CHICAGO—Cushman & Wakefield is joining forces with J.F. McKinney & Associates in the Chicago market, a deal that will position C&W as a market leader for agency leasing in the region. The acquisition, which is expected to close by month's end, has implications beyond Chicago and goes into the realm of C&W's national and global platform, North America CEO John Santora tells GlobeSt.com.

“The combination puts us in a fabulous position from an agency leasing standpoint,” says Santora. He points out that the McKinney team works on “some really iconic properties” in Chicago, including the Merchandise Mart and John Hancock Center, as part of its 16-million-square-foot purview.

Santora cites the depth of the client relationships established by Jack McKinney, who founded J.F. McKinney in 1990 and who will join C&W as vice chairman. “Those relationships will help expand into other markets for us,” and having McKinney share his best practices with the national platform represents another boon.

It's not only McKinney's expertise, and that of his team, that will benefit C&W beyond the immediate region. “These institutional players that own properties in Chicago also own properties in other markets around the country,” Santora points out.

He likens the J.F. McKinney deal to C&W's recent acquisition of another regional powerhouse, this one on the investment sales side: Massey Knakal Realty Services in the New York tri-state region. “The strength of that platform is in the tri-state area, but again, the relationships you build based on your success and performance can help us in another markets,” says Santora. Earlier this year, C&W also bolstered its platform in still another area with its acquisition of Carlsbad, CA-based Property Tax Resources.

Over the past quarter century, J.F. McKinney has overseen the leasing of nearly 25 million square feet of office. Goldman Sachs, IBM, Mayer Brown, Hyatt Corp., Accenture, Tate & Lyle, Abbot Laboratories and the American Hospital Association all have come aboard as anchor tenants in Chicago-area properties thanks to the firm's efforts.

In his new role with C&W, McKinney will be responsible for leading the Chicago agency leasing practice. He will also be part of C&W's national leadership, focused on growing the agency leasing business and expanding the firm's relationships with institutional clients.