Latitude Commercial continues to grow its team, adding new brokers and property managers who offer diverse portfolios of experience and unique perspectives. This fall marked one of the full-service commercial real estate firm’s largest periods of growth yet, as the company added Property Manager Chris Marshall and Associate Broker Ken Turner.
Both men came to Latitude from different backgrounds, and both are already making strides in helping Latitude expand in the Region and beyond.
Chris Marshall
Recruited to Latitude as a property manager, Marshall comes from a background in the industry – albeit in a somewhat different scope. He spent years working in facilities, managing individual properties for educational institutions and corporations. Using that experience, he is growing Latitude’s business in Porter and La Porte counties, managing properties for businesses of all kinds.
Marshall's most recent experience came as an employee of a massive corporation – a Fortune 500 company. He commuted to Chicago daily but grew weary of the corporate environment and daily travel to the city and started thinking about local opportunities.
“I really wanted to dive into the third-party property management space here in Northwest Indiana,” Marshall said. “This is my community. It’s an opportunity to immerse myself here in the Region. With Latitude, I really fell in love with the mission and values I heard about in conversations with Ryne [Pishkur, director of property management].”
Marshall resonated with Latitude’s mission to grow with Northwest Indiana and the more tightly-knit nature of its office.
“I really wanted to find somewhere with a sense of belonging,” he said. “At that large firm, it was kind of just going through the motions – everything was already established. Here, it’s an opportunity to buy into something and really push it forward.”
He noted there are a few key qualities to finding success as a property manager. They need to be adaptable and responsive, ready to quickly address any situation. They also, he said, need excellent people skills – communication is key
“It’s all about building relationships, especially with the property owners and also with tenants,” he said. “I like being a mediator, sitting in the middle and working out what’s best for our clients while taking care of the tenants. I really value the opportunity to network, grow, and cultivate those relationships.”
Ken Turner
Previously a Tax Partner, a certified public accountant and attorney, with PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC), one of the largest consulting firms in the world, Turner decided to enter the real estate business as a broker with a specific goal in mind. He and his brother, whose career has historically been in real estate development, are in the process of building a four-story office building in downtown Valparaiso.
“It’s kind of a monumental effort, so I thought, ‘Perhaps I can become a broker so I can help in the process of securing future tenants?’” Turner said. “Since I already knew Aaron McDermott, the president here at Latitude through our Board Membership with the United Way Northwest Indiana, working with Latitude seemed like a natural fit.”
Over 35 years at PwC, Turner consistently focused on the development of client relationships. He plans to leverage that experience for the future success of the Valparaiso development along with other properties in the bustling area.
“I’m somewhat new to this business, but I’m diving in with both feet,” he said. “With my prior career, a lot of the relationships I built were all over the country. Here at Latitude, it’s much more local. That’s the biggest objective: building connections with businesses around the area.”
The key to establishing those connections, Turner said, is making sure to meet expectations every time. You never want to overpromise, but you absolutely never want to under-deliver,” he said. Turner is eager to help Latitude find new avenues to explore in the Region and admires the company’s commitment to community.
“The culture here is very communicative and comfortable,” he said. “I’ve been welcomed into the fold. The people here at Latitude have a significant number of transactions and relationships, and it’s been fantastic to see how they’ve been able to develop them. It’s always amazing to me how well they’ve done.”
To learn more about Latitude Commercial, visit latitudeco.com.