Bisnow Midwest Director Zak Guysenir Has Fun Getting The Job Done

Despite the current economic climate, the Chicago area is still seeing growth in the tenant market. With record-breaking apartment deals, new multifamily developments and transit access expanding, Bisnow is continuing to enhance its presence in the Windy City to keep readers informed on its progression.

Since 2019, Bisnow Director of Midwest Zak Guysenir has been helping Bisnow strengthen its presence throughout the Midwest and beyond. He has become an entity within the Chicago CRE market and understands how to network digital advertising deals and run events that people love to attend. We sat down with him to learn more about how he brings a “get-it-done” attitude to every task while still having fun in the process. 

Bisnow: Why did you take this job at Bisnow?

Guysenir: Everyone at Bisnow is whip-smart and deeply cares about what they do on a daily basis. Everybody at the company takes an active role in building Bisnow to be an industry juggernaut. While I was part of a different company, after I interviewed with Will Friend and some of Bisnow's most dynamic people, I had no choice but to join the team.

Each day that goes by is a constant puzzle of how we can make our events as unique, fun and valuable as possible for our audience. A great example is the Bisnow Charity Basketball Tournament of Champions that we did on July 14 of this year. Bisnow and our incredible clients raised almost $40K for charity with an event that didn't exist before my team and I just decided to do it one day.

Bisnow: What about commercial real estate interests you?

Guysenir: When I started at Bisnow, I quickly realized that my network was growing at an incredible rate. About eight months in, I was at a CRE event at a Cubs game and I remember being told by someone very well known in the industry that I had become "an entity in Chicago CRE." 

While I was surprised to hear that, I knew my team and I were talking to a ton of people on the phone every day to make sure that our digital clients get as much value as possible. We also ensure our event clients and attendees feel like our events are "must attend" occasions. We feel driven to build the Bisnow brand, business and subscriber/attendee base so that everyone can connect with each other and do more business.

When that person told me that I was an “entity,” I realized that those who built Bisnow Chicago before me, such as Jonathan Hobfoll and Brian Kinslow, started an incredible movement here. My team and I have been able to build upon that foundation over the course of the last four years, and as a result, the Bisnow community continues to grow. The Bisnow Chicago platform is the entity; I feel grateful to be one of the faces of this incredible community we’ve built.

Every day is a new adventure for my team and for me. One summer day, I got to tour an iconic building in the middle of renovations and speak with the mayor of a sizable town and a developer who ended up hosting a Bisnow event at his space. That same day, I had calls with a leading design firm client and a major Chicago sports franchise about hosting an event in their facility, then toured a radio station that was requesting an interview. Finally, I finished the day at a Forbes council happy hour chatting with a bunch of tech CEOs before taking the last flight to an event in one of the other cities my team covers. The crazy part is that this could’ve been any given day at Bisnow.

Most clients work with us on both the events and digital sides of our business, so we can activate brands and relationships at our best-in-class events. We are also able to show analytics that are unprecedented in granularity and value in the industry on the digital advertising side, all while keeping our audience informed with front-line locally produced news content.

Bisnow: When thinking about the future of CRE, what do you look forward to most?

Guysenir: I think that CRE is incredible. Developers propose a new project, then architects plan it, GCs build it, and the next day, regular people start changing their habits in order to enjoy it. It reminds me every day that this industry makes people’s lives better and more interesting every single day.

I also think that the CRE industry absolutely must lead the way when it comes to the health of our planet and the people on it. I look forward to, in my own small way, continuing to be a part of the equitable and sustainable advancement of our society. 

Bisnow: What makes you unique?

Guysenir: I want to see and experience as much as I can in my free time. I spend my time captaining my paddleboard, boarding a flight to a faraway land — my wife and I are going to explore Poland in November — or working on one of my rental properties. 

My mindset is that life is too short to take anything too seriously or to do anything poorly. I take great pride in working hard in my career and enjoying laughing all day with my team while doing it. I try to always treat my personal life the same way. One of the quotes I live by that has been widely attributed to Abraham Lincoln, (although I don't think it was actually him) is "Whatever you are, be a good one." 

My intention is to be a good husband, son, brother, friend, thinker, meditator and Bisnow Midwest Business Director.

Zak Guysenir can be reached at [email protected] or 520-405-6375.