration.

“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.”

Adam Haefner, SIOR | Managing Director

With 26 years of commercial real estate experience, Haefner advises 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. Over the course of his career, he has participated in transactions totaling more than 50 million square feet and over $2.5 billion in total consideration. He is the past president of the Association of Industrial Real Estate Brokers (AIRE) and a member of SIOR and NAIOP. Prior to joining Avison Young, he served as Director of Brokerage Services at Darwin Realty.

Marty Mikaitis | Executive Vice President

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 increasingly in demand as companies reconfigure supply chains in response to shifting trade policy and reshoring priorities. He participated in transactions totaling over 10 million square feet, more than 1,400 acres, and $800& million in total consideration at his prior firm. He developed his industrial brokerage expertise at Darwin Realty and began his career as a sales trader in financial markets.

Zeke Rowan | Executive Vice President

Rowan brings a decade of industrial 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. He 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 | Vice President

A Chicago native, Fazio brings deep 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. He holds a BS in Advertising from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign and is a licensed real estate broker in Illinois.

Anne McGrath | Sales Coordinator

McGrath brings more than 24 years of experience supporting top-tier 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. Anne served Fortune 500 clients including General Motors, General Electric, and Sears Holdings across transaction and property management roles.

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

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