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Lake Forest, Lake Bluff Realtor serves community for 110 years
Scott Lackie (left) and Brad Andersen, owners of Griffith, Grant & Lackie Realtors, mark the 110th anniversary of their family business. | Curtis Lehmkuhl~Sun-Times Media
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NAME: Griffith, Grant & Lackie Realtors
SPECIALTY: Providing residential real estate services since its inception in 1903
LOCATION: 678 N. Western Ave., Lake Forest, and 8 E. Scranton Ave., Lake Bluff
CONTACT: (847) 234-0485, Lake Forest office; (847) 234-0816, Lake Bluff office; www.gglrealty.com
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Updated: February 12, 2013 2:58PM
The doors to Griffith, Grant & Lackie Realtors have opened and closed on countless residential real estate deals over the decades.
As the oldest continuously operating company in Lake Forest and Lake Bluff, the brokerage this year is marking the 110th anniversary of its founding.
“Our mission has really not changed since 1903,” said Scott Lackie, fourth-generation co-owner with cousin Brad Andersen. “Assisting families to buy and sell real estate in Lake Forest and Lake Bluff is what we are all about.”
The cousins’ great uncle, John Griffith, founded the brokerage in 1903. Griffith was a local businessman and developer who served as city alderman and treasurer, and a Lake Forest Academy trustee. He bought the 100 block of Scranton Avenue in Lake Bluff in 1914 and built Market Square in Lake Forest in 1916.
Griffith moved the brokerage to its current location on Western Avenue in 1916 and opened the Lake Bluff location in the same spot where it stands today in the same year.
While technology has changed the industry dramatically over the past 110 years, “our primary goals have not changed,” Lackie, managing broker of the Lake Forest office, said.
“Customer service is a timeless component of any business plan. We have adhered to that principle through four generations of ownership,” he said.
“We feel we have an obligation to continue the good work done by our predecessors,” said Andersen, who operates the Lake Bluff office. “We are proud of our heritage and our longevity in the community.”
Joanna Rolek, executive director of the Lake Forest/Lake Bluff Chamber of Commerce, points to the stage set by Griffith more than a century ago.
“They have been part of the fabric of our community for 110 years,” Rolek said, noting the owners’ involvement in and encouragement of their staff to reach out and participate in local civic and charitable organizations.
It’s only fitting in the its milestone year that the Chamber’s Board of Directors selected Griffith, Grant & Lackie as the recipient of its 13th annual Community Leadership Award.
“They truly exemplify the volunteer spirit that is such an integral part of the fabric of our communities,” Rolek said.
Bestowed annually, past recipients of the award have included: Trustmark Insurance Company; Northern Trust Bank; Helanders; Lake Forest Bank & Trust: Don’s Finest Foods; Lake Forest Place; Lesser, Lutrey & McGlynn; Pasquesi Home and Gardens; the Chicago Bears; Lake Forest Graduate School of Management; and Sunset Foods.
“We are very proud of this award,” Lackie said.
Andersen agrees. “Our commitment to community service is unwavering,” he said, adding that the company looks forward to “serving the needs of our clients for many years to come.”
