CHICAGO (PRWEB) October 12, 2016 -- Chicago-based @properties, the largest independent real estate brokerage firm in Illinois, won the Chicagoland Entrepreneurial Center’s 2016 Merrick Momentum Award. The awards were presented by CEC and digital startup hub 1871 at the 9th Annual Momentum Awards Dinner, held at the Radisson Blu Aqua Hotel on Thursday, Oct. 6.
The prestigious awards program honors leading individuals and institutions that embody the unique and selfless spirit of entrepreneurship in Chicago. @properties was among seven finalists for the Momentum Award, with other nominees including SpotHero, Uptake, Rise Interactive, Civis Analytics, Learnmetrics and Caremerge.
“It’s such an honor to receive this award,” said @properties co-founder Thaddeus Wong. “The nominees represent some of Chicago’s most innovative companies, and to emerge as the winner is simply incredible.”
Established in 2000, @properties has grown from a four-person boutique brokerage with $40 million in sales to the 11th largest brokerage firm in the U.S. by sales volume, with nearly $8 billion in annual sales. Its 5-year sales growth of 293 percent is quadruple the Chicago market rate during that same period.
According to Wong and co-founder Michael Golden, @properties has evolved from a real estate services company into a platform for a number of business and civic ventures. Over the last few years, the company has made investments in a number of local tech startups including PointDrive (recently acquired by LinkedIn), Konverse, TurboAppeal and Kahoots; operated a non-profit foundation to raise hundreds of thousands of dollars for local charities; and teamed up with artists, including Hebru Brantley and Matthew Hoffman to bring art installations to a number of Chicago neighborhoods.
“Whether it’s a philanthropic partnership or a new tech startup at 1871, we are constantly exploring new ways to leverage our local platform and move Chicago forward,” said Golden. “Entrepreneurship is a huge part of the culture at @properties, and we’re proud to be recognized by such a distinguished group.”
About @properties
Established in 2000, @properties is the No. 1 real estate brokerage firm in the city of Chicago, the largest independent residential brokerage firm in Illinois and one of the top 11 residential brokerage firms in the U.S. @properties has more than 2,000 licensed brokers in 23 offices throughout downtown Chicago, surrounding suburbs, southwest Michigan and southeast Wisconsin. For more information, visit http://www.atproperties.com.
About 1871
1871 is the home of almost 500 early-stage, high-growth digital startups. Located in The Merchandise Mart, this 130,000 square foot facility is also the headquarters of nationally recognized accelerators Techstars Chicago and the Good Food Business Accelerator; impact investing fund Impact Engine; half a dozen industry-specific incubators in key areas such as real estate, education technology, food and financial technology; several emerging tech talent schools (Fullstack Academy, Actualize, Future Founders, Designation and Evolve Security Academy), and the state's leading technology advocate, the Illinois Science and Technology Coalition. It is the second home to Chicago-based VCs, Pritzker Group Venture Capital, MATH Venture Partners, Hyde Park Angels, OCA Ventures, and Chicago Ventures, as well as satellite offices for DePaul University, Northwestern University, University of Illinois, University of Chicago, Loyola University Chicago, Illinois Institute of Technology and DeVry. 1871 has fast become recognized as the hub for the city’s entrepreneurial/technology ecosystem and has been featured in Inc. Magazine, TechCrunch, The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times, Chicago Tribune and Crain’s Chicago Business among other top media. 1871 is the flagship project of the Chicagoland Entrepreneurial Center.
Peter Olesker, @properties, http://www.atproperties.com, +1 312-334-8360, [email protected]
SOURCE @properties
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