Sean J. Conlon

Sean J. Conlon grew up in the small village of Rathangan, County Kildare, Ireland and has become one of real estate's leading entrepreneurs.

Sean J. Conlon

Before immigrating to America in 1990, Sean attended the College of Marketing and Design Dublin Institute of Technology in Dublin and worked as a credit analyst for Lehman Brothers in London. Upon his arrival in America, Sean found work as a janitor.

In 1993, he joined Koenig & Strey and within a few years, Sean became recognized as one of the leading sellers of residential real estate in the US, while still only in his 20's. His relentless work ethic (he regularly worked 100-hour weeks), led to sales volumes that grew exponentially each year. Sean set yearly sales records nationally among real estate agents that exceeded $170 million.

Conlon made his name buying small homes and replacing them with three-story condominiums and single family homes. Previously in Chicago, builders created developments and brought them to estate agents who sold them, but Conlon devised a new formula where he found the land, architect, builders and then marketed the entire project. This soup-to-nuts process made him one of the most successful real estate entrepreneurs in Chicago.

In January 2000, he formed Sussex & Reilly ("Sussex"), an Illinois-based real estate brokerage firm. Sussex began with a 10-person staff and quickly became a major player in Chicago residential real estate. Sussex grew to over 300 employees and annual brokerage sales volume in excess of $1 billion, Sean subsequently sold Sussex in 2006.

Also in 2000, Conlon started Conlon & Co: A Real Estate Merchant Bank to provide real estate consulting and financial services to clients within the many facets of the industry. Conlon & Co consults to funds, institutions and high-net-worth individuals, providing these clients with advice, asset evaluation, acquisition support and portfolio management. His current clients are investing upwards of $100 million in real estate throughout the US.

In 2004, Sean, in partnership, acquired Near North National Title ("Near North"). Near North, a national real estate title company established in 1988, handles up to $5 billion in real estate transactions annually across the US He subsequently sold Near North in February 2010.

He continued his entrepreneurial spirit and, in 2005, launched Connaught Real Estate Finance a $100 million mezzanine fund that lends money to developers.

In 2007, he started Conlon & Co| Europe with an office in Dublin that advises European investors placing money in American projects.

Sean also co-owns, Van & Conlon which built has developed 100 vacation homes, and in 2009 he returned to residential real estate brokerage.

In June 2013, CONLON became affiliated with one of the world’s real estate networks, Christie’s International Real Estate. Christie's is one of the oldest privately held brands in the world. Their International Real Estate division specializing in high-end properties has offices worldwide including London, Sydney, Italy, New York and Hong Kong and now that CONLON has become a Christie’s exclusive affiliate, an office in Chicago. CONLON will remain an independent part of a Christie’s global organization.

Conlon has been featured in Crain's Chicago Business'Crain's Chicago Business "40 under 40".[1]

References

  1. ↑ http://www.chicagobusiness.com/cgi-bin/article.pl?portal_id=35&page_id=814
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