The NAR National Commercial Awards program honors members who received an award or recognition for their exceptional service and contributions to their local/state REALTOR® association, one of NAR’s affiliated Institutes, Societies or Councils, the commercial real estate industry or their community.
Nominated by: Northern Illinois Commercial Association of REALTORS®
Shari Haefner, CIPS, is a broker associate with Premier Commercial Realty in Lake of the Hills, Ill., specializing in retail. After 20 years as a national commercial real estate title executive, Haefner was licensed in 2019 and immediately immersed herself in commercial real estate organizations. She holds a bachelor’s degree in mass communications from Illinois State University and a master’s in managerial communications from Northwestern University.
Q. What prompted your career shift from title insurance to sales?
I fell into it. A friend attending a closing needed a closer. I had just lost my job, so she told them to hire me; they did, and that was my entry into commercial real estate. But my involvement in the organized commercial real estate community solidified my decision to get licensed.
Q. Can you tell me more about that?
When I sold title insurance, I focused on business development—keeping in touch with customers, giving presentations and so on. I attended many networking events at commercial real estate organizations. I was an affiliate member of the Northern Illinois Commercial Association of REALTORS® (NICAR), and they asked me to serve on the board. To do so, I needed a broker’s license. So I got my license, thinking a backup career path wasn’t a bad idea, and obviously, it wasn’t. I’m now working on my CCIM designation.
Q. What led to you remaining active in organized real estate?
After my initial term on the NICAR board, they had an unexpected opening on the executive board and asked me to step in. People knew me from many facets of the industry, and I had a good reputation. I served as president in 2023-2024, during which time we created a future vision and growth plan. Instead of using my industry contacts to grow my business, I used them to grow the organization. I like volunteering my time and helping lead the way. I’m involved in other Chicago-area real estate groups and the International Council of Shopping Centers.
Q. How have you benefited from that involvement?
Being in a leadership role can take a lot of time away from developing new business. But looking back, I know I use what I learned from those experiences, and they helped build my reputation. But it’s the relationships with industry colleagues that keep me involved. I value the many friendships I’ve developed over the years.
Q. What are you seeing in the shopping center sector today?
The market still reflects COVID-era vacancies. Businesses such as smoke shops and gaming centers leased space they probably couldn’t have accessed before. They are busy and not going anywhere. It’s made the tenant mix more challenging, however, as a local ice cream parlor may not want to be next to a smoke shop.
Q. Has being a woman in a male-dominated industry been a challenge for you?
Many years ago, I worked in the music industry and witnessed firsthand the interplay of money, power and fame and what people will do to achieve any one of those. For a small-town Midwestern girl, that was a big life lesson that prepared me to be confident in a male-dominated industry. Since then, I’ve had strong women to learn from, but I’ve also had strong men who supported me in my career. They have been incredible mentors and friends, so I haven’t found being a woman in the industry an adversity.
Q. What advice would you offer someone just starting in the commercial niche?
Play to your strengths, never put anyone else down and focus on building yourself up and bringing everybody up with you. Someone once told me that when you fall after climbing the ladder, if you’ve stepped on people on the way up, they’ll let you fall. But if you have been nice to people, they will put their hand out to stop you from falling far. I’ve never forgotten that advice.
