Mike Hakanson, 38

By Mary Erpenbach

Most homeowners would describe buying a house as somewhat of an ordeal—the forms, the inspection, the title search, the financing. But Mike Hakanson, who grew up in Rochelle, liked buying his first house so much that he turned right around and got his real estate license.

“I enjoyed the process and realized it was something I could be good at,” he recalls. “I had an aptitude for sales and development.”

It was an aptitude that he had cultivated in a roundabout fashion by—what else?—first studying theater, business and public relations at Illinois State University and then working as an actor in Chicago and Denver.When he returned to Rockford in 1997, he created RadioWorks and hosted popular programs on-air at WXRX and B103 for five years.

After earning his real estate license, Hakanson joined Gambino Homes and quickly rose to become the company’s vice president, a position he’s held for the past six years. Today he’s known as one of the city’s leading realtors and is charging hard after development projects in downtown Rockford.

In his spare time, he’s running for Winnebago County Auditor. Married and a father, Hakanson’s community service interests have tended to follow his family and career passions. He’s past chair of the Rockford Area Association of Realtors Government Affairs Committee, past vice chair of the Winnebago County Republican Party, and active in the Rockford and Rockton Chambers of Commerce.He’s volunteered with the Pave the Way campaign and the city school district’s Kids Win campaign, and has coached Boys & Girls Club baseball and tee-ball teams.

“I like the idea that the generation who’s going to be here for the next 30 years is setting the pace,” he says. “We’re ready to take our turn.”