Chad Gilbert

President and Owner
RE/MAX Suburban

“Win more listings. Close more deals.” That is the motto at RE/MAX Suburban, and after only a year as the brokerage’s president and owner, Chad Gilbert has learned to embody it. “We make every decision with that mission in mind,” he says. That focus has paid off: in the year since Gilbert took the helm, RE/MAX Suburban has completed one acquisition and effectively grown by 20 percent. The brokerage is currently the No. 1 RE/MAX office in Chicagoland, and the No. 16 RE/MAX brokerage nationwide.

Like many, if not most, Gilbert did not start in real estate, but he says it is where he always wanted to end up. “When I was in high school, I worked for a developer,” he says. “It’s been a lifelong dream to work in real estate.” Before taking the reins at RE/MAX Suburban, Gilbert filled an executive sales position, helping lead the national strategy of his former company. “My background provides me with a unique skillset to partner with our agents with the aim of achieving their goals,” he says of his own role, which is to ultimately support his agents from culture to sales. “We support our agents as individuals,” he says, explaining that by evaluating the specific needs of each agent, RE/MAX Suburban is able to formulate more effective and efficient strategies for them. “Win more listings. Close more deals,” he reiterates.

Gilbert’s approach has helped RE/MAX Suburban grow over the past year; that growth includes the acquisition of RE/MAX Experts of Buffalo Grove in January, which brought the brokerage’s broker count to 215 and its 2015 sales to more than $1.1 billion. Watching his firm grow and his agents prosper, Gilbert says it inspires him. “They make me want to do my job better,” he says. “I try to raise the bar every day.”

Bolstering his 10-plus years of national sales experience, Gilbert is also a member of MRED’s committee on technology and a board member of the Small Business Advocacy Council. It is a point of pride for Gilbert to be able to work on behalf of small businesses. His advocacy, though, extends beyond business. Through a shared effort, RE/MAX Suburban and its agents have contributed more than $300,000 to the Children’s Miracle Network. The brokerage is the organization’s largest donor in Northern Illinois. “It’s a great cause,” Gilbert says. “We’re happy to give back.”

Thanks to Heidi Seagren for letting us use her beautiful listing for our photo shoots.