THE DEALMAKER

CHICAGO REAL ESTATE MOGUL SEAN CONLON GOES HOLLYWOOD WITH CNBC’S THE DEED.

Chicago real estate mogul Sean Conlon goes Hollywood with CNBC’s The Deed.

“I had no interest [in] being on television,” Sean Conlon admits. Come March, though, that’s exactly where the Conlon & Co chairman will find himself as co-star of CNBC’S reality series The Deed, for which he was recruited after consulting on a separate project for the network. Similar in format to Marcus Lemonis’ The Profit, the show focuses on struggling developers aiming to resuscitate floundering projects by tapping into Conlon’s intellect and wallet (“I think I can impart some hard-earned wisdom to these people,” he muses) —and, perhaps, finding levity in the 47-year-old Gold Coast resident’s signature wit. As Conlon steps onto the national stage, he shares the things that keep him feeling at home in the Windy City.

Chicago love: “The greatest American city, bar none,” says Conlon, who notably emigrated from Ireland to the states in 1990 and worked as a janitor before building his brokerage into a billiondollar business. “Chicago was carved out of hard work by immigrants.”

Gold Coast go-tos:

“The outside table at Gibson’s —it’s the best people-watching spot in the world.” Neighborhood fave: “Barnes & Noble. I love the fact I still have a bookstore in my neighborhood.” Warm-weather routine: “Nothing better than to get up early on a Saturday morning and run along the lake heading north.”

“DEALING WITH AND READING PEOPLE IS WHAT I’M GOOD AT.”

—SEAN CONLON