Brett Tomfohrde

Director, Real Estate Development

Responsibilities

Directs and coordinates the acquisition, development, leasing and marketing and obtains necessary jurisdictional permits and approvals for projects across multiple sectors
Leverages product-type expertise to provide input on real estate development and acquisition business strategy and implements strategy
Performs market, site feasibility and end-use analysis and coordinates due diligence and financial pro-forma modeling and analysis collaboratively with design-build, architecture and engineering associates
Works and negotiates with brokers, clients, communities and other stakeholders to create the right product for the market
Coordinates and monitors design, project management and construction activities, including project schedules and budgets, and regularly visits project site
Directs and coordinates the lease and sale of space within existing and proposed developments
Maintains current market knowledge through assembly and analyses of market data and anticipates future trends likely to impact the organization

Experience

Brett began his career in the industrial real estate industry in 2013 and joined us in 2021. He gained his initial experience with NAI Hiffman where he provided acquisition, disposition and leasing solutions for owners and tenants of industrial real estate. Prior to joining our team, he specialized in the I-55, Central DuPage, I-88 and Fox Valley submarkets. He completed over 110 transactions totaling over $500 million in transaction volume. This allowed him the opportunity to become familiar with the Chicago industrial real estate market and make valuable relationships in the industry which aids his current role.

Throughout his career, Brett has developed and used many skills, including negotiation, ability to work under pressure and relationship building. When working on an industrial project in North Aurora, Illinois, Brett prompted the joint venture capital partner to build out improvements such as speculative office, lighting and painting the columns yellow to help entice leasing. By sharing his industry knowledge through suggested solutions, a strong tenant was quickly secured who required a turnkey space immediately. The additional effort and collaboration yielded a successful result.

A very involved leader and team member, Brett contributes to all discussions regarding our industrial projects in our markets. Specifically, he brings added value in the lease proposals and marketing outreach due to his prior broker experience.

In his free time, Brett can be found on a golf course; he also enjoys hunting, reading and traveling.

Career Highlights

2015 NAI Hiffman Emerging Leader Award (top performing new broker)
2017 AIRE Frank Mahoney Award ( top performing broker in the Chicagoland market with less than five years of experience)