Shawn Swenson, CFO, Investors Associated

Briefly tell us what you do and how long you have been in the Commercial Real Estate industry: It started when I received my degree from UW after going through the real estate program. That was over 20 years ago. I started in consulting in Chicago, then lending/ banking, found my way into the hotel world and now am at Investors Associated.

Which project or professional accomplishment are you most proud of? Up to this point, the most memorable project has to be the AC Hotel in downtown Madison. The leadership team at North Central Group (where I worked from 2015-2020) had a vision and executed it to perfection. It was great to have a little part in making that project all come together.

How would like to be more involved in NAIOP Wisconsin? Honestly, I’m still trying to figure that out! Time is the most precious resource and so it will be a matter of trying to pull everything together.

Tell us about your family: Speaking of time being a precious resource, my wife Laura and I have 4 kids. Jordan is 9, Charlie is 7, Zach is 5 and Brianna is 3. We spend a lot of time together. It all starts with family. Everything else has to fit around it.

What is your twitter handle? What is your business’s twitter handle? I’m not very active on social media!

Who is your favorite author or what is your favorite quote? “Don’t make things harder than they need to be”. I’m not sure who said it or where I picked it up, but it applies to a lot of things in life.

What’s the last book you read, or your favorite as a child and currently? Peter Zeihan’s “The End of the World is just Beginning”. His geopolitical takes are fascinating. He came to speak at the WREAA Bi-annual conference a few years ago and I’ve followed him ever since.

What’s something about you most people would not know? I love coaching basketball. Other sports are OK. Hoops is the best for me. Now (and for the foreseeable future) I’ll be coaching my kids, but I also spent 8 years as an assistant at Madison Memorial High School from 2004- 2012. My good friend Jeremy Schlitz got me into it and it was a great experience. Learned a lot about basketball, coaching, life and met a ton of great people. I feel lucky that I had that experience. 

Cats or dogs? Do you have pets? How about horses? My cousin and I own racehorses, which is something our family has done since the late 1950s. It’s not for the faint of heart, but we have had our share of good ones. We take a lot of pride in being the 3rd generation involved in the sport and it has already provided us a lifetime of memories and excitement.

What are your hobbies? Definitely golf in the summer. In the winter it seems like we center around basketball, but trying to do a little skiing with the family as well.