DuPage Realtor of year traces roots back to Iowa farm
Realtor Pat Callan, managing broker and owner of Realty Executives Premiere in Wheaton, has been in the industry for about 40 years and remains active with his professional associations here and nationwide.
His extensive work in the profession led to achieving the Realtor of the Year from the Illinois Association of Realtors. He’ll formally accept the award April 2 at a banquet at the Hilton Hotel in Springfield.
The accountant-turned-real estate pro loves the industry, he says, but credits a 240-acre farm in Woodward, Iowa, for germinating and nurturing that love.
“It’s still a working farm and we all use it from time to time,” Callan said.
The farm has been in the family for about 125 years, passed from generation to generation through an uncle who had emigrated from Ireland, Callan said.
While his uncle didn’t have any direct descendants, the nieces and nephews have all worked on the farm, and later, used it as a retreat. The farm has raised cattle, hogs and chickens at one time, but now mostly grows corn and soybeans, Callan said.
It was a segue for Callan, who owns a parcel of the farm, to have a fondness of real estate. His brother and three sisters also own parcels of the farm, he said.
Earlier in his career, Callan started out as an accountant after graduating from Notre Dame and worked at various companies, including Del Webb in Oak Brook and in Virginia, as well as CMD Corp. He first became interested in real estate as an investor and then morphed into the brokerage side, he said.
He added that he enjoys owning his own firm now because he’s able to help people realize their goals.
At 66, he has no plans to retire, but instead wants to continue in real estate. The Glen Ellyn resident has already served as president of the Mainstreet Organization of Realtors and the Illinois Association of Realtors and has served on the board of the National Association of Realtors. So he remains entrenched in the latest developments as the real estate continues to emerge from some tough years.
“Sure, there have been some tough years, and we’ve had to tighten our belts. And some competitors have done the same. But we have gotten very efficient at what we do and waited for the turnaround, which is happening,” he said.
Speaking of real estate firms ...
Ben Broughton, who left the tool and die industry 11 years ago to go into real estate sales, has acquired Re/Max Connections in Marengo from its founder, Laura Heinberg. She’ll remain on board as a managing partner but “plans to slow down and retire some day,” she said.
Anderson-Heller honored
Christina Anderson-Heller, marketing director of Lynfred Winery in Roselle and member of Meet Chicago Northwest in Schaumburg, received the Lincoln Award for outstanding tourism marketing hosted by the Illinois Office of Tourism. She was among 15 finalists honored for their work in the tourism industry.
FastTrack
Gino Bonanotte, executive vice president and chief financial officer for Schaumburg-based Motorola Solutions, travels to San Francisco to speak Feb. 12 at the Goldman Sachs Technology and Internet Conference. ... J. Patrick Gallagher Jr., chairman, president and CEO of Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. in Itasca, travels to New York to speak at the Bank of America Merrill Lynch Insurance Conference on Feb. 13.
Matthew J. Janik of Cary has joined BlueGrace Logistics in Oak Brook as a senior account executive. He was sales director for Time Messenger & Trucking in Elk Grove Village. ... Melania “Lani” Craddock is the new leader of the global Food Market Sector group at Northlake-based Scholle Packaging.
Arlington Heights resident Tom Kuehne is the new secretary for the 2014 board of trustees at the Illinois Municipal Retirement Fund. He is also finance director and treasurer for the village of Arlington Heights. ... Howard Brandeisky, senior vice president of global marketing and customer solutions at Fisher Nuts, said the company had nine of its products certified as heart-healthy by the American Heart Association. Fisher is owned by John B. Sanfilippo & Son Inc. in Elgin.
Bruce Eiseman of Glen Ellyn and David Wolterink of Elgin each own and operate their own home-based Five Star Painting franchises. And they plan to be at The Old House New House Home Show on Feb. 7, 8 and 9 at Pheasant Run Resort in St. Charles. ... Stephen W. DeFilippis, owner of DeFilippis Financial Group in Wheaton, said the firm has redesigned its website at www.defilippisfinancial.com.
Mike Brown will become the new regional president and CEO for Presence Mercy Medical Center in Aurora and Presence Saint Joseph Hospital in Elgin. He is currently in the same position overseeing hospitals for Presence in Danville and Urbana, Ill. ... Brian McClimans has been promoted to vice president of global business development at Peerless-AV, a supplier of digital signage and kiosks in Aurora. ... Norman Miller arrives next month at Hoffman Estates-based Sears Holdings to become its senior vice president and president of automotive. He’ll move from Chester Springs, Penn., to the area.
Jean Regan, president and CEO of TranzAct Technologies in Elmhurst, has been awarded national and international certifications as a women’s business enterprise by the U.S. Women’s Chamber of Commerce. ... J. Randall Tieman of Wilmette is the new director of real estate development at Mortenson Construction, which is expanding its full-service real estate solutions in the Chicago area.
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