“The Rust Belt has a hard-working group of employees, and I'm expecting that there is going to be growth and opportunities in many of the markets,” he says.

The Chicago industrial market, for example, continues to put up impressive numbers. And Kansas City, with its advanced intermodal facilities, seems poised to reap the benefits of a focus on the Midwest. And once-beleaguered Detroit “has certainly had a renaissance of sorts; you can't find space there now.”

Prior to joining NGKF, Gerard was global president, valuation & advisory services for CBRE Group, Inc., where he oversaw the global integration and growth of the firm's valuation and advisory services business line. He spent the past eleven years with CBRE, holding many leadership positions, including president of the US central division where he oversaw 29 offices in nine states. Prior to that role, he served as chief learning officer, and was responsible for the firm's learning and development programs. And prior to joining CBRE in 2005, Gerard spent seven years as executive managing director with Grubb & Ellis.

Gerard has already moved to Chicago from Detroit, where he has been named a top executive by Detroiter magazine and Crain's Detroit Business. He earned his bachelor's degree and MBA from Michigan State University.

“Mike's impeccable reputation and business acumen made his hiring obvious as we sought to add expertise to help us accelerate our expansion in the Midwest. We are confident that his leadership skills and CRE knowledge will benefit NGKF's clients and professionals throughout the firm,” says Michael Sheinkop, president of brokerage services. “The pace of our growth during the last several years is unprecedented. The expectation is for this trend to continue into the foreseeable future. As such, Mike will play a pivotal role to expand, leverage and nurture our talent base in order to generate incremental shareholder value.”

CHICAGO—Newmark Grubb Knight Frank has just hired Mike Gerard, an industry veteran with more than 30 years of experience, as its new executive vice president, regional managing director. He has joined NGKF's Chicago office and will oversee operations for its offices in Chicago, Cincinnati, Columbus, Cleveland, Pittsburgh, Philadelphia and Detroit. The new hire is perhaps a signal that NGKF will be expanding in the Midwest region.

“Every position I've had has been with a firm in an expansionary mode,” Gerard tells GlobeSt.com. And he is looking forward to recruiting and developing new talent for the firm. “NGKF has a great entrepreneurial culture, and that makes it a fun place to work. They have a vision and have decided to make real investments in the platform.”

He adds that this is an exciting time to work in real estate, especially the Midwest region, which has recently shown signs of tremendous strength and resilience. “I understand when people say, 'we are in the seventh year of the recovery, and it may end soon,' but I still think we have a lot of room to grow.”

He points out that employment numbers only recently returned to where they were prior to the recession. Looked at that way, the nation may only be in the 32^nd month of a truly expansionary economy. And he is heartened by the rhetoric of the new administration, which has talked about a boost in infrastructure spending and bringing jobs back to the Midwest.

“The Rust Belt has a hard-working group of employees, and I'm expecting that there is going to be growth and opportunities in many of the markets,” he says.

The Chicago industrial market, for example, continues to put up impressive numbers. And Kansas City, with its advanced intermodal facilities, seems poised to reap the benefits of a focus on the Midwest. And once-beleaguered Detroit “has certainly had a renaissance of sorts; you can't find space there now.”

Prior to joining NGKF, Gerard was global president, valuation & advisory services for CBRE Group, Inc., where he oversaw the global integration and growth of the firm's valuation and advisory services business line. He spent the past eleven years with CBRE, holding many leadership positions, including president of the US central division where he oversaw 29 offices in nine states. Prior to that role, he served as chief learning officer, and was responsible for the firm's learning and development programs. And prior to joining CBRE in 2005, Gerard spent seven years as executive managing director with Grubb & Ellis.

Gerard has already moved to Chicago from Detroit, where he has been named a top executive by Detroiter magazine and Crain's Detroit Business. He earned his bachelor's degree and MBA from Michigan State University.

“Mike's impeccable reputation and business acumen made his hiring obvious as we sought to add expertise to help us accelerate our expansion in the Midwest. We are confident that his leadership skills and CRE knowledge will benefit NGKF's clients and professionals throughout the firm,” says Michael Sheinkop, president of brokerage services. “The pace of our growth during the last several years is unprecedented. The expectation is for this trend to continue into the foreseeable future. As such, Mike will play a pivotal role to expand, leverage and nurture our talent base in order to generate incremental shareholder value.”