Evan Makovsky

NAI Shames Makovsky

ColoradoBiz Staff //March 14, 2025//

NAI Shames Makovsky

ColoradoBiz Staff //March 14, 2025//

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The managing partner of NAI Shames Makovsky in Denver, Evan Makovsky, 80, co-founded the firm in 1971 and guided its transformation from a small industrial brokerage to a full-service commercial real estate company. A 2019 inductee into the Colorado Business Hall of Fame, Makovsky has made a mark on the city by crafting deals and catalyzing projects in the face of major challenges.

The old maxim still holds true, in Makovsky’s opinion. “Power in commercial real estate is really about location,” he said, noting that the impact of remote work and artificial intelligence are challenging old notions of good locations for offices. The key? “Follow the density of people.”

Another proverb has helped guide Makovsky in his career: “I have a big sign in my conference room, and I have the same sign at my home and a few other places, that simply says, ‘Do what you love and love what you do.’”