Ben Filkouski, CCIM

Partner/Broker

Madison Commercial Real Estate

Ben graduated from the University of Wisconsin – Madison in 2018 with a Bachelor’s Degree & an Entrepreneurship Certificate. Ben worked for his father’s multi-family development firm starting at the age of 12 and through college. Upon graduating, Ben got his start in the property management side of the business. He worked for Goldleaf Development, which owns over 3,000 apartment units in Dane County, on their sales team. After receiving his real estate salespersons license in August 2019, Ben started working as a Commercial Real Estate Sales Associate at Madison Commercial Real Estate. Since joining Madison Commercial Real Estate, Ben obtained his Real Estate Brokers License and has become a Partner of the firm. Ben is an active member in Commercial Brokers Group Inc. (CBG) where he won Land Deal of the Year in 2021 & Overall Deal of the Year in 2021. Ben is an active member of the Commercial Association of Realtors Wisconsin (CARW), where he was Runner-up for Industrial Deal of the Year in 2022. Ben is also an Associate Member of Smart Growth Greater Madison and is a designated Certified Commercial Investment Member (CCIM).

Q) What do you enjoy the most about commercial real estate?
A) I enjoy the community-building aspect of the career. Working on projects that promote much-needed blue-collar or service-type business jobs is what is most fulfilling to me. This is why I am naturally drawn to the Industrial & Retail Sectors of Commercial Real Estate.

Q) What is the best piece of advice you have received?
A) The best piece of advice that I have received in this business is to do the little things right. Be early for meetings, responsive in emails, go the extra mile to service your clients and you will be rewarded with deals, referrals, and repeat business.

Q) What is your favorite quote?
A) “I have had no reverses of anything except money. My sense of accomplishment is full, and the cities and the art and the architecture I have influenced will live long after I am gone.” – William Zeckendorf Sr.

Q) What’s your favorite place to travel to?
A) I enjoy traveling to Europe but in particular Spain. My favorite wine is Rioja and I appreciate Spanish history and am absolutely fascinated by Spanish Architecture.

Q) What made you choose Commercial Real Estate?
A) I didn’t necessarily choose Commercial Real Estate, I kind of fell into the Career. I was in the middle of a deep deep search for what I wanted to do with my life after graduating from Undergraduate School. I grew up working under my Father’s company building apartments and was interested in dealing with the owners of these properties more than managing the construction. I was fascinated by the process of development and what it took to get a deal done and out of the ground. Through the many years of experiencing that, paired with my knowledge in math & finance, Brokerage seemed to be a good fit. I am a people person and enjoy playing the role of quarterback. It is exciting leading negotiations, making introductions to colleagues in banking, architecture, construction, etc. and I enjoy economics a great deal which is important for analyzing real estate deals in preparation of advising clients. There isn’t a part of the business that I don’t enjoy and every single day is different which makes this career path extremely fulfilling to me.