The world of real estate is massive and complicated, especially when you are looking to start or expand your business. If you think buying a house is hard, imagine needing to consider the economic demographics, traffic flow, business tax rates, and more, on top of how many rooms it has. That is why business and commercial investors around the Region turn to Latitude Commercial for guidance.
Latitude goes wherever serving their clients take them – but most of their properties span from south suburban Chicago all the way across Northwest Indiana. Originally based in Lake County, they learned a lot from their early efforts in the area’s diverse economy.
“This business has a pretty steep learning curve and things are always changing, so I learned early on not to assume I know everything,” said Aaron McDermott, Co-Founder and President of Latitude Commercial. “We’ve got things like global pandemics changing how retailers reach their customers. Or, how over the last few years you’ve seen this ‘Amazon Effect’ on businesses where everything goes straight to consumers. It’s an ever changing market and you always need to adapt.”
That early experience is serving the team at Latitude well as they take on more business in Porter and La Porte counties. Each of Northwest Indiana’s communities offers unique traits that require an expert to navigate.
“Moving into those areas is all about people,” McDermott said. “The biggest asset that I have are the people working with me. You need people who know the areas they’re planning on serving, people who have a presence there and understand the market.”
From the industrial communities near the lakeshore to the agrarian towns further south, the team at Latitude is knows how to turn the challenge of the Region’s diverse economy into an opportunity. McDermott said that the Region is primed for economic success.
“We’re a suburb of one of the top cities in the world, let alone the nation, and as long as that’s true we’re going to have a strong economy,” he said. “We make great products, with one of the largest refineries in the world right here. We’ve got great education and a state that’s pro-business. We just have such a long list of positives that businesses look for when they want to start or expand.”
Latitude themselves took a big leap just a couple months ago when they relocated to their new headquarters in downtown Crown Point. Located right in the heart of one of the Region’s fastest growing communities, McDermott hopes it energizes his team and helps their clients.
“We’ve got a work hard, play hard kind of culture here, and the new office lets us collaborate more effectively making the team and our clients happier,” he said. “We’ve got great spaces to work together in, a pool table and arcade machine to get a real break in, and we’re just a few minutes’ walk from all the great restaurants here where we can take our clients.”
Expanding to new areas, bringing in top talent, and finding great workspaces are just a few of the ways that Latitude Commercial is improving their service. McDermott said that he always has his eye on new ideas.
“Our ability to expand isn’t necessarily just in commercial real estate,” he said. “Horizontally aligned businesses are definitely something of interest. I’m excited to see how we can use the great agents and business we have here to find new ways to serve the community.”
To learn more about Latitude Commercial, visit them at latitudeco.com.
