Bern Realty

What Bern Realty does

Bern Realty, LLC is a family-owned commercial real estate development and management company headquartered in River Forest, Illinois, operating in the greater Chicago metropolitan area since the 1960s. The company provides an integrated suite of services including property management, development, building services, leasing, and tenant representation for commercial, retail, and mixed-use properties. It manages a portfolio of more than a dozen commercial and retail properties — including signature assets like Berwyn Gateway Plaza (a nationally recognized three-block land assemblage) and multi-tenant retail centers in Frankfort and Berwyn — and serves tenants such as Buona Beef, Oak Street Health, Palos Community Hospital, and Avenues Auto Center.

The business operates on a professional services and managed services revenue model, with property management fees covering tenant screening, rent collection, maintenance, and accounting, while brokerage, leasing, and tenant representation generate commission-based revenue. Development projects are delivered under a self-perform model that historically covered planning, architectural strategy, general contracting, construction, sales, and marketing. Pricing is quote-based and customized per client rather than standardized. The company is led by Drew B. Krisco, grandson of founder Bernard Grizaffi, as Managing Broker, with an additional four-person core team (Office Manager, Property Maintenance, Accounts Payable), making it a boutique firm with large-project execution capability.

The customer base is concentrated in two segments: commercial property owners seeking asset management, and commercial tenants seeking representation for lease negotiation and space selection. Go-to-market is sales-led through direct broker relationships, supplemented by a website with property listings and a presence across Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, and Instagram. The company has no disclosed external funding, no institutional investors, and no partnerships — it remains entirely family-controlled following the 1989 restructuring from the original Bern Builders & Realty.

Name

Bern Realty

Legal name

Bern Realty, LLC

Website

https://bernrealtyllc.com/

Company type

Private

Founded year

1960

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Bern Realty, LLC is a family-owned Chicago-area commercial real estate firm providing property management, development, leasing, and tenant representation services for commercial, retail, and mixed-use properties across the greater Chicago metropolitan area.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Commercial Real Estate Services

NAICS

Offices of Real Estate Agents and Brokers (53121), Real Estate Property Managers (53131)

SIC

Real Estate Agents & Managers (For Others) (6531), Real Estate (6500)

akta.pro primary industry

Commercial Real Estate Brokerage (Leasing & Sales) (FSAEAJAB)

akta.pro secondary industry

Tenant Representation & Corporate Services Brokerage (BPAJABAJ)

Keywords

• Commercial real estate development
• Property management services
• Commercial leasing brokerage
• Tenant representation
• Real estate asset management

Headquarters

HQ city

River Forest

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, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Property Management Services: Full-service property and asset management including tenant screening, rent collection, payment management, maintenance, and accounting. Hands-off approach for landlords and property owners covering grounds maintenance to accounting.
2. Brokerage and Leasing: Commercial and office space leasing services. Finding tenants for property owners and helping tenants find the right space. Commission-based or fee-based brokerage services.
3. Development Services: Real estate development including residential and commercial projects. Site selection, planning, construction management, and project completion services.
4. Tenant Representation: Representation services for tenants including market research, strategic planning, lease negotiation, and space planning consultations.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Bern Realty, LLC is a family-owned, full-service commercial real estate company that develops, owns, manages, and leases commercial, retail, residential, and mixed-use properties in the greater Chicago area. Its offerings span property management, real estate development, building services, leasing, and tenant representation, delivered through an integrated team of brokers and property professionals.

Product overview

Bern Realty, LLC is a family-owned, full-service real estate company offering an integrated portfolio of services rather than a single unified software product. The core offerings include Property Management (full-service commercial portfolio management with hands-off approach for landlords), Development (residential, commercial, retail, and mixed-use development), Building Services (construction and property servicing), Leasing (commercial and office space), and Tenant Representation (property search, negotiation, and move-in support). The company manages a diverse building portfolio across the greater Chicago area including retail centers (Berwyn Gateway Plaza I, II, III, Elmwood Commons, Circle Plaza), restaurants (Beverly Buona, Harwood Heights Buona, St. Charles Buona), office properties (Oak Street Health, Rand & Miner Center), and mixed-use developments (Clinton and Lake Development, Clinton and Central).

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Building Services Comprehensive building services covering construction, property servicing, and ongoing management from project start through finish for owned and client properties.
• Leasing Commercial and office space leasing services, sourcing tenants for property owners and matching prospective tenants with available spaces in the Bern Realty portfolio and broader market.
• Property Management Full-service property and asset management for commercial portfolios covering tenant screening, rent collection, maintenance coordination, and accounting. Offered on a hands-off basis to landlords and property owners in the greater Chicago area.
• Real Estate Development End-to-end real estate development services spanning residential, commercial, retail, and mixed-use projects, from site selection and planning through construction management and project completion across the greater Chicago area.
• Tenant Representation Tenant-side representation services including property search, market research and analysis, strategic planning, location consultation, lease negotiation, space planning, and move-in logistics support.
• Commercial Lease Application Standard commercial lease application form for prospective tenants applying to lease space in Bern Realty properties.

Named customers5 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Broad incumbents

• Marcus & Millichap: Large national commercial real estate investment brokerage focused on arranging sales, financing, and research for investors. Comparable to Bern Realty's commercial brokerage and tenant representation services, but operates at a much larger institutional scale and broader geographic footprint.
• CBRE Group: Global commercial real estate services firm offering brokerage, property management, development, and valuation across all major asset classes. Overlaps with Bern Realty's full-service commercial real estate model but at vastly greater scale and geographic reach.
• JLL (Jones Lang LaSalle): Global real estate services and investment management company providing brokerage, property management, tenant representation, and project development services. Direct functional overlap with Bern Realty across all four service lines.
• Cushman & Wakefield: Global commercial real estate services firm offering brokerage, property and facility management, valuation, and advisory services. Comparable services to Bern Realty including tenant representation and asset management, but at multinational scale.
• Colliers International: Global commercial real estate services and investment firm providing brokerage, property management, and project management. Comparable to Bern Realty across brokerage, management, and tenant representation verticals.

Direct peers

• SVN (Commercial Real Estate): Mid-market commercial real estate franchised brokerage firm offering sales, leasing, tenant representation, and property management. Closely matches Bern Realty's boutique service model across property types and is similarly positioned for owner/landlord and tenant clients.
• Baum Realty Group: Midwest-focused commercial real estate brokerage and property management firm. Closely comparable to Bern Realty in size, scope, and integrated service offering spanning brokerage, tenant representation, and asset management.

Regional players

• NAI Hiffman: Chicago-area commercial real estate services firm offering brokerage, property management, and tenant representation. Most geographically comparable peer to Bern Realty, operating in the same metropolitan market with overlapping service lines.
• Essex Realty Group: Chicago-based boutique commercial real estate investment sales and capital markets advisory firm. Comparable to Bern Realty as a Chicago-focused boutique serving investors and owners with brokerage and advisory services.
• Stone Real Estate Corporation: Chicago-based independent commercial real estate firm providing brokerage, property management, and consulting services. Similar boutique, family-style operating model to Bern Realty serving the greater Chicago market.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/BernRealty
• Facebookfacebook.com/bernrealty
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/19123031
• Instagraminstagram.com/realtybern/?hl=en

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 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 Bern Realty