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Sean J. Conlon

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Sean J. Conlon (born about 1970)[1] is an Irish-American businessman, real estate entrepreneur, investor, television personality and philanthropist. He grew up in Rathangan, County Kildare, Ireland before moving to Chicago.

He is chairman and founder of Conlon & Co, CONLON/Christie's International Real Estate, CONLON Commercial and Conlon Capital. He is a co-host of The Deed, an unscripted television series focused on real estate investing on CNBC.[2]

Early life

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Conlon was born in Birmingham, England to Irish parents John and Margo Conlon.[3] His late[4] father sold aluminium gutters, and his mother runs a kindergarten from her home. Conlon was raised in Rathangan, County Kildare, Ireland, in a modest home; his parents struggled financially, with the bank at one point trying to repossess their house.[1][5] Before emigrating to America in 1990, Conlon attended the College of Marketing and Design, Dublin and worked in London as a credit analyst, a job he disliked, and living in a "hovel that sat near the railroad tracks", with ten other men.[3]

Career

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Conlon worked for a couple of years as a janitor, "cleaning during the day, painting apartments at night".[1] He eventually saved money to buy an apartment,[1] and in 1993 he joined Koenig & Strey.[6] He was recognized as a leader among real estate agents with annual transactions sales exceeding $150 million.[6]

In January 2000, Conlon formed Sussex & Reilly ("Sussex"), an Illinois-based real estate brokerage firm.[7] He sold his interest in Sussex in 2006.[8]

Since 2002, Conlon has been a partner of Van & Conlon. In 2004, in partnership with others,[clarification needed] he acquired Near North National Title, which was established in 1988 and processes billions of dollars in US real estate transactions each year. He sold Near North in February 2010. In 2005, Sean founded Connaught Real Estate Finance, a $100 million mezzanine fund that lends money to developers.[9][10][11]

In 2009, he returned to residential real estate brokerage. In June 2013, Conlon became affiliated with one of the world’s real estate networks, Christie’s International Real Estate. Conlon is the Christie’s exclusive affiliate in Chicago.[12][13]

In 2017, he launched Conlon Capital, which focuses on commercial real estate lending.[14]

Television personality

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In November 2016, CNBC announced that Sean would be the co-host of its newest show The Deed, which premiered in March 2017.[15] The show followed Conlon and Sidney Torres, another real estate developer, as they assisted other real estate developers.[15]

In August 2017, CNBC announced that The Deed: Chicago was being renewed for a second season.[16]

Personal life

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A "short marriage" was amicably dissolved early in Conlon's business career due to his "100-hour work weeks" and lack of time for a relationship.[17]

The engagement of Conlon and Imogen Hervey-Bathurst- great-granddaughter of Sir Frederick Hervey-Bathurst, 5th Baronet and maternal granddaughter of the businessman Martin Peake, 2nd Viscount Ingleby was announced in The Times and the Daily Telegraph on 16 March 2022.[18][4]

References

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  1. ^ a b c d "How this self-made millionaire went from janitor to real estate mogul, outselling the pros 100-to-1". CNBC. 28 March 2017.
  2. ^ "CNBC ANNOUNCES FALL LINE UP". CNBC. 3 August 2017.
  3. ^ a b Reynolds, John (18 October 2019). "Sean Conlon: not your ordinary property financier". Financial Times. Retrieved 26 June 2020.
  4. ^ a b "Mr S. Conlon and Miss I. Hervey-Bathurst - Engagements Announcements - Telegraph Announcements".
  5. ^ Clifford, Catherine (28 March 2017). "Self-made millionaire went from janitor to real estate mogul". CNBC. Retrieved 26 June 2020.
  6. ^ a b Sharoff, Robert. "Top Performer: Sean Conlon". Realtor Magazine. Retrieved 27 January 2017.
  7. ^ Sharoff, Robert (June 2001). "Brokers Breaking Ground". Realtor Magazine.
  8. ^ "Housing fallout: brokers brawl". Crain's Chicago Business. 21 March 2009. Retrieved 2 March 2020.
  9. ^ "Steve Horvath and Sean Conlon - Chicago Agent Magazine". Chicago Agent Magazine. Retrieved 3 November 2017.
  10. ^ "Conlon seeks boost from Christie's brand". Chicago Real Estate Daily. Retrieved 3 November 2017.
  11. ^ "Irish investors buying local retail properties". Crain's Chicago Business. Retrieved 3 November 2017.[dead link]
  12. ^ "Tour multi-million dollar homes in Dallas, Chicago". CNBC. October 2013. Retrieved 3 November 2017.
  13. ^ "Kapos: Chicago's celebrity house-flipper". Chicago Sun Times. Retrieved 3 November 2017.
  14. ^ Sudo, Chuck (11 January 2017). "Aries Capital, Conlon Merger Aims To Create Top 5 U.S. Financing House". Forbes.
  15. ^ a b CNBC (22 November 2016). "CNBC Greenlights New Primetime Real Estate Investment Series 'The Deed'". CNBC. Retrieved 27 January 2017.
  16. ^ "CNBC Announces Fall Lineup; Greenlights New Series and Returning Favorites; Expands Development Slate". CNBC. 4 August 2017. Retrieved 2 November 2017.
  17. ^ "WSJ Pro - Venture Capital". Archived from the original on 14 August 2006.
  18. ^ "Births, marriages and deaths: March 16, 2022".