Paine Wetzel

What Paine Wetzel does

Paine Wetzel, doing business as DarwinPW Realty, is a privately held commercial real estate services firm headquartered in Elmhurst, Illinois, in the Chicago metropolitan area. Founded in 1975, the firm specializes in industrial and commercial real estate and operates four integrated service lines: Brokerage Services (lease and sale transactions for industrial and commercial properties), Asset Management (portfolio performance optimization), Investment Services (market analysis, investment strategy, and transaction support), and Development Services (site selection, development planning, and project oversight). The firm serves a diverse set of industrial-adjacent verticals including distribution and fulfillment, manufacturing, 3PL and warehousing, freight and transportation, food production, construction, and capital markets participants.

The firm operates with a small team of principals, a vice president, and associates — including SIOR-designated principals Jerry Sullivan and Ed Wabick — and delivers services through a relationship-driven, sales-led go-to-market motion with no proprietary technology platform. Paine Wetzel has been a member of the CORFAC International network of independently owned commercial real estate firms since 2018, which extends its market reach into national and international deal flow through referrals and co-brokering.

Paine Wetzel generates revenue primarily through transaction-based brokerage commissions on completed commercial and industrial real estate deals, supplemented by professional services fees from asset management, investment advisory, and development engagements. Pricing is negotiated on a per-deal, quote-based basis rather than through published rate cards. The firm's customer base spans private investment groups (e.g., Portokali Investments), national corporate tenants (e.g., Hyundai Translead), and a broader mix of industrial, logistics, manufacturing, and capital markets clients, with marketing conducted largely through its corporate website (darwinpw.com) and the CORFAC referral network.

Name

Paine Wetzel

Legal name

DarwinPW Realty

Website

https://painewetzel.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1975

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Paine Wetzel (DarwinPW Realty) is a privately held, Chicago-area commercial real estate firm founded in 1975 that provides brokerage, asset management, investment advisory, and development services focused on industrial and commercial properties, serving distribution, manufacturing, logistics, and capital markets clients primarily in Illinois.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Commercial Real Estate Brokerage

NAICS

Offices of Real Estate Agents and Brokers (5312), Real Estate Property Managers (53131)

SIC

Real Estate Agents & Managers (For Others) (6531)

akta.pro industry

PRIMARYFSAEAJAB

Commercial Real Estate Brokerage (Leasing & Sales)

Financial & Insurance/Financial Advisory, Brokerage & Intermediation/Real Estate Advisory & Brokerage

SECONDARYBPAJABAJ

Tenant Representation & Corporate Services Brokerage

Business & Public Services/Real Estate Services (Brokerage, Property Management)/Commercial Real Estate Brokerage

SECONDARYBPAJACAA

Warehousing & Logistics Facilities Brokerage

Business & Public Services/Real Estate Services (Brokerage, Property Management)/Industrial Real Estate Brokerage

SECONDARYBPAJACAB

Manufacturing & Heavy Industrial Facilities Brokerage

Business & Public Services/Real Estate Services (Brokerage, Property Management)/Industrial Real Estate Brokerage

Keywords

• Commercial real estate brokerage
• Industrial real estate services
• Commercial property management
• Real estate investment advisory
• Commercial real estate development

Headquarters

HQ city

Chicago

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Brokerage Commissions: Traditional real estate brokerage commissions on completed commercial and industrial property transactions
2. Asset Management Services: Ongoing management of commercial and industrial real estate assets for clients
3. Investment Advisory: Advisory services for real estate investment decisions and portfolio management
4. Development Services: Real estate development project services

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels2 records

Core offering

Paine Wetzel (operating as DarwinPW Realty) is a commercial and industrial real estate firm that provides brokerage, asset management, investment advisory, and development services. The firm facilitates property transactions including lease negotiations, sales, acquisitions, and dispositions for industrial and commercial real estate clients. Founded in 1975 and based in Elmhurst, Illinois, the company serves clients across distribution, manufacturing, logistics, food production, construction, and capital markets sectors primarily in the Chicago metropolitan area.

Product overview

DarwinPW Realty operates as a commercial real estate services firm offering four integrated service lines: Brokerage Services for property transactions, Asset Management for portfolio optimization, Investment Services for advisory and transaction support, and Development Services for project planning and execution. These services are delivered through a unified team of real estate professionals serving industrial and commercial clients primarily in the Chicago metropolitan area.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Brokerage Services Commercial real estate brokerage services facilitating property transactions, including lease negotiations and sales representation for industrial and commercial properties.
• Asset Management Property asset management services to optimize the performance and value of commercial real estate portfolios.
• Investment Services Real estate investment advisory services including market analysis, investment strategy, and transaction support for clients acquiring or disposing of commercial properties.
• Development Services Commercial real estate development services encompassing site selection, development planning, and project oversight for industrial and commercial projects.

Named customers2 records

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• CORFAC InternationalcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2018Part of the CORFAC International network of independently owned commercial real estate firms since 2018. Provides access to broader national and international market through network of affiliated commercial real estate professionals for referrals, co-brokering, and market intelligence sharing.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Broad incumbents

• Colliers International: Global full-service CRE firm with significant Chicago industrial brokerage presence. Competes for the same enterprise tenants and capital-markets mandates but offers a much broader service platform and global investor reach.
• CBRE Group: World's largest CRE services firm with strong Chicago industrial and logistics brokerage. Direct competitor on enterprise tenant representation and capital-markets mandates, though operates with a national/global platform Paine Wetzel cannot match.
• Lee & Associates: National commercial real estate brokerage franchise with a Chicagoland office; competes for the same industrial and office mandates as Paine Wetzel but operates across many markets and segments with a larger agent roster.
• Cushman & Wakefield: Global CRE services firm with a major Chicago industrial and logistics practice. Comparable on industrial landlord/tenant representation but at significantly larger scale and with broader capital-markets capabilities.
• JLL (Jones Lang LaSalle): Global CRE services and investment management firm with a major Chicago industrial capital-markets practice. Overlaps with Paine Wetzel on large industrial lease/sale mandates but at vastly larger scale and broader service scope.
• Marcus & Millichap: National CRE investment sales brokerage with industrial and net-lease specialization. Comparable on investment advisory and disposition mandates for private investors like Portokali Investments, though focused on investment sales rather than landlord/tenant representation.

Direct peers

• NAI Hiffman: Chicago-based commercial real estate services firm offering brokerage, property management, and investment advisory across industrial, office, retail, and investment sales. Directly comparable as a mid-size Chicago CRE firm competing for the same industrial and suburban office mandates.
• SVN (Commercial Real Estate): Franchise-style CRE brokerage with a Chicago-area presence, providing brokerage, property management, and advisory services to similar mid-market industrial and commercial clients. Comparable in structure (franchise network) and target client size.
• Sperry Commercial Global Affiliates: Franchise-style CRE brokerage network offering industrial, office, and retail brokerage plus property management. Comparable in business model and target client size to Paine Wetzel as a similarly structured mid-market firm.
• Podolsky Circle CORFAC International: Independently owned Chicago-area CRE firm and fellow CORFAC International affiliate offering brokerage, property management, and tenant/landlord representation. Most directly comparable peer given shared CORFAC affiliation, similar size, and overlapping industrial/suburban Chicago focus.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/pwcre
• Facebookfacebook.com/PaineWetzelCRE
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/paine-wetzel-tcn-worldwide

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles6 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Paine Wetzel