By any measure, Dawn McKenna is one of America’s most successful, creative, and sought-after luxury real estate agents. She is not only the #1 Coldwell Banker agent in Illinois, for the past decade she has been the #1 agent in the exclusive Chicago suburb of Hinsdale, IL, and a member of the Coldwell Banker President’s Elite top 1% of agents. That success led to her being invited to be a founding member of two exclusive, invite-only, agent networks: the International Luxury Alliance, which connects Coldwell Banker, Corcoran, and Hampton International’s most successful, global agents to share leads and best practices; and the Global Collective, which is made up of only the top agent of any agency in the most important luxury markets in the world. With the International Luxury Alliance and Global Collective, Dawn truly has unmatched global reach.
Since her 2003 debut as a Coldwell Banker Rookie of the Year, Dawn has been responsible for over $3 billion in real estate sales. Combining a ravenous work ethic and impeccable style with an energetic, youthful, and service-oriented approach, Dawn’s record performance has been recognized by the Wall Street Journal, RealTrends rankings, Forbes, and Crain’s Chicago Business. When her clients demanded help in new markets, Dawn bet that her unique model could be replicated and, in 2016, formed the Dawn McKenna Group. Choosing agents that match Dawn’s qualities but bring their own local expertise to a carefully selected group of new destination and feeder markets, Dawn created a growing, recognizable brand with 30 team members in seven offices servicing five states. With the addition of industry veteran Micheal Anthony and in-house marketing, photography, and social media teams, the DMG is now a national leader in residential real estate.
With a strategy of pairing global reach with local experts in feeder and destination markets, the DMG expanded to North Michigan Avenue in Chicago’s Gold Coast (2017) and prestigious 5th Avenue in Naples, Florida (2017). Success soon followed, as did requests for help in more places. So, next up for DMG offices were the exclusive North Shore of Chicago suburbs of Winnetka and Lake Forest (2019), and the prestigious vacation / second home markets of Harbor Country, Michigan /Indiana (2022) and Lake Geneva, Wisconsin (2023).
As the final piece of her strategy, since 2018 DMG Rentals has captured recent college graduates as future DMG clients by helping them find the perfect Chicago or Naples rental. With DMG Rentals, the DMG serves its clients in all the stages of their lives, from their first apartment to their suburban family home and even their Naples, Lake Geneva or Harbor Country vacation spot.
The DMG’s strategy seems to be working. In 2022, the DMG closed more than $650 million in transactions, ranking DMG as Coldwell Banker’s #3 team in the nation, as well as its #1 rental team in IL and #4 in the nation.
Much of Dawn’s success is due to her incredible network and database of premier clientele. Dawn has been a trusted “go-to” source for players and management of the Chicago Bears, Chicago Bulls and the Chicago Blackhawks, Chicago TV and radio personalities, and industry leaders from blue chip companies such as Deloitte, Merrill Lynch, Goldman Sachs, and McKinsey Consulting. She is also regularly trusted on the buy and sell sides by attorneys from prestigious law firms such as Kirkland & Ellis, McDermott Will & Emery, Sidley Austin, and Baker McKenzie. And now with a powerful team behind her, the DMG is being called in to consult with and represent builders, developers, and financers with tens of millions on the line. They realize that Dawn and the DMG know what people want, where they want it, and what they will pay.
Rounding out the package is Dawn’s personal life, especially her experience as a wife of 25+ years and a mother of four active, successful children. Family life is paramount to Dawn and she takes every available opportunity to spend quality time with her family, especially attending her kids’ sporting events and traveling, catching up on the latest fashion trends, cooking, and being an avid philanthropist.