CR Magazine – Winter 2017

DIRECTOR
ANTJE GEHRKEN
DIRECTOR
NICK LIBERT
EXIT Strategy Realty
What is your favorite karaoke song?
Anything by Britney Spears or Selena
Gomez.
What skill would you love to learn?
I'd love to re-learn how to play the
piano or speak Spanish. I’ve forgotten
both over the years.
DIRECTOR
CHRIS PEZZA
A.R.E. Partners, Inc.
What was your dream job as a kid?
I wanted to be a writer or a rock star.
I became a songwriter AND a rock star!
Then something better came along, so
now I run A.R.E. Partners!
What’s the most unusual job you’ve
had? I was a trolley driver giving tours
of this great city of ours. It was definitely
unusual for me and a challenging job. The
working title of my autobiography from
that time period: “My Trolley Has No Bell.
The Life and Times of Antje Gehrken.”
DIRECTOR
MARTY WALSH
Dream Town Realty
What was your dream job as a kid?
Astronaut.
What is the best advice a mentor has
given you? “People tell you who they are
and what they want; it’s up to you
to listen.”
Miller Chicago, LLC
What was your dream job as a kid?
Second baseman for the Chicago Cubs.
What is the best advice a mentor has
given you? Make every day the greatest
of your life, because why not?
What’s the most unusual job you’ve
had? Buyer Rep. Stuff gets weird on the
buy side.
DIRECTOR
NYKEA PIPPION-McGRIFF
Dream Town Realty
What is your favorite karaoke song?
Anything from BDP or Eric B & Rakim.
What skill would you love to learn?
A martial art.
DIRECTOR
SARAH WARE
Ware Realty Group, LLC
What was your dream job as a kid?
Kindergarten teacher.
What is your favorite karaoke song?
Michael Jackson’s “Billie Jean.”
DIRECTOR
VICKY SILVANO
Century 21 S.G.R., Inc.
What is the best advice a mentor has
given you? Never give up! I’ve had so
many ups and downs in my profession and
a great mentor told me this when I was in
one of my low points. And this stuck!
What skill would you love to learn? I
would like to learn to ride a motorcycle!
DIRECTOR
ANDY SHIPARSKI
Coldwell Banker Residential Brokerage
What is the best advice a mentor has
given you? Show up early and work
harder and smarter than anybody else.
What’s the most unusual job you’ve
had? Worked at a feed mill loading
semi-trucks with a two wheeler.
DIRECTOR
DAVE NASO
Keller Williams Realty – Chicago
Lincoln Park
What was your dream job as a kid?
When I was really young, I wanted
to be a train conductor!
What is the best advice a mentor
has given you? Focus on your top 20
percent, and what I mean by that is,
your top money-producing activities.
It's very easy in the business to be
distracted by tasks that don’t make
you money. Leverage those tasks
so you can focus on growing your
business.
DIRECTOR
KEVIN VAN ECK
@properties
What was your dream job as a kid?
Marine Biologist – beluga whales are
the best.
What is the best advice a mentor has
given you? Don’t have the steak dinner
to celebrate the win. You already feel
great. Have the steak dinner when you
need to pick yourself back up.
CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER
GINGER DOWNS
Chicago Association of REALTORS ®
What is your favorite karaoke song?
New York, New York!
What skill would you love to learn?
Painting, focusing on mixed media art.
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