Tjarksen Joins Kiser as a Managing Director

CHICAGO—The Kiser Group, a Chicago-based mid-market commercial real estate brokerage firm, has just chosen Susan Tjarksen, 53, as its senior managing director.

Tjarksen is a real estate veteran with 30 years of industry experience. In 2008, she founded Chicago-based STAR LLC, a national real estate firm she continues to operate that specializes in receivership, asset management, debt restructuring, refinance and brokerage services. As managing partner at Aries Real Estate Development in Chicago, she works in all areas of real estate development. Previously, she held management positions at other real estate development companies in Florida and Chicago.

"We are fortunate to welcome someone of Susan's caliber and ability to Kiser Group," says Estella Kiser, principal of Kiser Group. "This move will build our presence in the investment community through Susan's extensive connections and relationships with national private and public financial institutions and investors. With the commercial real estate recovery, our firm has grown tremendously in the past year, and this hire will facilitate even more growth for 2014."

Tjarksen has specialized in operating and managing real estate in receiverships and bankruptcy. She has planned, built, designed, financed and delivered projects totaling over $1.5 billion in revenue. Working with private clients and institutional firms, she has successfully zoned, built and sold 12,000 residential units, 2,500 hotel rooms and over 1-million-square-feet of retail and office space.

"There is robust investor demand for multifamily properties," Tjarksen says. "As a result, I'm focusing more on brokerage, and I chose to affiliate with Kiser Group because it's the best fit for me and my clients. My goal is to grow Kiser Group's business by helping my clients achieve their investment real estate goals."