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Keith Lord Biography

Keith Lord
President & Managing Partner, The Lord Companies, LLC

 

 

 

 

Since 1986, Keith Lord has served as President and General Partner of The Lord Companies, L.L.C., a diversified real estate corporation with consulting, brokerage and development divisions specializing in urban infill and adaptive re-use brokerage, design, and development. The Companies’ clients range from developers, Fortune 500 corporations, banks, law firms, private individuals, and the City of Chicago. In 2004, Keith Lord, along with Scott Fithian, were named the City of Chicago’s “Top Retail Leasing Owner’s Representation Brokers” by the Commercial Forum Awards. In 2012 he received the Top Producer Gold Sales Award by Chicago Commercial Forum for investment sales. Crain's Chicago Business has named Keith as "Most Influential Broker in Chicago."

In 2009, Mr. Lord was a founding partner of Lord Financial Advisors, LLC. He is currently the President and Manager. Lord Financial Advisors provides distressed asset consulting and disposition services to financial institutions including banks, credit unions, insurance companies, private equity firms, and state banking associations. The principals of Lord Financial Advisors have over 80 years of combined experience in asset sales, real estate development, lending, and asset management. Lord Financial Advisors has proven success in helping financial institutions increase operating capital and reduce losses by maximizing value in the sale of performing and non-performing loans, loans in foreclosure and Real Estate Owned.

Mr. Lord is the President of the Retail Brokers Network which has over 65 independent commercial retail real estate offices, including 5 offices in Canada and Mexico the RBN Network has over 600 brokers in North America, providing local expertise to retailers, developers and investors within the United States and Canada. The Retail Brokers Network is one of the largest independent brokers’ associations in North America.

Prior to The Lord Companies, Mr. Lord developed real estate for The Trammell Crow Company which, at the time, was the largest real estate company in the country. Major clients included AT&T, Seimans, Hanover Insurance, NEC, Unisys, Quaker Oats, and Prime Computers. In 1985, Mr. Lord was an investment banker for Lehman Brothers based in New York and Chicago. His focus was on institutional fixed income and real estate and mortgage-backed securities.

From 1984 to 1985, Mr. Lord attended the Kellogg Graduate School of Management at Northwestern University in Chicago, Illinois, where he received Masters Degrees in both Marketing and Finance. Prior to graduate school, Mr. Lord managed a $45 million division of the Procter and Gamble Company. He maintained full general manager responsibilities which included strategic planning, finance, sales management, and marketing. While at Procter and Gamble, Mr. Lord also served as a Brand Manager and Strategic Brand Introduction Consultant.

With his extensive experience in his field, Mr. Lord has been published in numerous periodicals regarding real estate and lectured at graduate and undergraduate levels regarding real estate and real estate finance. He has also been a regular panelist and moderator for real estate forums. Mr. Lord has spoken coast to coast regarding consumer, economic and development trends and how they have and will effect the Real Estate industry.

Mr. Lord is heavily involved in the Chicago non-profit sector and has served on over 15 boards and been elected President of 8 organizations. Mr. Lord lives in Chicago on the north side of the City.

Education

  • St. Louis County Day School (high school) 1976
  • Denison University (B.S. Political Science) 1980
  • Northwestern University’s Kellogg Graduate School of Management (M.B.A. Marketing and M.B.A. Finance) 1985

Club Affiliations

  • Tavern Club of Chicago: (Past Junior Board member, Junior Board President, Board member, Vice President, Membership Committee, Chairman of Membership Committee)
  • Point ‘O’ Woods Country Club: (Michigan)
  • Lincoln Park Builders Club: (Past Vice President – House, Past President, current Membership Chairman, Director)
  • “The Order” Veiled Prophet: (St. Louis)

Civic/Philanthropic

  • Rogers Park Community Council (Vice President)
  • Rogers Park Community Council Community Development Corporation (Past President)
  • Lakeside Community Development Corporation (Founding Member – Past President)
  • Loyola Beach Neighborhood Association (Founding Member, Past President
  • Planning NOW Consultant (City of Chicago)
  • City of Chicago Wabash Street Redevelopment Council (Past)
  • Chicago Catholic Charities, Help Ease Local Poverty (HELP)
  • Greater North Michigan Avenue Association
  • Kellogg (KGSM) Alumni Club
  • City of Chicago Department of Planning Consultant Past)

Other Associations

  • Past President of the Retail Brokers Network of North America
  • Chicago Association of Realtors, National Association Realtors, International Council of Shopping Centers. National Retail Brokers Network (Former RBN President)