Dawn McKenna Group – Naples

By any measure, Dawn McKenna is one of America’s most successful, creative, and sought-after luxury real estate agents, while her team, the Dawn McKenna Group (DMG), is a rapidly growing success in Naples, FL, Chicago and Chicago’s prestigious suburbs of Hinsdale, Winnetka and Lake Forest.

While less than five years old, the DMG is already the No. 1 large team in Naples for Coldwell Banker Realty, as well as a Coldwell Banker International President’s Circle top 100 Florida large team. The DMG’s rapid rise in Naples is driven by many factors, including the DMG’s excellent team of local experts, Dawn’s personal experiences as a long time Naples homeowner, and especially the DMG’s dominance in some of Naples’s most important feeder markets. With over $605 million in transactions, in 2021 the DMG was Coldwell Banker Realty’s #1 team in Illinois and the Midwest, #3 team in the US, #1 large rental team in Illinois, and #5 large rental team in the US. The DMG’s clients also benefit from Dawn being a founding member of two exclusive, invite-only, international 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 Luxury Presence, which is made up of only the top agent of any agency in the most important luxury markets in the world. With these groups, Dawn and her team truly have unmatched global reach. Taken together, this means that when servicing its Naples and Illinois clients, the DMG is not only in front of buyers and sellers when they are in Naples, but also thousands more before they even board a plane to Southwest Florida.

Combining a ravenous work ethic and impeccable style with an energetic, youthful, and service-oriented approach, Dawn’s individual success has been recognized by the Wall Street Journal, RealTrends rankings, Forbes, and Crain’s Chicago Business. It was when her clients demanded her help in new markets that Dawn realized that her unique model could be replicated. So, in 2016 Dawn formed the DMG. By 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 27 team members operating out of five offices. With the addition of industry veteran and operational expert Micheal Anthony and in-house marketing, photography and social media teams, the DMG is fast becoming a national leader.

The DMG’s strategy is to pair Dawn’s global reach with local expertise in feeder and destination markets. That is why in 2017, the DMG expanded to North Michigan Avenue in Chicago’s Gold Coast and prestigious 5th Avenue in Naples, Florida. Looking for additional markets that are destinations for Chicagoans but feeders for Naples, in 2019, the DMG expanded to the Chicago North Shore suburbs of Winnetka and Lake Forest. There, the DMG was joined by local experts with more than 40 years of combined experience and a record of consistent success.

Filling in another important piece of her strategy, in 2018 the DMG introduced DMG Rentals, which has already helped over 600 recent college graduates find the perfect Chicago rental. With DMG Rentals, DMG is also creating a lasting relationship that will become more and more valuable as these college grads become Chicago area and Naples purchasers. The DMG now serves its clients in all of the stages of their lives, from their first apartment to their suburban family home and their Naples getaway.

Much of Dawn’s and the DMG’s success is due to Dawn’s incredible network and database of premier clientele. Dawn has been a trusted “go-to” source for players and management of the 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, a Chicago area and Naples homeowner, 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.