PEORIA MAGAZINE May 2023

COVER STORY

WALKING IN HER FOOTSTEPS Some daughters embrace the careers in which their mothers have thrived

BY LAURIE PILLMAN PHOTOS BY RON JOHNSON

E ven in the best of circumstances, mother-daughter relationships can be complex. Combine the personal with the professional, and it can get even more complicated. Alas, as we approach another Mother’s Day in this month of May, Peoria Magazine went in search of those mother-child relationships that not only work but spill successfully over into work. Below are three examples: THE REAL ESTATE DEVELOPERS Diane Cullinan Oberhelman founded Cullinan Properties, Ltd., the real estate

services firm, in 1988. She remembers how fulfilling it was to see people buy their first home or find the right place for their business to flourish. Forty three years later, her development and property management company has grown to more than $1 billion in projects throughout the Midwest, Southeast and Texas. That’s impressive on its face, but Oberhelman says her children, Kathleen, Maureen, Alison and Allen, are her biggest achievement. All four grew up going to meetings with their mother. Kathleen Cullinan Brill, at 42 the oldest of the siblings, is now the executive vice president and director of business development and strategic partnerships at Cullinan Properties. ‘LIKE MANY KIDS, I WANTED — Kathleen Brill “Kathleen is the only child directly in the Cullinan Properties company as a leader. The other three touch it in some significant way from time to time,” Oberhelman said. “My daughters have taught me how to be a better person in so many ways, from a grandmother to a mother,” but with Kathleen that has extended into the workplace, “from closing deals to marketing,” said Oberhelman. “Her TO DO ANYTHING BUT WHAT MY PARENTS DID’

ever-enthusiastic personality makes it so enjoyable to make presentations together!” Brill is the first to admit she did not think she’d follow her mother into real estate. “Like many kids, I wanted to do anything but what my parents did,” she said. “I laugh about that now. “ After Brill earned her business degree at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, a friend introduced her to a commercial real estate group in Chicago. She excelled there, but in 2006, the CEO of Cullinan Properties hired Brill without her mother’s knowledge. Oberhelman says it was a great decision. As for the VP, with three children of her own ages 5 to 10, she is proud of her mother for starting her own company when that was not a commonplace thing. “Her enthusiasm to meet new people and get out of her comfort zone” served as a model “as I embarked on my own experiences,” said Brill. “My mom is always thinking outside of the box and finding meaningful ways to connect with people, which has certainly benefited me.” THE NURSES Stephanie Cain clearly remembers discovering her path early on. A seventh-grade career test told her to become a doctor, teacher or nurse.

Diane Cullinan Oberhelman with daughter Kathleen Cullinan Brill

48 MAY 2023 PEORIA MAGAZINE