“As deal junkies, we all enjoy meeting a new prospect, tailoring a transaction and closing the sale, but the best ones are those which happen really quickly, usually when a competitor can't deliver what they've promised,” says Case.

Case follows trends in all of commercial real estate's sectors.

“With a $12 billion portfolio of loans, there isn't an asset class or geography I'm not watching. Hardly a day goes by when there isn't discussion around how late we are in the cycle. That said, we haven't witnessed macro-economic fundamentals that point to a downturn.” Growth may have slowed in some sectors, but Case's motto is 'there are good deals in bad markets, and bad deals in good markets.'

For that reason, Case and her team work hard at evaluating each transaction, its sponsorship team, the capital stack plus its structural elements, and building in safeguards to address identified risks.

Case credits the late Jim Tyree, former CEO of Mesirow Financial and one of Chicago's prolific civic leaders, with enabling her to have a current seat at the table.

“I worked shoulder to shoulder with Jim for a number of years as board members of the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation both in Illinois and on the international board. He noted my attention to detail, ability to think on my feet, team play and strong work ethic. When The PrivateBank (now CIBC) was in transformation and in need of someone to establish and lead its Commercial Real Estate line of business, Jim, then a director of the bank, encouraged the incoming CEO to bring me on board.” Volunteer work is about passion, not resume-building, but Case notes her experience highlights how work done outside a professional job can be just as important as one's 'real job.'