Spend quality time with a mentor! Our Mentor Program offers students the opportunity to meet one-on-one with an industry leader for a full business day. We also offer virtual mini-mentorships, a temporary adaptation created in response to COVID-19 social distancing precautions.
Below is our list of current mentors, speakers and career counselors. You can filter the list to find real estate professionals who match your needs.
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Ms. Adler brings more than 30 years of experience to her position as senior vice president of Colliers Chicago. She specializes in investment sales, as well as debt and equity placement for office properties. In her career, she has executed over $1.2 billion in real estate transactions. She is widely recognized for utilizing her broad real estate knowledge and strong nationwide connections to uniquely serve her diverse client base.
Colliers (NASDAQ, TSX: CIGI) is a leading diversified professional services and investment management company. Their expert advice to property occupiers, owners and investors leads the industry into the future. Their long-standing commitment to operate with integrity, and a collaborative mindset has resulted in long-term success, and an ability to deliver exceptional value to clients and investors worldwide.
As the founder of Chicago Apartment Finders Finders (3 time INC Magazine INC 5000 award winner), Andy devoted his leadership and entrepreneurial vision to help create one of the most successful Real Estate Companies in Chicago. In September 2015 Andy successfully sold his company to Coldwell Banker Residential Brokerage. From 2009-2015 Andy was also the Director of Operations of Marc Realty Residential (MRR); a joint venture of Marc Realty and Chicago Apartment Finders. Andy was responsible for overseeing all construction, leasing, and management of the CAF / MRR properties. At CAF / MRR, Andy oversaw over $100MM of construction projects and the leasing and management of over 1,500 rental units and 100,000 square feet of office and retail. Today, Andy is continuing his entrepreneurial vision by starting City Pads LLC. City Pads is a multifamily and mixed use real estate investment company started in June of 2015 to leverage the Chicago Apartment Finders operations and Andy’s experience operating urban real estate investments. City Pads focuses on urban living and has a strong focus on branding by delivering high quality properties to serve the demands of the millennial renter. Andy is responsible for overseeing all operations of the company’s quickly growing $50MM portfolio.
Steve made his career path into the real estate business by way of Wall Street. Steve earned his MBA from the Stern School of Business at New York University and then spent several years at JP Morgan structuring and selling derivatives products to the bank’s corporate and institutional clients. After leaving the bank, Steve spent five years as a trader at a hedge fund, where he successfully managed and grew the firm’s relative-value focused convertible arbitrage trading strategy.
In 2006, Steve made the leap from the financial industry to luxury real estate by joining Heritage Luxury Builders, and later @Properties as a licensed Illinois realtor. Steve spent seven years at Heritage Luxury Builders developing the luxury custom construction and real estate business at Heritage. During his years with Heritage, Steve gained extensive knowledge of new construction and the North Shore real estate market, from the grass roots level to putting entire deals together.
Today, Steve has capitalized on all of his past experience and founded Newgard Custom Homes, a new type of residential building company that puts the client first and focuses on innovation in residential construction. Steve brings a client-focused, highly organized, and detail-oriented approach new construction. Steve’s ability to seamlessly guide clients through the custom building process and make the construction of clients’ dream homes into an efficient and hassle-free experience is what distinguishes Newgard from other residential home builders on the North Shore.
Steve’s financial background and new construction expertise gives him a particularly unique vantage point in advising client’s about their biggest investment, their home. Steve is focused on exceptional client service.
Having grown up on the North Shore and graduated from New Trier, Steve has returned to the North Shore to raise his family in Glencoe. Steve is committed to better living on the North Shore and improving and serving its neighborhoods. Steve has been involved in coaching baseball with the Glencoe Baseball Association, and other local charitable organizations.
Steve is a licensed Illinois Realtor and is a member of the Newgard Team at @Properties North Shore.
Bill Barry joined Draper and Kramer, Incorporated in 1989 and currently heads the Commercial Finance Group. Mr. Barry has over 30 years of experience in financing various commercial real estate assets with a diverse range of financing structures including senior debt, bridge debt, mezzanine debt, and preferred and joint-venture equity. Prior to joining Draper and Kramer, he was Vice President of Finance at Lincoln Property Company in Chicago. Mr. Barry has financed over $30 billion in real estate during his career.
Mr. Barry graduated from the University of Illinois with highest honors, receiving a BS degree in Accounting. He was awarded a Bronze Tablet for graduating in the top three percent of his class. Bill has been and is involved in many charities including: Wood Family Foundation, All Stars Project of Chicago, Alzheimer’s Association, Link Unlimited, March of Dimes, Sarah’s Inn, Midtown Educational Foundation, and Pulmonary Fibrosis Foundation.
Mark Baumhart has more than 37 years’ experience working with a wide range of clients and assignments, primarily in the O’Hare area. Mark has extensive first-hand experience with nearly all aspects of industrial real estate including representing tenants, buyers, property owners and real estate investors.
Mark has successfully completed in excess of $1B in industrial real estate transactions and has completed in excess of 1,700 transactions. He has been involved in every type of real estate transaction imaginable and has gained a reputation for his insight and excellent judgment in providing service to his clients. In 2019, Mark represented Arthur J. Rogers & Co. in the sale of their entire 1.7M square foot industrial commercial real estate portfolio to Stockbridge, a national real estate investment and management platform, for $116,500,000. It was one of the largest industrial real estate transactions in the Midwest Chicago in 2019.
Mark previously worked with Lee & Associates. A lifelong Chicago resident, Mark began his real estate career with Arthur J. Rogers & Co.
Mr. Becker is a seasoned real estate and transaction attorney with more than 25 years of practice. His emphasis is in complex commercial real estate lease negotiations, real estate acquisitions, dispositions and Development matters. He is also a member of the Village of Deerfield Planning Commission. Becker & Gurian is an aggressive law firm that provides quality expertise in complicated real estate transactions, including the acquisition, sale, Development, construction, leasing and financing of commercial, industrial, and residential property. They have extensive experience in a broad range of real estate projects including shopping centers, office buildings, and custom home residential Developments, condominium conversions and troubled debt restructuring.
Mr. Blacher is an attorney with an emphasis on complex commercial real estate acquisitions, dispositions, leasing, financing, and development matters including industrial, retail, and office. His clients range from entrepreneurial investors to non-real estate focused multi-national publicly traded companies. In addition to assisting clients, he is also largely responsible for the management and operation of Becker Gurian. He enjoys both the legal and business aspects of running a boutique law firm. Before joining Becker Gurian, he was a partner at a large law firm in downtown Chicago.
Becker Gurian is a results-oriented law firm that advises entrepreneurial and institutional investors and developers looking to buy, sell, develop, entitle, lease, or finance commercial real estate. Becker Gurian’s attorneys have a breadth of experience in all transaction types across all asset classes. They have served as legal counsel in thousands of complex real estate transactions.
Since joining Teska Associates in 2013, Michael Blue has brought the experience of a 25+ year career in the public and private sectors to new and established clients. His work at the firm includes preparing zoning regulations, organizational strategic plans, neighborhood plans, comprehensive plans, development economics, and staff training.
Prior to joining Teska Associates, Michael was the Director of Community Development in Highland Park, IL for 11 years. There he managed a department of 30 staff and focused on long range planning, review and approval of proposed Development projects, permit approval, and support of City Council and Commission activities. The Department served nine city commissions addressing: development, affordable housing, historic preservation, cultural arts, and the natural environment. Previously, Michael worked as Deputy Community Development Director in the Village of Mount Prospect, IL.
Michael has undergraduate and graduate degrees in Urban Planning from the University of Illinois in Urbana – Champaign. Teska Associates, founded in 1975, provides services to both public and private sector clients in the areas of community planning, Development economics, landscape architecture, and urban design. The firm collaborates closely with clients and industry professionals to problem solve and create solutions that are considered, engaging, and effective.
Peter Borzak, CEO, Pine Tree
College: George Washington University
Professional Experience: Balcor Company 1984-1987
First Dearborn Properties 1987-1990
Plymouth Court Properties 1990-1995
Pine Tree Commercial Realty 1995-Present
Pine Tree Portfolio: 117 Shopping Centers
Assets Under Mgt: $3.1 Billion
Organizations: Big Brothers/Big Sisters of Chicago (Mentor)
YPO (Real Estate Network Chair 2012-2014)
ICSC
ULI
NAREIM
Deerfield AYSO
Deerfield Youth Baseball Association
Boards: Big Brothers Big Sisters of Chicago
Standard Club of Chicago (President 2004-2006)
Harold Eisenberg Foundation
George Washington University Center for Real Estate Advisory Board
Marquette University Center for Real Estate Advisory Board
DePaul University Center for Real Estate Advisory Board
Deerfield Park Foundation
As president, Russell Brenner is responsible for the vision and growth of RX Health and Science Trust. Russell brings more than 25 years of real estate investment, finance and operational experience to RXHST, having led the acquisition, development and leasing of more than 8 million square feet of commercial real estate, including hospital-anchored medical office buildings and ambulatory surgery centers across the U.S. Prior to joining RXHST, Russell was partner with Stage Equity Partners, a Chicago-based healthcare real estate investment company, where he co-managed investment strategy and operations of a national medical office portfolio. Previously, Russell served as senior principal at Syndicated Equities, a national real estate private equity firm, where he led investment sales and capital raising efforts for each of the firm’s investment vehicles across sectors. Russell began his career as senior director, office leasing and investment sales for Insignia/ESG (now CBRE).
Russell earned a BA (with Honors) in English Language and Literature from Tufts University, volunteers as a Real Estate Mentor for young professionals via the Harold Eisenberg Foundation and held a variety of leadership roles within JUF’s Real Estate Division.
Todd J. Cabanban, one of the founding Principals of Cabanban, Rubin, & Mayberry Commercial Realty, has demonstrated a sure command of the metropolitan Chicago commercial real estate market for over 30 years. Throughout his successful career in retail commercial real estate brokerage, Mr. Cabanban has built a reputation for doing excellent work and providing value to all his clients. Whether working with property owners, sellers or tenants, Todd puts himself in the principal’s shoes to help them make the best real estate decisions in achieving all their goals.
Todd is a long-standing member of the state committee for the International Council of Shopping Centers (ICSC). Todd is also an active member of Lambda Alpha International’s (LAI) Ely Chapter and has served in its leadership as a past President of the Chapter. Todd is also a member of the prestigious Realty Club of Chicago, where he serves as Vice President of the organization until he takes over as President in 2024.
His civic duties include being appointed by Cook County President Toni Preckwinkle to the Economic Development Advisory Committee (EDAC) and a past board member of The YMCA of Metro Chicago. Todd graduated with a BA from Indiana University and lives in the city of Chicago with his family.
Karen Case oversees the CIBC Bank groups that develop and manage real estate finance and banking relationships with dynamic and growing commercial real estate developers, investors, owners and operators across the country. She is also a member of the U.S. Region Executive Committee and most recently served as president – commercial real estate, for The PrivateBank, which was acquired by CIBC in June 2017. Prior to joining The PrivateBank in 2017, Case was the executive vice president for LaSalle Bank’s Commercial Real Estate team, and most recently was responsible for serving real estate companies based in Illinois.
Headquartered in Toronto, CIBC has international operations in the United States, the Caribbean, Asia, and Europe. The bank has three strategic business units: Retail and Business Banking, Wealth Management, and Capital Markets. Globally, CIBC serves more than eleven million clients, and has over 40,000 employees. In 2012, CIBC was named the strongest bank in North America and the 3rd strongest bank in the world by Bloomberg Markets magazine.
Matt joined ARC in 2018 as Director of Leasing. He is tasked with negotiating and executing new leases and renewals with local and national retailers, identifying value-add opportunities through re-tenanting, strategic relocations, and the development of outparcels on behalf of many private and institutional Landlords. Prior to joining ARC, Matt was a Leasing Manager at IRC Retail Centers, where he was responsible for leasing activity for approximately 3 million square feet of retail space in a portfolio of neighborhood, community, and power centers throughout the Chicago area. Prior to joining IRC, Matt was a Vice President at Troy Realty Ltd. in Chicago, where he worked primarily with local and regional banks to provide consulting, receivership, management, and disposition services.
ARC Real Estate Group specializes in representing retailers and landlords with real estate needs throughout the Midwestern states and select other U.S. Markets. Our strong relationships with the top national and local tenants, landlords, developers, and government officials provides for a diverse and deep knowledge of current and future trends in the retail real estate industry.
Rick Drogosz is a Principal at Mid-America Real Estate Corporation, part of the Mid-America Real Estate Group. Rick co-leads Mid-America’s Investment Sales Group, focusing solely on the disposition of retail properties throughout the greater Midwest region. Together with his partners, Mr. Drogosz has been involved in a transaction volume well in excess of $10 billion.
Mr. Drogosz has 35 years of real estate experience. Prior to joining Mid-America Real Estate in 1997, Mr. Drogosz worked held various brokerage and financial positions with Grubb & Ellis Company, Bank of Montreal and JMB Institutional Realty Corp. Mr. Drogosz started his business career as a CPA at Arthur Anderson & Company, where he worked with a multitude of real estate clients.
Mid-America Real Estate Group, Inc. is a full service, boutique commercial real estate services firm with offices in Chicago, Oakbrook, Milwaukee, Minneapolis and Detroit.
Lynn Dubajic Kellogg started DLK, LLC Business and Economic Development with a passion for Economic Development and a purpose of helping businesses prosper and communities grow; with harmony and mutually beneficial impact. With over 20 years of expertise and experience as the Executive Director of the Yorkville Economic Development Corporation, Lynn successfully created a standard for excellence, with numerous successful projects that added to the workforce and enhanced the community.
Among her many accomplishments are:
Peter is a partner at Iron Ridge Partners, LLC. Previously Peter cofounded Elliss Park Partners (EPP) as a vehicle to acquire, reposition, and hold retail, mixed-use, and industrial real estate assets. Preceding EPP, Peter was a founding Principal of Clark Street Real Estate, which was formed in 2005, and specializes in developing and redeveloping retail, medical office, industrial, and mixed-use properties ranging from single tenant to large-scale complex projects. Peter also continues to grow and manage a portfolio of family real estate assets.
He is actively involved in the International Council of Shopping Centers, having served as the immediate Past Chair of the ICSC Foundation Board of Directors and on the Illinois State Committee. Peter is a cofounder and Emeritus Member of ICSC’s Next Generation National Advisory Group as well. He passionately supports The Harold E. Eisenberg Foundation, serving as President and a Founding Board Member.
Peter graduated from the University of Wisconsin-Madison with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Political Science. In addition, he earned a Juris Doctorate degree along with an LLM in Real Estate Law with honors from The John Marshall Law School in Chicago where he serves on the Advisory Board for the Center of Real Estate Law.
Savas Er oversees all of the activities of North American Real Estate especially identifying new development or existing retail projects which needs redevelopment. He founded North American Real Estate in 1998 which has played a major role in the real estate industry for more than ten years. He has been involved with over 20 retail projects exceeding one million square feet of leasable area. He is also directly involved with major shopping center projects in Izmir, Turkey where he has completed over 900,000 square feet of retail transactions.
North American Real Estate, founded in 1998, is a full-service real estate firm based in Schaumburg. The company, which expanded into Turkey, is specialized on value add, opportunistic retail real estate investment. As the principal of North American Real Estate, Mr. Er has developed, owned and managed over two million square feet of retail. North American Real Estate currently owns, develops and manages properties in Greater Chicagoland and in Izmir, Turkey.
For over two decades, David wore two hats — he ran a commercial construction company and was also a zoning attorney. In 2017, he combined those unique skill sets along with his passion for cannabis to co-found Grow America Builders, one of the only national Consulting+Design+Build firms working exclusively in the cannabis industry.
David’s vision was to create a company that would be a true one stop for any cannabis licensee; consulting, zoning, land development, architecture, engineering, interior design, and turnkey construction. That vision came to life via Grow America, and since its inception, David and his team have worked on virtually every type of cannabis facility literally from coast to coast.
Grow America has worked on over sixty dispensaries, and numerous cultivation, infusion and manufacturing facilities across fourteen states in almost every scope and capacity. In 2021, Grow America was selected as one of eight firms hired by the State of New York to design and build the first 150 dispensaries in the state; the first public works project of any kind in cannabis.
David earned his Bachelor of Arts at the University of Iowa and Juris Doctor at the University of Illinois Chicago School of Law, and currently sits on the National Cannabis Industry Association’s Facility Design Committee.
Mr. Field is a founding member of Field and Goldberg, LLC and partner in charge of the real estate tax group. Throughout his career, Mr. Field has handled tax appeals for numerous high profile commercial and industrial properties, apartment buildings, cooperatives and premier condominiums. He has represented taxpayers at the Assessor’s Office, the Board of Review, State of Illinois Property Tax Appeal Board and in Circuit Court. Mr. Field has structed numerous real estate transactions for developers and institutional lenders ranging from shopping centers and office buildings to residential complexes.
Mr. Field received his J.D. degree from Emory University School of Law and his L.L.M. in real estate with honors from the John Marshall School of Law. He is also a graduate of Indiana University School of Business.
Field and Goldberg, LLC zealously represents owners, tenants, receivers and property managers in seeking reductions in real estate tax assessments on all types of commercial, industrial and high profile residential properties.
Mr. Firsel has completed close to $1 billion in property sales during his career. Prior to founding Quantum, Mr. Firsel was the executive vice president and founder of the investment services group at NAI Hiffman and was the executive vice president and founder of the investment services practice at Baum Realty Group.
Quantum Real Estate Advisors, Inc. specializes in investment sales brokerage, assisting clients in the acquisition and disposition of commercial real estate. Quantum has the capacity through strategic alliances to offer full-service leasing brokerage, receivership, management and financing.
For 40 years, Pat FitzGerald has made numerous innovations in urban infill housing, contributing more than 20,000 units to Chicago’s housing stock including affordable, public, student, market-rate, and luxury housing; loft conversions and mixed-use buildings in low-, mid-, and high-rise formats. As both an architect and developer, he has built many units that have shown the viability of some long-neglected formats including townhomes, rowhouses and courtyard apartment buildings.
Pat’s work focuses on how projects contribute to the dynamic of existing neighborhoods and help to create positive environments where they don’t currently exist while acting as a pioneer and champion for sustainable design and sophisticated urban planning concepts.
With roots dating back 95 years, FitzGerald Associates Architects provides full architectural services as well as consultancies on building accessibility, building condition assessment, energy optimization, historical research, adaptive reuse, space planning and interior design, site design and planning, sustainable design, and tenant improvement services. The firm is one of Chicago’s leading design firms with a portfolio full of master-planned communities containing over 30,000 residences, more than 100 conversions and restorations of historic structures, and numerous other commercial and industrial facilities.
Ezequiel “Zeke” Flores is the CEO of Flying Retail one of the largest real estate concessionaire’s at O’Hare and Midway Airports. Zeke specializes in attracting strong national retail brands and partners to airports and has built a portfolio that includes retailers Brooks Brothers, Brookstone, America’s Dog, Green Market and Brighton which have created over 50 full-time jobs. Zeke also oversees operations of all existing concessions at the airport and is looking to expand into additional airports. Zeke grew up on the Southwest Side of Chicago and is a first-generation college student. After graduating from DePaul University, Zeke went to work for Arthur Andersen and, later, Sara Lee where he oversaw projects in 14 countries before striking out on his own. Committed to giving back, Zeke sits on the Illinois State Board of Investment, is the Chairman of the Board of Corazón A Corazón, sits on the DePaul University Board of Trustees and serves on the Steering Committee for the Illinois Business Immigration Coalition. Zeke was named to the 40 Under 40 by Crain’s Chicago Business.
Zeke has many fond memories of his record 10 different Mentorships and fondly speaks of his day with Camille Julmy (formerly of U.S. Equities Realty and now Vice Chairman of CBRE) which was spent on Michigan Avenue learning the history of many of the most prominent retailers on the street which Camille and his firm had brokered and how Camille’s business relationships had developed into personal relationships which Camille credited with making complicated transactions less challenging. Zeke often thinks of that day with Camille and strives to build personal relationships with all he interacts with by bringing honesty and integrity into his workplace.
Flying Concessions is a Latino-owned entrepreneurial real estate consulting firm that places an emphasis on civic, corporate and aviation industry relationships. By providing a comprehensive range of real estate advisory, planning and management services, Flying Concessions helps aviation professionals in active capital, entitlement processing, joint ventures, as well as horizontal and vertical development in various markets around the country.
Pete Foran started at Pine Tree in January 2020 and oversees Asset and Portfolio Management, which includes involvement in acquisitions/due diligence, asset management, and dispositions. His team is responsible for creating, executing, and realizing a strategy for retail properties across the entire US. Prior to Pine Tree, Pete has worked at a wide variety of companies ranging from his own start-up, brokerage firms, and private and public investment managers.
Pine Tree is the sole private commercial real estate company in the United States with a national, institutional-quality, retail-focused platform investing in and providing services to shopping center assets across the risk spectrum. With $3 billion of retail assets under management, Pine Tree is the industry leader in the management, acquisition, development, and leasing of necessity-based open-air shopping centers from coast-to-coast. Pine Tree’s team features diverse professional backgrounds and expertise allowing the company to evolve as an innovative, adaptable, and full-service retail real estate company with a vision for tomorrow’s retail and an industry-leading reputation.
Harold W. Francke concentrates his practice in annexation, zoning, tax increment and special service area financing, business district development, development incentives, utility system and roadway infastructure construction financing and general real estate development matters.
Mr. Francke has had primary responsibility for land use, development and infastructure financing and construction matters for several large tracts of land in the Chicago metropolitan area. These have encompassed large-scale residental-golf course planned developments and mixed-use planned developments. Mr. Francke’s experience extends to all forms of development, including residential, commercial/retail, hotel, industrial, institutional, assisted living and independent living facilities and continuing care retirement communities. Before joining Meltzer, Purtill Stelle Mr. Francke was a partner at DLA Piper LLP where he practiced for 34 years.
Headquartered in downtown Chicago, Meltzer, Purtill & Stelle LLC provides legal services to individuals, financial institutions, real estate developers, and the corporate middle market. Their orientation is management-focused.
Gina Fridberg joined Wintrust Commercial Real Estate as Senior Vice President and will be focusing on acquisition and construction financing across all asset classes for Illinois, Wisconsin and Indiana based sponsors. Wintrust has significantly grown their commercial real estate portfolio over the past several years and currently has over $5Billion in commercial real estate exposure on assets throughout the continental US for individual investors, family offices as well as institutional borrowers. Prior to joining Wintrust, Gina was the Director of Strategic Initiatives with Podolsky Circle where she focused on growing the firm’s construction, brokerage, management and receivership platforms.By joining Wintrust, Gina is coming back to her banking roots, where she served as Senior Vice President at Fifth Third and PNC Bank, Her experience spanned origination, syndication, portfolio management, restructuring and workout.Gina is a mentor with the Eisenberg Foundation, an active member of ULI and JUF and chairs the President’s Day fundraisers for her kids’ school. While Gina and her family currently live in suburban Chicago, she is an Ohio native where she attended Case Western Reserve University. Gina and her husband live in Skokie with their three kids and one rescued standard poodle.
Wintrust Bank is an affiliate of Wintrust Financial Corporation. Wintrust Financial Corporation is a publicly traded Financial services holding company headquartered in Rosemont, IL, with assets approaching $20 billion. With over 125 branches in Illinois, Wisconsin and Indiana, it is the second largest bank group headquartered in Illinois. In addition to being active in the commercial real estate market, the company engages in community banking, wealth Management, specialty finance and mortgage origination through its operating subsidiaries.
Mr. Friedman has been in the shopping center industry since 1973 in various executive positions with some of the most formidable companies in the Chicagoland market. These include, The Tucker Companies where he worked directly for Harold Eisenberg, Urban Retail Properties, Simon Properties, and Mid-America Real Estate. In addition, Mr. Friedman also acts as a tenant representative and provides design/build services for retail stores. Working for Both enclosed mall and strip center developers, has provided him a well rounded education that enables him to share leasing and construction experiences from different points of view. Since 1985, Mr. Friedman has served in many capacities on the Illinois State Committee for ICSC including Program Chairman, Roundtable Co-Chair, and Roundtable Leader. Jameson Commercial Real Estate specializes in multi-family, retail, office and industrial real estate overseeing investment sales, leasing, ground up Development and consultation services.
Mr. Friedman is Senior Director at Kiser Group, specializing in condominium deconversions, as well as multi-family and mixed used sales on the Northside of Chicago. He chose to specialize in condominium deconversions in 2018 seeing a growing niche with no broker fully dedicated to servicing it. He created internal systems to handle this complex sale process including a list of best practices – all of which continued to be refined to this day. As many of the condominium deconversion sales he has completed were located on the North Side of Chicago, the sale of “regular” multifamily and mixed use in that became a natural extension to his practice.
Founded in 2005, Kiser Group has become a nationally recognized commercial brokerage firm. Focused exclusively on multifamily investment sales, Kiser Group has closed over $5 billion in Chicagoland multifamily sales in over 1,800 buildings sold throughout the Midwest.
Mr. Frolik has 30 years of commercial real estate experience and is recognized as one of the top shopping center and outlet/value asset investment brokers in both the company and the industry. He has represented numerous institutional clients, financial institutions, and private investment groups, helping owners in the formulation of strategic disposition initiatives and marketing campaign execution. He also brings a strong understanding of both the capital markets and the retail property markets to every transaction.
In 1997, Mr. Frolik and his Chicago based team co-founded CBRE’s National Retail Partners (NRP) platform, consisting of ten teams of professionals across the country that specialize solely in the marketing of retail investment properties. Since its formation, Mr. Frolik’s local team, NRP—Midwest, has completed over 1,201 transactions containing over 167.4 million square feet and valued in excess of over $17.31 billion. Mr. Frolik is also the founding member of CBRE’s Outlet & Value Advisory Services team which has successfully closed or financed 38 transactions valued in excess $1.5 billion.
Mr. Frolik joined CBRE in March 1992 as a Senior Financial Analyst and assisted in underwriting over 300 different retail, office, multifamily and industrial transactions in excess of $1.5 billion in consideration.
Mr. George is President of both Mid-America Real Estate and Mid-America Asset Management and co-founded Mid-America with David P. Bossy in 1984, developing the Chicago-based firm into a prominent retail real estate Brokerage company. Mr. George has personally directed the firm’s growth in Brokerage, as well as its diversification into investment sales and asset Management. Mr. George has been responsible for some of Mid-America’s greatest successes in tenant representation, as well as counseling investment firms in the acquisition and sale of shopping centers.
Headquartered in Oakbrook Terrace, Illinois, the Mid-America Real Estate organization is Chicago and the Midwest’s leading full-service retail real estate organization. Founded in 1984 primarily to service an emerging national chain store expansion phenomenon, Mid-America Real Estate Corporation (MAREC) brokers and consultants have been unrivaled in tenant representation, pre-Development and shopping center leasing, land assemblage, investment sales and Consulting. Mid-America Asset Management Company (MAAMCo) has similarly become the region’s most dominant third-party asset management group, accumulating an impressive portfolio of clients and currently managing and leasing in excess of 16 million square feet, more than any other non-owner firm. The management company also provides construction management and development services for its clients. The two companies have also recently combined to offer retail consulting services to area municipalities. Mid-America Investment and Development Corporation (MIDCO), formed in 2001, focuses on the acquisition and development of retail product throughout the Midwest. Mid-America also has offices in Milwaukee, Minneapolis and Detroit.
Scott Goodman serves as the founding principal of Farpoint Development. With a lifetime of experience in real estate development focusing on investor relations, procurement of financing and equity and transaction structuring, he serves as the foundation for the company. Scott’s deep insight into projects comes from involvement at each step of the process. His practical and academic knowledge results in a track record of unending success across all asset classes and market cycles. Prior to founding Farpoint, Scott co-founded Sterling Bay which he grew from a five-flat purchase in Lakeview to a staff of 150 and a track record that included the build-to-suit developments for McDonald’s corporate headquarters and Google’s Midwest headquarters.
At Farpoint, we capitalize on hard-fought value through innovative real estate development. Our firm is the product of 30-plus years experience creating some of Chicago’s most iconic and game-changing commercial office projects. We are defined by our: Vision — to see opportunities that others do not. Experience — to create value against long odds. Integrity — to do the right thing when expediency might encourage otherwise. Creativity — to know that “cutting-edge” is already over. Relationships — to build teams of stakeholders that accomplish what groups of individuals cannot.
Andrew Goodman is a Principal and Founding Partner of the Wolcott Group. He is responsible for underwriting and analysis of all investment opportunities and sits on Wolcott’s investment committee. Additionally, he oversees asset and property management for Wolcott’s loan and property portfolio.
Andy was formerly with JDI Realty, LLC where he specialized in underwriting high-yield commercial and industrial real estate loans and analyzing real estate portfolio acquisitions. Prior to his position with JDI, he was an associate with Heitman Capital Management, a national capital management firm specializing in real estate.
The Wolcott Group LLC (“TWG”) is a private equity real estate company that was founded in 1998. We currently manage investments in approximately $500 million of real estate assets through direct investments, opportunistic funds and separate co-investment vehicles. We invest in a variety of opportunistic, transitional, and complex value-add situations. We invest through the capital structure and across a broad spectrum of real estate asset classes including multifamily residential apartments, manufactured housing, office, independent and assisted living facilities, industrial, and retail. Our assets are in Illinois, Wisconsin, Indiana, Michigan, Missouri, Montana, Arizona, and Kentucky.
Graham assist clients to achieve their strategic objectives by providing legal services in the areas of real estate development, government relations, zoning, land use, licensing and economic incentives. He has developed projects in every real industry sector including specialty areas of data centers, adaptive reuse, healthcare and hospital, as well as residential, commercial and industrial. He also has experience as a director of a pension fund, a risk retention fund, a private company in the construction sector, and a private philanthropic foundation. He has experience in corporate governance, best practices, audit committee duties, regulatory compliance, and diversity initiatives. Graham is civically active in Chicago as a member of the Commercial Club of Chicago, the Economic Club of Chicago, and is founder of Chicago African-Americans in Commercial Real Estate http://www.chiaacre.org/.
Mr. Greazel serves as Executive Managing Director for Newmark in the firm’s Chicago office. For more than 20 years he has represented life insurance companies as correspondent lenders, such as John Hancock, Allstate, Lincoln Financial Group and Americo. Prior to joining Newmark, Mr. Greazel was SVP with Grubb & Ellis and Director at Cohen Financial in the Capital Markets Group. Mr. Greazel is a member of the International Council of Shopping Centers (ICSC) and the Illinois State Committee/Government Relations Committee Chairperson/GR Economic Subcommittee and serves as an Executive Board Member. Mr. Greazel has a Bachelor of Arts in Economics from the University of Iowa, Iowa City.
Newmark is one of the world’s leading commercial real estate advisory firms with more than 13,000 employees. We provide a fully integrated platform of services to prominent multinational corporations and institutional investors across the globe, as well as to occupiers, owners and developers of real estate on a local, regional and national level.
While representing tenants, publicly traded and private property owners, Mr. Gurian has negotiated complicated transactions involving more than 10 million square feet of commercial real estate. His areas of expertise are numerous, with an emphasis on sophisticated real estate Developments and financing. His reputation is that of a dealmaker! Becker & Gurian is an aggressive law firm that provides quality expertise in complicated real estate transactions, including the acquisition, sale, Development, construction, leasing and financing of commercial, industrial, and residential property. They have extensive experience in a broad range of real estate projects including regional shopping centers, office buildings, custom home residential Developments, condominium conversions and troubled debt restructuring.
Marc Hale joined PW Commercial Real Estate as an Associate in February 2016. Before joining PW, Marc worked as a Licensed Attorney, as well as a Family Advisor/Consultant for CMG Sport.
During his time at PW Commercial Real Estate, Marc has established himself as one of the top young brokers in the Chicagoland area. After only four years at PW Commercial, Marc was named the firm’s top producer in 2019 and has transacted over 100 million dollars worth of real estate in that time. He has extensive experience working with clients in the food production/distribution, trucking, scrap metal, and warehousing industries.
Marc’s experience is in the industrial brokerage field in and around the City of Chicago, I-55, Southwestern Suburbs, Will County, and Northwest Indiana submarkets. Marc’s legal background provides him with a fundamental understanding of real estate, contract and worker’s compensation law as well as criminal, and civil litigation. Marc’s sports representation background equips him with extensive knowledge in regards to balancing the goals and aspirations of his clients through Advising, Representation, Advocacy, and Negotiation.
Marc is also a part-time Amateur Scout for the St. Louis Blues NHL hockey team.
CLIENTS & COMPANIES SERVICED
PROFESSIONAL AFFILIATIONS
EDUCATION
Stuart Handler founded TLC Management Co. with a loan of $10,000 and brokerage commissions from selling commercial and investment real estate. Stuart because arguably the largest single owner of apartment buildings in the Chicagoland area owning and managing 5,385 apartments in over 100 buildings in 16 Chicagoland submarkets. In addition to owning apartment buildings, Stuart has also developed and owned several Chicago and Suburban shopping centers. He has also earned the CCIM designation and was the President of the Illinois Chapter of CCIMs and was elected to a national board member of the Institute. He also wrote a book, How to become a Superstar Selling Commercial & Investment Real Estate. In 2020, Stuart founded and endowed the University of Illinois Chicago’s the Stuart Handler Department of Real Estate in the College of Business.
TLC Management Co. is an award-winning, full-service leasing and management company that employs 150 people. It uses high-tech, personal service model to give over 10,000 residents, a comfortable, enjoyable living experience. Since 1996, TLC has dedicated to delivering everything apartment living should be, and as a Chicago-based company that owns and operates its own properties, we are uniquely qualified to do so. Well-maintained buildings. Desirable locations. Responsive service. Reasonable rents. All from a group of people – corporate, management, maintenance – united in their commitment to the satisfaction of every resident we serve.
Michele Hastings serves as a Commercial Sales Executive for the National Commercial Services (NCS) operation in Chicago. With nearly a decade of real estate title experience, Michele is skilled in working with a wide range of clients including Commercial Real Estate Attorney, Commercial Real Estate Brokers, Builders/Developers, Commercial Lenders, and Commercial Investors in the Chicagoland area and Nationwide. Michele is a results-driven account manager with a proven track record of understanding client needs and exceeding expectations. She focuses on building strong relationships through effective communication, responsiveness and working with her underwriting and service delivery team to provide creative solutions to the often-complex challenges of commercial transactions.
Old Republic National Commercial Services (NCS} provides the specialized underwriting, closing, settlement, and other title-related services required for successful commercial real estate transactions. NCS provides a single point of service from coast-to-coast regardless of the transaction size, complexity or geographic diversity of the properties involved. The responsive team of NCS industry veterans across the nation understands the importance and intricacies of each transaction and has the requisite knowledge and expertise to handle each project swiftly, accurately, and efficiently tailored to meet your specific needs. Their commitment is to provide exceptional customer service from beginning to end. NCS projects include some of the largest and most complex commercial transactions in the United States including office and industrial buildings, renewable energy projects, luxury resorts, sports stadiums, mixed-use developments, and many others. These projects are insured directly by Old Republic Title or through an authorized agent or approved attorney.
Brian was born in Highland Park, Illinois. He graduated from Stanford University with a B.A. in International Relations and is a proud grad school drop-out from Stanford as well. Hoffman’s early exposure to real estate and construction included stints as a laborer, concrete worker, and apprentice bricklayer.
Today, as a 3rd-generation owner of the firm, Brian is responsible for Red Seal’s Nashville expansion, market strategy, financing and sales team. He and co-owner Todd Fishbein collaborate on the firm’s land acquisitions. Over the past 27 years in the industry, Mr. Hoffman has been involved in the development, construction or property management of properties totaling over $1 billion and including a portfolio as diverse as the $270 million redevelopment of Fort Sheridan and the $100 million redevelopment of the Mission Hills golf course.
Active in his community and civic life, Brian has served as vice-chairman of the Business and Economic Development Commission of the City of Highland Park. He is also a long time director and incoming president of the Solomon Schechter Day Schools of Metropolitan Chicago; as well as a past president of Green Acres Country Club in Northbrook. Mr. Hoffman and his wife continue to be involved in various community and philanthropic pursuits.
Michael Horne has over 30 years of executive level experience in the commercial real estate industry. Prior to joining Newcastle Properties, Mr. Horne was most recently Vice President at Imperial Realty Company, Regional Director at Sterling Organization, and President at HSS Partners.
Working closely with the executive team at Newcastle Properties, Mr. Horne leads all leasing and marketing functions and is actively involved in sourcing acquisition properties and planning portfolio wide redevelopment projects.
Mr. Horne is a graduate of Northwestern University, is a member of the International Council of Shopping Centers (ICSC), is a member of the Chicago Area Shopping Center Owners (CASCO) and is a licensed Illinois real estate broker.
Mr. Huzenis has been active in the real estate industry for over 20 years. After acquiring his real estate license in 1980, he became associated with a local real estate agency. After just two years, Mr. Huzenis and his brother Charley created their own firm, Jameson Realty Group.
Today, Mr. Huzenis oversees the team of 10 commercial brokers while running the company’s investment portfolio of one million square feet. of industrial and retail space. He also supervises the company’s participation with new and rehabbed residential Development, which on average numbers 500 units.
Jameson Realty Group began in 1982 as a small storefront office on Chicago’s near north side. It has enjoyed tremendous growth and now has over 100 people in the organization. Their Chicago and Evanston offices encompass a sales and Management team that includes specialists in Both residential and commercial real estate. While maintaining its prominence and tradition in Brokerage, they have become on of the city’s foremost representatives of developers of both new construction and renovation projects. In the past year, Jameson’s sales of commercial and residential property totaled approximately $500,000,000.
For nearly 40 years, Dan Hyman has been one of the most prominent real estate brokers in Chicago, selling, buying, and leasing retail centers, office buildings, industrial warehouses and apartment buildings. In 1996, he decided to start his own firm and for more than 20 years, Millennium Properties has been a leading brokerage and property management firm. Since Millennium’s inception, Dan has been personally involved in more than $4 billion in real estate transactions. He has also served as a receiver and consultant for local and national financial institutions.
Millennium Properties R/E is a boutique firm committed to providing the highest level of service to suit all your real estate needs. Our knowledgeable and experienced real estate experts will be a crucial tool for you in navigating this increasingly complex market. Since 1996, Millennium Properties has been working with property owners to sell, lease and manage properties throughout the Chicagoland area and the Midwest.
Allen Joffe is both a principal and the designated managing broker of First Street Realty Partners, LLC. With almost 30 years of experience, Allen has provided clients with an unmatched knowledge of the Chicago area retail leasing business. He has successfully negotiated and managed lease transactions for more than 70 clients including America’s Best Contacts & Eyeglasses, Dave’s Hot Chicken, Armand’s, Sterling Jewelers, Five Guys Burgers & Fries, Starbucks, Discount Tire, Primrose, Blaze Pizza and Dry Hop.
Allen has overseen retail leasing programs for both urban and suburban properties and has completed land sales ranging from 1 to 80 acres, successfully negotiated lease terminations, consulted for the Chicago Transit Authority and Mesirow-Stein, as well as brokering the occasional investment sales transaction.
Allen has been recognized for his achievements by the Commercial Forum, a division of the Chicago Association of Realtors (CAR) on numerous occasions. He was awarded Broker of the Year for Tenant Representation three years in a row, was the recipient of the Jimmy John’s Top Producer award and was awarded the Top Retail Leasing Broker distinction in Chicago by CoStar three times. He was also designated as a 40 under 40 in 2003 by Real Estate Chicago magazine.
Allen is an active member of the Ely Chapter of Lambda Alpha International, The Realty Club, Mentor for the ICSC Mentorship Program and a Trustee for the Greater IL Market for the National MS Society.
Allen was selected to join an elite group of real estate industry leaders as a mentor with the Harold E. Eisenberg Foundation, where he provides guidance to students interested in pursuing a career in real estate.
In his spare time, Allen is an avid soccer player, skier and bicyclist. Participating in the MS Tour de Farm is an annual event for the Joffe family. The ‘Gold Spokes’ distinction for being one of the top fundraisers has been bestowed on Allen since 2012.
Allen graduated from Illinois State University in 1991 with a bachelor’s degree in marketing.
Bart Johnson is the President of Wintrust Bank and serves as the Commercial Real Estate Market Head for Wintrust Financial. Bart joined Wintrust Bank in 2011, and led the launching of the Wintrust Commercial Real Estate line of business. Today, he works with the bankers across all Wintrust charters in the management of the Company’s $7.5 billion investment real estate loan portfolio. As President of Wintrust Bank, he oversees Wintrust Financial’s largest banking charter, including its retail network of branches in Chicago and the North Shore.
Bart is a member of both the Wintrust Credit Committee and the Credit Policy and Concentration Committee. Has extensive working knowledge in the construction and ownership of office developments, industrial and warehouse spaces, multifamily properties, self-storage and senior housing. Bart and his Wintrust peers are financing projects across the country, supporting their clients’ growth and diversification efforts. Recently, Bart has led Wintrust’s important expansion into the Denver, CO market with the opening of a new Loan Production Office.
In August 2019, Camille Julmy joined Bob Wislow, his partner of 42 years, to form a new real estate venture called Parkside Realty Inc. The real estate veterans oversee their portfolio and develop new projects, such as Fulton East, a 12-story, 90,000 SF office and retail building under construction, located at 215 N Peoria, in the heart of Chicago’s Fulton Market.
Camille joined CBRE following its acquisition of U.S. Equities Realty in July 2014. Camille was directly involved in major investment and financing transactions as well as major urban retail leasing in Chicago, including the world’s largest Starbucks Roastery, on Michigan Avenue.
Camille co-founded U.S. Equities Realty with Robert Wislow in 1978, which together with their partner Nancy Pacher grew to be the largest privately-owned commercial real estate services firm in Chicago. In his past role as co-lead of the company’s Asset Services division, Camille’s leadership expanded the management and leasing of major properties including Willis Tower and John Hancock Center.
Before co-founding U.S. Equities Realty, Camille spent five years with Fidinam, a multi-national investment firm, joining its head office in Lugano, Switzerland, in 1973. He moved to the firm’s Toronto office later in 1973 and was transferred to the firm’s new Chicago office in 1977.
Camille’s major assignments included Willis Tower, the John Hancock Center, 840 North Michigan Avenue, the Starbucks Roastery at 646 N Michigan Avenue, 669 North Michigan Avenue, 600 North Fulton, MetraMarket and Fulton East.
Over the years, he has been involved in many organizations including serving as Chairman of the Magnificent Mile Association, the Executive Club of Chicago, AFIRE (The Association of Foreign Investors in Real Estate), the co-chair of the Chicago-Lucerne Sister Cities, the Swiss Club of Chicago, the Swiss American Business Council and the Midwest Board of UNICEF.
Camille was born and raised in Fribourg, Switzerland, he attended the College St. Michel where he received a Diploma of Commerce, and the University of Fribourg where he received a Bachelor of Science in Economics.
For more than 28 years, Sharon Kahan has focused her efforts on urban retail, mixed-use, lifestyle, and luxury brand leasing property within the city of Chicago, including the Loop, Michigan Avenue, Gold Coast, River North, and Lincoln Park, as well as some of the Chicago area’s more exclusive suburban communities. Sharon provides real estate and consulting services to landlords as well as to regional and national retailers seeking specialized representation in the Chicago market and elsewhere in the United States. Sharon’s strategic approach to real estate has proven invaluable in procuring tenants for retail assets and successfully analyzing sites and negotiating lease transactions for tenants.
Sharon has twice been named the Chicago “Retail Broker of the Year” by the Chicago Food Depository, the most prestigious award in Chicago real estate.
Sharon is an active member of the CBRE Urban Retail Group and the CBRE Global High Streets/International Retail Council, a national team for retail specialists who focus on downtowns, urban environments and specialty retail centers, both nationally and internationally.
Sharon has been a top 10 retail producer in Chicago every year since joining CBRE in 2000.
Sharon’s notable recent transactions include Van Cleef & Arpels at 63 E. Oak, Le Colonial at 57 E. Oak, Lalique at 49 E. Oak, Peter Millar at 875 N. Rush, and Montblanc at 900 N. Michigan. She was the team leader in the rollout of Chase Bank in Chicago completing over 60 deals in a 30-month period.
Lee Kiser is Principal and Managing Broker of Kiser Group, the leading multifamily brokerage firm in greater Chicagoland. He remains an active broker, with a personal career transaction volume greater than $5 billion.
He co-founded Kiser Group in 2005 with his partner, Estella Kiser (General Counsel, Kiser Group). For nearly two decades, Lee has assembled the team that has led Kiser Group from a small start-up firm to a nationally-recognized multifamily brokerage company.
Lee holds a BS in business from the Kenan Flagler Business School at The University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill. He is a member of the Forbes Business Council and serves on the Leadership Council of The Preservation Compact. He also mentors for both The Kellstadt Graduate School of Business at DePaul University and The Eisenberg Foundation. His personal interests include hiking and performing with his band.
Since 1978, Mr. Klairmont has been involved hands-on in the process of finding, buying, rehabbing, leasing, managing and maintaining commercial properties. Mr. Klairmont directs a staff of over 100 professionals who are geared to offer “tender loving care” to all operations of property ownership. Fast-paced decision-making, ranging from large to small, is a constant. Mr. Klairmont is Chairman of the Harold E. Eisenberg Foundation Mentor Program. He is an inductee to the Chicago Association of Realtors and Chicago Area Entrepreneurship Hall of Fame.
Imperial Realty Company has built a portfolio of over 100 retail, office and industrial properties. Most acquisitions were purchased as distressed properties and have been subsequently guided to success through rehabilitation and repositioning to meet the needs of the respective marketplaces. The firm’s staff includes legal, architectural, space planning, brokerage, leasing, administration, management and maintenance.
Bob is responsible for a 1.8 million square foot lifestyle portfolio across four states. He oversees multiple repositioning construction projects at these assets. Since 1990 Bob’s career entails stints at Urban Retail Properties, Westfield Corporation and Starwood Retail Partners.
Heitman is a global real estate investment management firm with over $53 billion in assets under management as of December 31, 2022. Founded in 1966, they have 10 offices worldwide and are an active participant in three key segments of the global real estate property and capital markets. Their collaborative investment process uses input from some who are believed to be the most experienced investment and research professionals in the industry.
Wilhelm O. Kreuzer, Principal and Founder of Evolve Commercial Real Estate, LLC, has spent his entire career in commercial real estate and has over 25 years of experience. Will has extensive knowledge and experience in every aspect of commercial real estate, including: the underwriting of real estate assets, property management, asset management, site location and development, lease negotiation, purchase agreements, operating agreements, joint venture agreements, loan documents, sale/leasebacks, purchase & sale of commercial real estate (1031 exchanges) and public finance documents.
Will has successfully spearheaded over 50 developments during his career for investors and his own real estate portfolio. He was the lead principal in the redevelopment of the historic-landmarked Von Lee Theatre, a LEED-registered project anchored by Indiana University. He also assisted in the entitlement for CA Ventures and was a principal in Evolve Bloomington, a highly-successful 751-bed student housing complex located adjacent to Indiana University’s sports fields. Most recently, Will entitled and developed two retail and mixed-use commercial projects in Naperville, Illinois, including the Shoppes on Washington, a mixed-use vibrant shopping center anchored by Starbucks Coffee and located in the heart of Naperville.
In addition to his extensive development experience, Will has assisted Fortune 500 clients such as Starbucks Coffee, Chipotle Mexican Grill, Potbelly Sandwich Shop, Advance Auto Parts and CVS in lease negotiations, including lease extensions, terminations, and modifications. Will has also assisted numerous clients with the purchase and sale of commercial real estate (1031 exchanges & sale/leasebacks), and represents tenants and landlords in the leasing of commercial space. He also currently manages numerous commercial properties.
Prior to founding Evolve, Will was a principal at Tartan Realty Group in Chicago for over 17 years. Before that, Will worked as a Senior Vice President of Finance at HSA Commercial for over seven years, where he assisted in the financing of over 18 million square feet of real estate valued at over $1 billion.
Will is a licensed real estate broker in Illinois and Indiana, holds the Certified Commercial Investment Member (CCIM) designation, and the Leadership for Energy and Environmental Design Accredited Professional (LEED) designation. He enjoys working with high school students as a mentor for Naperville School District 203’s entrepreneurship incubator program, and is a member of the Advisory Board for the Center of Real Estate Studies at the Kelley School of Business at Indiana University. Will received his Bachelor of Science degree in Real Estate and Finance from Indiana University-Bloomington in 1996.
At Mid-America, Mr. Kuchman is responsible for the coordinated efforts of a 19 member sales staff who collectively represent over 85 of the country’s top retail chains. He has over fifteen years of experience in the areas of retail tenant representation, surplus property disposition, shopping center leasing, commercial sales, assemblage, Development Consulting and market analysis. Mr. Kuchman represents selected clients in as many as 50 major metropolitan markets, in addition to his efforts in the Greater Chicagoland Area. Over the course of his career, Kuchman has completed over six hundred lease transactions with a collective value in excess of $2 billion. Kuchman has represented retail tenants in the acquisition of over 9.0 million square feet of space and has assisted developers in gaining approval for the Development and leasing of five million square feet of new construction.
Headquartered in Oakbrook Terrace, Illinois, the Mid-America Real Estate organization is Chicago and the Midwest’s leading full-service retail real estate organization. Founded in 1984 primarily to service an emerging national chain store expansion phenomenon, Mid-America Real Estate Corporation (MAREC) brokers and consultants have been unrivaled in tenant representation, pre-Development and shopping center leasing, land assemblage, investment sales and Consulting. Mid-America Asset Management Company (MAAMCo) has similarly become the region’s most dominant third-party asset Management group, accumulating an impressive portfolio of clients and currently managing and leasing in excess of 16 million square feet, more than any other non-owner firm. The Management company also provides construction Management and Development services for its clients. The two companies have also recently combined to offer retail Consulting services to area municipalities. Mid-America Investment and Development Corporation (MIDCO), formed in 2001, focuses on the acquisition and Development of retail product throughout the Midwest. Mid-America also has an office in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.
Mr. Lev is President/CEO of Belgravia Group where he oversees the residential and commercial construction, development, marketing and sales operations for the firm which has developed over 2,000 new homes in Chicago delivering best in class products in Chicago’s trendiest neighborhoods. Mr. Lev is involved with the University of Illinois by guest lecturing in the business school, funding a scholarship, participating in the business school job shadow program and serving on the Business Alumni Board. Mr. Lev completed his undergrad in accounting at the University of Illinois at Champaign-Urbana and his J.D. from Loyola University of Chicago and is a CPA, licensed real estate broker and licensed insurance broker.
Since 1947, Belgravia Group, Ltd. and its associated companies have been involved in the development of numerous residential properties, Chicagoland retail centers, Lincoln Park mixed-use properties and River North office buildings. Belgravia Group is a vertically integrated company with divisions for real estate sales and marketing, general brokerage, distressed asset purchases and a full range of real estate legal services. With its local roots and an outstanding reputation in Chicago, Belgravia Group has always been dedicated to providing the highest quality homes and real estate related services to its valued clients. Whether you are seeking a Belgravia-built home, a resale home, legal counsel, investment opportunities or development and construction know-how, Belgravia Group can provide a wealth of trusted resources coupled with years of experience.
Mr. Levick has established a national practice with clients comprised of REITs, developers, asset managers and high net worth entrepreneurs, all of whom value his ability to understand their needs and translate those needs in terms end-users, lenders, purchasers, sellers, landlords and tenants of real estate will also understand. He brings with him over 20 years of experience and a network of relationships, all of which give him a unique ability to complete deals within the defined objectives of the client. Having worked with the largest and most dynamic retailers and REITs, he is uniquely positioned to add not only legal services, but general business counseling rarely found from legal service providers.
Initially, Mr. Levick’s experience focused in retail-related properties. Past clients include Wal-Mart, Walgreens and Home Depot among retail tenants, and landlords of various sizes and geographic scope, including Inland, and various other Midwest and sunbelt-based REITs.
In more recent years, Mr. Levick’s practice area has expanded to many other asset classes within real estate, including multi-family, medical office, industrial, and general office.
Mr. Levick acted as the Managing Partner of Levick Legal Group, LLC, a Chicago-based real estate boutique law firm. Mr. Levick also previously founded and acted as the managing partner of two other law firms in suburban Chicago, each bearing his name. In each circumstance, he handled commercial real estate development, acquisitions, leasing, finance, business law and general contracts law.
Prior to forming his suburban Chicago firms, Mr. Levick honed his business counseling skills in an in-house capacity, having significant roles as in-house legal counsel. He acted as Senior Counsel at Walgreen Co., where he handled real estate acquisitions, development, leasing and finance. Mr. Levick also worked in the law departments of Home Depot, Inc. and IRT Property Company, a NYSE-traded real estate investment trust, now a part of Regency Centers.
Mr. Levick has lectured in the past for the International Council of Shopping Centers as a featured speaker in the field of shopping center law, has served as a negotiation trainer for the Real Estate Investment Association, and has acted as a real estate mentor for the Harold E. Eisenberg Foundation. He continues to speak on current issues related to the real estate industry.
Mr. Levick supports the Harold E. Eisenberg Foundation, the MS Society and Hands of Peace.
Mr. Levin is President of Rick Levin & Associates, Inc (RLA). He has been in the auction business since 1990. Mr. Levin is a licensed real estate broker in Illinois and a general member of the National Association of Realtors®, Illinois Association of Realtors®, National Auctioneer’s Association, and was also a member of the National Association of Realtors® Auction Committee.
Mr. Levin has experience in all phases of the auction business, ranging from a variety of real estate and personal property auctions, including vacant land; commercial office buildings; luxury single family homes; developer close-outs of homesites, townhomes, condominiums and single family homes, vacation properties; processing plants; and shopping centers to personal property auctions for antiques, aircraft, boats, memorabilia, numerous varieties of vehicles and heavy construction equipment. These sales have been conducted on behalf of a variety of clients, including the Internal Revenue Service, the Chicago Housing Authority, US Bankruptcy Trustees, Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac, the US Army, Bank of America, Mcdonalds Restaurants, Harris Bank, Chase Bank, University of Chicago, state governmental departments, municipal corporations, local school boards, quasi-governmental organizations, non-profits, banks, institutional lenders, insurance companies, retailers, investment corporations, developers and individuals.
In 2000, Mr. Levin was appointed by the Governor of Illinois to sit on the Illinois Auction Advisory Board, a division of the Office of Banks and Real Estates, which oversees the administration of the Illinois Auction License Act. The License Act regulates the auctioneers who are licensed with the State of Illinois. Mr. Levin was also appointed in 2005 to the Advisory Board of the School of Real Estate at Roosevelt University in Chicago.
Mr. Levin graduated in 1986 from the School of Business of the University of Illinois-Champaign/Urbana with a business degree in marketing.
Mr. Lumpkins is a Senior Vice President and Midwest CRE Division Head for Valley Bank and solely focuses on commercial investment real estate transactions. Products include multifamily, retail, office, and industrial properties throughout the Midwest. He was recently inducted into the Real Estate Journal’s 2020 Midwest Commercial Real Estate Hall of Fame. He was recognized by Crain’s Chicago as one of the most notable minorities in commercial banking in 2021 and recognized by Crain’s Chicago as one of the 2021 notable nonprofit board leaders.
As the principal subsidiary of Valley National Bancorp, Valley National Bank is a regional bank with approximately $62 billion in assets. Valley is committed to giving people and businesses the power to succeed. Valley operates many convenient branch locations and commercial banking offices across New Jersey, New York, Florida, Alabama, California, and Illinois, and is committed to providing the most convenient service, the latest innovations and an experienced and knowledgeable team dedicated to meeting customer needs. Helping communities grow and prosper is the heart of Valley’s corporate citizenship philosophy.
Richard “Rick” Lynn provides a strategic services to owner/operators/investors of senior housing properties. The property types are Independent Living; Assisted Living; Memory Care; Skilled Nursing and Continuing Care Retirement Communities. The typical client is both profit and nonprofit companies
RML Capital provides capital and consulting service to the commercial real estate industry. The assignments include sales, mortgages, developments, and restructuring. The value of the properties for the assignments range from $1 to $100 million.
For 20 years, Mr. Malensek has worked in a variety of roles within the architecture and design community. With professional experiences spanning over $250 million of construction between both the public and private sectors, his current position as Senior Project Manager at Studio GC allows for his continued involvement in K-12 Education, Public Work, as well as the Corporate Workplace. Architecture has provided him with the vehicle to foster both his passion for mentorship as well as the desire for service within the community.
Studio GC is a Chicago-based architecture firm founded with the intent of providing personalized architectural design services. For more than 30 years, it has been their mission to work as a passionate, community-minded partner committed to creating imaginative and well-designed spaces. In an effort to be a full-service provider, Studio GC provides design-build projects, planning, programming, cost estimating and facility assessment, in addition to their base architecture and design services.
Draper & Kramer is led by Mike Mallon, who brings a diverse background in the Chicagoland commercial real estate market. Prior to founding Mallon & Associates & DK Mallon, Mike served as the Vice President-Real Estate for the Midwest Region for American Stores (Jewel/Osco) and Safeway (Dominick’s). He is also a former Vice President of Retail and Zoning for the City of Lombard. Mike has been involved in the leasing and development of over 200 food and drug stores throughout a twelve-state region.
Draper and Kramer is a real estate and financial services company, building communities and serving clients for 130 years. We have a strong foundation, we have the experience, expertise and freedom to be bold. Today, we are building, furthering, and managing the communities of tomorrow.
Mr. Manos is Commercial Real Estate President of BankFinancial. With over 25 years of experience in the lending industry John oversees the development and management of relationships locally and nationally having developed the banks Commercial Real Estate department from the ground up. He maintains comprehensive knowledge of loan origination wholesale and retail, credit guidelines, loan structuring, risk management and collateral valuation. With the diligent help from Mr. Manos, BankFinancial has accelerated its multifamily and CRE lending programs growing BankFinancial into one of the top multifamily lenders in the Chicago MSA. John is a member of several organizations and has worked with CAA, CAR, NICAR, ICSC, MBA, CREF, and ALA.
BankFinancial is a full service community oriented bank providing financial services to individuals, families and businesses through 19 full service banking offices located in Cook, DuPage, Lake and Will Counties, Illinois. BankFinancial also provides healthcare lending solutions and funding for leasing professionals nationally and serves the lending needs of multifamily property investors across multiple states.
Speaker Series Chairman Mr. Marino is the President of GROBMAR Investments, LLC, a retail shopping center developer. GROBMAR focuses on neighborhood strip centers along with single-tenant outlot Developments throughout the Chicago land Area and the Southeast portions of the United States. Prior to starting GROBMAR Investments, he was the founding partner for Krispy Kreme Doughnuts in St. Louis and Chicago markets where he built, operated and owned 15 locations. He was the Vice President of Real Estate for Sunglass Hut International based out of Coral Gables, Florida where the chain went public on NASDAQ and grew from 160 locations to over 2,000 during his tenure. He started his career at Wilmorite, Inc., a private Mall Developer with over 20 million square feet of property. Mr. Marino was involved in leasing to local, regional and national chains.
Mr. MaRous, MAI, CRE, in addition to providing Appraisals has served as an expert witness in litigation proceedings for many financial institutions, local municipalities, corporations, builders and developers, architects, governmental agencies, law firms, and school districts in the Chicago metropolitan area. He also has provided cost estimates, highest and best use studies, and marketability and feasibility studies for a variety of properties. Mr. MaRous is the former Mayor of Park Ridge, Illinois.
MaRous and Company has appraised more than 10 billion dollars worth of primarily investment grade real estate in over 25 states. Mr. MaRous is a State of Illinois Certified General Real Estate Appraiser and past President of the Chicago Chapter of the Appraisal Institute. He has published articles and lectured to a number of professional organizations. His list of clients encompasses large corporations, law firms, financial institutions, local governments, and large owners of every property group.
Mr. Matanky is President of Matanky Realty Group overseeing the Development, reDevelopment and Brokerage arms of the company. Mr. Matanky is a board member of the Illinois state committee of the International Council of Shopping Centers, chairman of the Illinois Alliance and participates as panelist for Both the International Council of Shopping Centers and the Urban Land Institute. He has worked with the City of Chicago as a Mentor for retail Development, for the reform of permit fees and is on the advisory commission for the Building Department. He was a board member of the Chicago Association of Neighborhood Development Organizations and headed their real estate committee; he has served as a principal for a day in the Chicago public schools and was an officer in the West Humboldt Park Development Council. Mr. Matanky was honored as a recipient of the Chicago Neighborhood Developer of the year Award in 2000 for his work in Humboldt Park and again in 2006 for his work in Garfield Park. He was also honored as a recipient of the Chicago Good Neighbor Award for his Development on the west side. Mr. Matanky received the Distinguished Alumnus Award from the University of Illinois, College of Law in 2007.
Matanky Realty Group was established in the Chicago Metropolitan area in 1955, as a full service real estate firm offering expertise in Brokerage, acquisition, Development, reDevelopment, real estate Consulting, leasing and Management. Their staff includes experts in Development, construction, marketing, Management, law, accounting, insurance and acquisition services. They focus on revitalizing neighborhoods and have been recognized as the Chicago Neighborhood Developer of the Year in Both 2000 and 2006. Their expertise and willingness to work with community organizations affords the unique advantage of finding the right solution for a property and its environs.
Theron joined Imperial in 2007 and is currently Imperial Realty’s Vice President & Director of Brokerage responsible for managing and growing brokerage services (leasing & investment sales) through hiring, training and development of the sales staff – who specialize in retail, office, industrial and land services for landlords and tenants. As the liaison between owners and brokers his focus is on resolving disputes over construction, design, economics and legal matters. Prior to his current role Theron rotated through Imperial’s departments serving different functions learning the business.
Theron graduated from Marquette University with a double Major in Real Estate and Entrepreneurship. At Marquette, Theron founded and served as President of the Real Estate Club. Under Theron’s leadership, the Real Estate Club grew to the largest student organization on campus.
Theron lives in Chicago and enjoys playing sports, traveling and volunteering with the Harold E. Eisenberg Foundation.
As a mentee, Theron completed four mentorships and reflects on those days as some of the most impactful learning experiences of his college education. “I feel incredibly fortunate to have spent full days with industry titans at a time just prior to the Great Recession. The Mentors treated me like a family member and made me privy to details of their developments both in the planning stage and underway. I was amazed at the creativity and knew that all their developments would certainly be successful. I eagerly tracked these projects over the coming years and watched as the economy impacted my Mentors. Most of the projects I’d been exposed to became stalled or reduced in scope and those in the planning stages never came to fruition. It was an impactful lesson proving the adage about best-laid plans.”
Imperial Realty Company has built a portfolio of over 100 retail, office and industrial properties. Most acquisitions were purchased as distressed properties and have been subsequently guided to success through rehabilitation and repositioning to meet the needs of the respective marketplaces. The firm’s staff includes legal, architectural, space planning, brokerage, leasing, administration, management and maintenance. Imperial Realty is ranked by Crain’s Chicago Business as the largest office property owner and manager in the Chicagoland market.
Jeffrey Michael is the chief operating officer for Horizon Realty Group, a Chicago-based, multi-family residential real estate investment and management company. He is responsible for pursuing new acquisition and development opportunities, overseeing operational processes, ensuring overall legal compliance, and overseeing Horizon Realty Group’s extensive renovation and construction projects.
His primary focus is managing the firm’s investment properties. He has been instrumental in growing the firm’s portfolio since 2001 from 10 properties and 600 units when he joined to 28 properties and over 2,400 units today.
Horizon Realty Group is a well-established real estate investment and property management company based in Chicago. As a family-owned and operated firm, they specialize in the management and rental of 28 high-value apartments in some of the most desirable neighborhoods in Chicago, including Edgewater, Uptown, Rogers Park, Lakeview, and Lincoln Park. Additionally, the company manages The Merion, an independent senior living community situated in Evanston. With a proven track record and a strong presence in the Chicago real estate market, Horizon Realty Group offers a range of property management services, catering to both residential and senior living segments. Their commitment to quality living spaces in sought-after areas underscores their dedication to meeting the diverse housing needs of their clientele.
Robert Miller founded Millco Investments in 1999. Robert Miller is responsible for the day to day operations of the business and is involved in all aspects of the company including, brokerage, investments, client relations, financing and property management. Robert Miller was named Retail Real Estate Investment Sales Broker of the Year in 2004, 2006-2008 by the Chicago Commercial Real Estate Council (a division of the Chicago Association of Realtors®) and named among the top 10 producing real estate brokers in the greater Chicago area by CoStar®. He has completed in excess of $1 billion in real estate transactions during his 17+ years of experience in the real estate brokerage and investment marketplace.
Robert Miller has sold, leased, or redeveloped includes Single Tenant Net-Lease Properties, Apartment Buildings, Single Family Houses, Shopping Centers, Special Purpose, Manufactured Home Communities, Limited Partnerships, Tenant in Common transactions. In addition, Robert is a licensed real estate broker in the State of Illinois. He received his BA from the University of Wisconsin — Madison, in 1990, and has attended continuing education courses at New York University and Real Estate Educations courses from the CCIM Institute and Real Estate Education Company. Robert donates regularly to several philanthropic charities, including Juvenile Diabetes, JUF, Breast Cancer, and GIRF and is a board member for the Goldman Philanthropic Partnership to Fight Catastrophic Diseases.
Speaker Series Chairman In 2000, Mr. Millman and his partner Stuart Lenhoff founded Horizon Realty Services. They are engaged in the Leasing, Management, Development, and construction of Retail properties. Over the last 8 years they have completed hundreds of lease transactions from 1000 to 100,000 square feet. Mr. Millman began his retail career in the 1970’s at Saint Mary of Nazareth Hospital as the Hospital Administrator and Attorney with the responsibility of acquiring land for additional structures. With early success negotiating acquisitions he was appointed to directing two Hospitals within the city. Mr. Millman continued his path by opening his own retail store and spearheading the leasing of Port Clinton Square in Highland Park.
Horizon Realty Services manages over 1,000,000 square feet of retail properties in 26 Centers. Horizon Realty has direct responsibility for leasing 120 different properties currently with 4 brokers responsible for the Leasing duties. In addition they represent in the Chicago market, Hertz Rent a Car, Sprint, Goddard Schools, Cuppys Coffee and Dunkin Donuts.
Adam Moschin has been with MoRE Properties Group since its inception in 2022. Mr. Moschin’s role includes the execution of MoRE’s strategic objectives, including design, financing, construction management and leasing strategy. Additionally, Adam’s experience working directly with tenants allows him to provide expertise in the acquisition of MoRE Properties Group projects for both development and redevelopment.
Prior to MoRE Properties Group, Adam was a partner at Elliss Park Partners and Vice President of Leasing at Clark Street Real Estate along with Tucker Development. Adam was responsible for leasing its retail portfolio including properties in both the Midwest and East Coast regions. Adam’s experience includes property leasing, acquisitions, dispositions, due diligence, architectural, construction and
property management of several projects.
Reflecting on his Mentorships: “I was fortunate to have incredible mentorships that I vividly remember years later. I recall a breakfast networking event with Ed Zifkin where I met serval brokers with whom I have relationships today. My day with Mike George allowed me to learn about the different facets of Mid America Real Estate Group’s business and the value that each of its divisions brings to its clients.
Norris Eber introduced me to the complementary nature of mixed-use projects, while at the same time helping me to understand their complexity.”
MoRE Properties Group is an entrepreneurial company that specializes in developing and redeveloping retail, office, sports facilities, industrial and mixed-use properties ranging from single tenant to complex projects. MoRE Properties Group approach includes a long-term mindset building a portfolio of properties of all asset classes.
Anthony Mulé is Managing Director and Principal of Valbridge Property Advisors located in Chicago and has over 13 years of professional experience in the commercial real estate industry, primarily focused on commercial valuation and consulting work. Valbridge provides high-quality independent property valuation and consulting services, including advising clients on real estate business and investment decisions as well as providing litigation support services, including expert witness testimony with expertise in litigation support, condemnation/eminent domain appraisals, going concern valuations, tax assessment appeals, and valuation for estate planning purposes. His valuation work includes a comprehensive portfolio across the Midwest, with experience working on a variety of commercial properties that include large-scale apartment complexes, retail properties, restaurants, industrial facilities, professional office buildings in addition to special purpose properties, and more. Anthony has the CCIM and MAI designation, is a licensed Real Estate Appraiser in several states, active Illinois Real Estate Broker and is an active member of NAIOP, NAR and Marquette University’s Center for Real Estate.
Valbridge Property Advisors is the largest independent commercial property valuation and advisory services firms in the U.S., with over 200 MAI-designated appraisers, 80 office locations, and more than 675 staff across the nation. Valbridge provides independent appraisal services consistent with the highest industry standards of practice. Each Valbridge office is led by an appraiser who holds the MAI designation of the Appraisal Institute.
Michael is the founder and Chief Executive Officer of Crossroads Partners. He has developed, as a principal, more than one million square feet of commercial developments–from the ground up. In addition, he was responsible for the acquisition, disposition and coordination of more than 2,000 multifamily units valued at more than $200 million.
He has been involved directly with more than $2 billion of commercial real estate projects during his career. Michael was admitted to the Illinois Bar in 1997. In addition to being an attorney, he is a licensed real estate broker in the State of Illinois and a member of the Chicago Mercantile Exchange.
Jesal’s dedication to public service in Lincolnwood began in 2005 with his appointment to the Sign Appearance Review Board. He was first elected as Trustee in 2007 and had served the Village continuously in that role until 2021 when he was elected as Village President. During his tenure as a Trustee, Jesal served as Village Board Liaison to all of Lincolnwood’s Boards and Commissions. He has a comprehensive historical knowledge of our operations. Jesal was raised and educated in Lincolnwood and is a graduate of Loyola Academy and Indiana University. Jesal is a licensed Illinois Real Estate Managing Broker and owner of Patel Realty located here in Lincolnwood. Jesal is married and has three children. He has a passion for running and can often be seen running the streets of Lincolnwood.
Mr. Persino’s varied real estate experience started in 1971 and includes multi-family and commercial development, property management, leasing, general brokerage, investment counseling, tenant representation, and construction. He is now the sole shareholder and President of First Development Corporation and is the sole owner of all their properties. He is personally responsible for the management and administration of all property in First Development Corporation’s portfolio, including, but not limited to, site selection, project conception and all aspects of development, including negotiating transactions with such clients as New York Life Insurance Company, Moore Business Forms, General American Life Insurance Company, the former White Hen Pantry chain, FlatTop Grill, Baskin-Robbins, Caribou Coffee, Einstein Bros. Bagels, Target, Radio Shack, Great Clips, H & R Block, The Bedding Experts, Payless, AT & T and other national & regional chains.
Mr. Persino has been an Illinois licensed real estate broker since 1972, but primarily acts as a principal in his transactions. He previously served as the Chairman of the Lincolnwood Economic Development Commission for 23 years. He is also a founding member and past president of the Chicagoland Association of Shopping Center Owners (CASCO) and a member of ICSC. He typically joins the local chamber of commerce in the areas in which he has a property. He was the Chairman of and instrumental in the creation of Special Service Area (SSA) #8 in Chicago’s Lake View East neighborhood where he redeveloped a full city block of street-front retail. He also worked on creating two other SSAs in Chicago and in Downers Grove, Illinois.
First Development Corporation is primarily a developer of specialty and convenience retail properties including in-city street-front retail strips kept for their own account. Their expertise includes land assemblage, rezoning sites, negotiating and obtaining entitlements, obtaining development financing, and shepherding the project from concept to completion. They have purchased old gas station sites, cleaned them up, and developed retail strips on them, returning the properties to productive use. Their expertise includes ground-up new construction development and rehabbing existing buildings. They only deal in value-added opportunities and have never had any investors. All developments have been done with their own capital and typically with loans only from local community banks.
Mr. Plotkin is Managing Partner of Endurance Retail Partners where he focuses on retail real estate product representation, tenant representation, Development services and investment Brokerage for the firm’s properties and clients. Prior to founding Endurance Retail Partners, Mr. Plotkin was a Principal at Mid-America Real Estate Corporation.
Endurance Retail Partners is a boutique retail real estate firm focusing on Development opportunities in Chicago and the north and west suburbs.
Jim Postweiler co-leads Newmark’s capital markets office team in the company’s Chicago office. He and his partners Peter Harwood and Derek Fohl focus on dispositions and recapitalizations of office space in the Chicago area and throughout the Midwest. One of the most practiced office investment experts in Chicago, Postweiler has more than 30 years of experience in investment sales, mortgage financing and asset management. He has completed transactions with a total value exceeding $14 billion since the start of his career.
Since 1929, Newmark has faced forward, predicting change and pioneering ideas. Almost a century later, the same strategic sense and audacious thinking still guide our approach. Today our integrated platform delivers seamlessly connected services tailored to every type of client, from owners to occupiers, investors to founders, and growing startups to leading companies. Tapping into smart tech and smarter people, Newmark brings ingenuity to every exchange and transparency to every relationship. We think outside of boxes, buildings, and business lines, delivering a global perspective and a nimble approach. From reimagining spaces to engineering solutions, we have the vision to see what is next and the tenacity to get there first.
Donna J. Pugh is a partner at Foley & Lardner and is a member of the firm’s Real Estate Practice, where she provides land use and zoning services. Ms. Pugh utilizes a team approach, heavily involving clients in strategic planning and has an exceptionally high success rate in obtaining needed approvals. She crafts the approvals so as to maximize long-term flexibility for future uses of the land. Her practice focuses on obtaining zoning, land use and other governmental approvals relating to land, including: planned development approvals for large-scale or mixed-use projects, rezoning of land, variations to allow proposed development, text amendments to update zoning codes to accommodate clients’ needs, public way approvals to allow skybridges, tunnels, canopies, monument or overhanging signage and other private uses of the public way, vacation and dedication of streets and alleys to allow better utilization of sites, subdivision, annexation, administrative relief and administrative adjustments, obtaining rulings from zoning administrators or other code enforcement officials that a proposed use is either legally nonconforming, falls within the definition of an enumerated permitted use, or is otherwise allowed, and obtaining “Part II,” site plan or other planned development-related approvals for later phases of development. Prior to joining Foley, Ms. Pugh was a chair of the Land Use Practice Group at Vedder Price.
Mr. Pye possesses over 25 years of outstanding retail real estate site selection and Management expertise. He negotiates leases, selects sites, performs asset Management functions, and interacts daily with attorneys, landlords, brokers, developers, construction staff, and company executives. Mr. Pye is also responsible for Brown Shoe’s Naturalizer, a 350-store chain in the U.S. and Canada. Mr. Pye has won numerous awards for his achievements. In addition, he is frequently asked to speak and encourage others within in the real estate industry. His experience includes representation of national tenants in the shoe, pharmacy, video, auto parts, clothing and gourmet coffee industries. Mr. Pye has extensive knowledge of major markets, and many smaller markets across the country, as well as in Canada.
Famous Footwear is a 1,000 plus store chain of Brown Shoe Company, a New York Stock Exchange corporation. Famous Footwear, which sells brand-name shoes at a discount, currently is in all 50 states, as well as in Guam. Famous Footwear has locations in every retail venue, including strip centers, regional malls, outlet centers, freestanding buildings, and CBDs. Last year overall company sales exceeded $2.4 billion.
Stephen Rachman is a Senior Vice President Investments in the Chicago Downtown Office. He began his career with the firm in 2002 as a broker focused on the multifamily housing market in northwest Cook County, Illinois. He was promoted to the position of Sales Manager in the Chicago Downtown office in February 2003. Stephen was appointed Regional Manager of the Chicago Downtown office in February 2004.
Mr. Rachman returned to the sales force in July 2004 and was honored with four Sales Achievement Awards and qualified for the prestigious National Achievement Award in 2005. He was promoted to First Vice President Investments in July 2008. From 2013-2017, Rachman oversaw the operation of the Firm’s Chicago O’Hare Office which had 45 Investment Sales Professionals.
Now a Senior Vice President Investments, Rachman has aligned with Kyle Stengle to further grow the team’s presence in the sale of Chicagoland Multifamily and Mixed-Use properties.
Over his 20+ year career with Marcus & Millichap, Mr. Rachman has personally closed and overseen the closing of over 550 transactions valued at more than $5,000,000,000.
Stephen received a Bachelor of General Studies degree with dean’s list honors from the University of Iowa.
Kristi is the Managing Director for CBRE Property Management in the Chicago Market, comprised of 48 million square feet of office, industrial and retail properties. She oversees the growing portfolio and supports 250+ local professionals working within. Kristi’s role centers on developing and executing initiatives in areas of employee engagement, talent acquisition, business development and financials. She has direct oversight of day-to-day operations, leading local property management teams to develop efficiencies and streamline service delivery across the portfolio.
Prior to joining CBRE in 2020, Kristi served as Chief Operating Officer for IRC Retail Centers (formerly Inland Real Estate Corporation). In this role, she served as member of the company’s executive management committee, overseeing property management, construction management, operations, risk management, legal, information technology and Human Resources for a portfolio of open-air shopping
centers comprising of more than 18 million square feet of leasable space.
Mark is a real estate professional whose career in commercial brokerage/management spans more than 40 years. He has negotiated in excess of two billion dollars of commercial transactions and has represented more than three million square feet of Class A office property. His leadership in tenant representation is based on understanding client objectives, responding with strategic solutions and building deep client relationships. With his participation and background from 1991 to 1998 as a founder, past chairman, vice chairman and director of The Commercial Network, the world’s second-largest commercial real estate network, Mark brings global experience and organizational strength to his team.
Prior to joining Avison Young, Mark served as President of the Commercial Division and was on the executive committee of Baird & Warner Commercial. In his 14-year tenure with that firm, he was consistently the top producer among brokers. Mark then helped to launch Transwestern’s Midwestern operation based in Chicago. During his 14 year tenure, Mark helped grow the Midwest operation from 3 to 300 employees. During which time, Mark was recognized as Transwestern’s top overall producer in 2001, 2005, and 2010. Mark was the top overall tenant representation broker for 8 out of 10 years. Most recently, Mark was recognized as a top producer at Cushman & Wakefield completing a number of prestigious, high profile transactions across the globe.
As co-founder and managing partner of Agent Publishing, Marci Sepulveda oversees the brand’s editorial strategy, day-to-day-operations, product Development and growth strategy. Named one of HousingWire’s 2014 most influential women in housing, the realization of Sepulveda’s vision for Agent Publishing is shaping the future of the industry, improving standards for how real estate professionals operate and serve consumers. More than 100,000 residential real estate professionals make Agent Publishing a part of their professional lives.
Since 2004, Agent Publishing has been committed to keeping readers on the forefront of real estate’s shifting consumer behaviors and complex market adjustments. Coverage of local market data, emerging trends in technology, relationship management and industry news continues to make Agent Publishing the national leader residential real estate reporting while engaging professionals on a local level. With publications in Chicago, Miami, Houston, Boston, and Atlanta, Agent Publishing’s influence extends to every career stage and reaches agents across multiple media platforms.
Martin Siegel is Vice President of Operations and leads debt strategy for Timber Hill Group, also focusing on capital markets, acquisition underwriting, disposition strategies and investor relations. Mr. Siegel has over 25 years of experience analyzing complex commercial real estate assets in 22 states as a consultant, mortgage broker, appraiser and investor. Prior to joining Timber Hill, Mr. Siegel was a founding partner of Wool Finance Partners, a boutique commercial mortgage brokerage firm in Northbrook, IL, and the owner/operator of Siegel & Associates, Inc., a commercial real estate valuation company. He has worked with many of the nation’s largest corporations and financial institutions in a variety of structured real estate finance and valuation capacities.
Timber Hill’s investment strategy focuses on the acquisition of properties that are a core part of the supply chain, putting an emphasis on sites that can be utilized for cross docks, transfer of Less than Truckload (LTL) freight, truck repair and truck tractor/trailer parking. Strategic locations are critical with a strong preference for sites with access to rail, highways and dense population. Timber Hill targets existing or “ground up” development of functional warehouses located within last mile submarkets that also offer logistical advantages and proximity to labor, leadership and rooftops. We acquire and develop properties ranging in size from 20,000 to 150,000 square feet with a special emphasis on markets that play a key role in the global supply chain.
Susan B. Silver has more than 20 years of selling and leasing commercial properties as well as providing property management and financial analysis. She has completed more than 750 real estate transactions totaling more than $1 billion. Susan’s experience with all commercial property types enables her to provide insight to her clients during every phase of a transaction, whether they are individual owners, developers, or institutional clients. Leveraging her strong business backgrounds with her real estate knowledge, she can provide superior service and strategic counsel to her clients.
Millennium Properties R/E is a boutique firm committed to providing the highest level of service to suit all your real estate needs. Our knowledgeable and experienced real estate experts will be a crucial tool for you in navigating this increasingly complex market. Since 1996, Millennium Properties has been working with property owners to sell, lease and manage properties throughout the Chicagoland area and the Midwest.
Mr. Simmons is the Executive Managing Director of the Debt and Structured Finance Group. Prior to joining the firm, Mr. Simmons served as an executive vice president of Grubb & Ellis Company, a commercial real estate services and investment company. Prior to joining Grubb & Ellis, Mr. Simmons was a senior partner at Cohen Financial Corporation, a national real estate mortgage banking firm.
During his career thus far, Simmons has been personally responsible for the structuring and placement of over 1,200 real estate commercial property debt and structured finance transactions, representing over $13 billion of capital deployed. During his career, Mr. Simmons developed many of the correspondent institutional lender relationships of the firms he has been associated with, and has assisted in the creation and growth of each company’s national mortgage banking platforms. His acumen for structuring complex real estate solutions along the capital stack is enhanced by his longstanding capital relationships including life insurance companies, debt funds, banks, private equity, agency lenders and other specialized lending sources. His client roster includes developers, fund sponsors, investment funds, REITS, private investors and family office investors.
Mr. Simmons currently sits on the Board of Directors of Inland Bank and Trust based in Oakbrook Illinois. Simmons has also served on the Board of Directors of Hilco Global, and currently serves as an observer to the Board. Hilco Global is a privately held diversified financial services company based in Northbrook, Illinois. Simmons has also served on the boards of Inland Real Estate Corporation, a real estate investment trust that was listed on the NYSE prior to it being acquired by DRA Advisors in 2015, and Albany Bank & Trust Co., a Chicago based bank. Simmons is a member of the International Council of Shopping Centers (ICSC) and the ICSC Illinois State Committee.
Newmark is one of the world’s leading commercial real estate advisory firms. Newmark’s company-owned offices, together with its business partners, operate from approximately 180 offices with nearly 6,700 professionals around the world.
Jason St. John is a Co-Founder of Greenstone Partners and serves as Managing Partner, actively advising clients and directing the brokerage firm’s investment sales efforts.
Jason has closed commercial real estate transactions in aggregate value exceeding $750 million, while also acting as a mentor to the brokerage team and expanding the firm’s market reach. As an investment sales advisor, Jason assists clients in the acquisition and disposition of retail, office, and industrial properties. Jason has earned numerous industry accolades throughout his career. Most recently, having taken home the honor of the Real Estate Journal’s 2022 & 2023 Broker Team of the Year award and the 2022 & 2023 Greater Food Depository Chicago Real Estate Awards’ Broker of the Year – Private Capital award.
The firm, established in 2013 by Jason, Peter Weitz, and Leo Solarte, is founded on the principles of providing the most thoughtful, high-caliber commercial real estate advisory services to its clients. Greenstone Partners has served the needs of private and institutional investors for over a decade. Greenstone Partners strives to offer top-tier service to its clients by providing a comprehensive suite of services – including investment sales, in-depth analysis, and advisory services – by its team of experienced professionals. Through 2023, Greenstone Partners closed more than $3,000,000,000 in transaction volume.
Andy is the founder of S/Point Ventures, a dynamic, experienced, full-service development company that focuses on retail, medical, and mixed-use projects.
Prior to S/Point Ventures, Andy was a Principal at Clark Street Real Estate. At Clark Street, Andy was involved in all aspects of the development process including site selection, land acquisition, entitlements, leasing, construction, and finance. While at Clark Street, Andy developed a diverse set of projects from the Emerson, a large mixed-use development in Downtown Oak Park to many build-to-suit projects for DaVita Dialysis. Andy began his real estate career with Joseph Freed and Associates where he was involved in many complex developments throughout the country including Hilldale Mall in Madison, Wisconsin; Arborland in Ann Arbor, Michigan; and Greeley Commons in Greeley, Colorado. Over his career Andy has successfully completed over 2.5 million square feet of projects with a value of over 500 million dollars.
Andy is actively involved in the International Council of Shopping Centers (ICSC) where he is currently chairman of the Illinois ICSC State Committee, Co-Founder of ICSC’s Next Generation Program, and recipient of ICSC inaugural “4 under 40” award. Additionally, he is a board member of the Harold E. Eisenberg Foundation that raises money and awareness for gastrointestinal cancer and real estate education and is a board member of the Western Golf Association. Andy is a graduate of the University of Texas at Austin and holds the Certified Leasing Specialist and Certified Property Executive designations from ICSC as well as his Illinois real estate brokerage license. Andy lives in Deerfield, Illinois with his wife, Leigh, and their children Gabbie, Noah, and their dog Poppy.
Jonathan J. Stein is President of Inland Real Estate Commercial Brokerage, Inc. He has been with Inland for more than 40 years and has held various leadership positions throughout the organization.
Prior to joining Inland, Stein was a physical education teacher for Chicago Public Schools for seven years. Since entering the real estate industry, he has previously served as commissioner and acting chairman of the City of Chicago’s Community Development Commission, director and acting chairman of the State of Illinois Lottery Control Board, director and corporate secretary of the Northeastern Illinois University Foundation Board and director and president of the DuPage Convention and Visitor’s Bureau. He has also served as a president of the Northern Illinois Commercial Association of REALTORS® (NICAR), director of the Illinois Association of REALTORS® and chairman of its Commercial/Industrial/Investment Committee and a member of the board of directors of Feldman Mall Properties, Inc., a public company.
Stein is currently a member of the Alternative Direct Investment Securities Association (ADISA), the National Association of REALTORS®, the Chicago Association of REALTORS® and the National Auctioneers Association. He is also a member of the International Council of Shopping Centers’ (ICSC) Government Relations Committee of Illinois, an advisory board member of the Roosevelt University Institute of Real Estate and a trustee and vice chairman of the Northeastern Illinois University Board of Trustees.
Stein received an Associates of Arts degree from Amundsen-Mayfair Junior College (now Truman College), a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology from the University of Illinois at Chicago and a Master of Arts in Leadership in Higher Education from Northeastern Illinois University. He is currently a licensed State of Illinois Managing Broker and State of Indiana real estate broker, a licensed Illinois auctioneer and a licensed Illinois insurance producer. Stein holds Series 22 and Series 63 licenses with the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA).
With more than 45 years of expertise, The Inland Real Estate Group of Companies, Inc. (Inland) is one of the nation’s largest commercial real estate and finance groups. As a business incubator, Inland specializes in creating, developing and supporting member companies that provide real estate-related investment funds, including limited partnerships, institutional funds and non-listed and listed REITs, and real estate services for both third parties and Inland member companies.
For 30 years, Marlon Stone has represented corporate and retail programs by coordinating the strategic planning, site selection, and real estate committee presentations for brands undergoing nationwide expansion. Stone brings retail expertise and transactional versatility having negotiated leases for Department Stores, Big Box and Junior Anchors, in-line specialty, end cap, sit down and QSR restaurant concepts throughout regional malls, power and lifestyle strips, grocery-anchored neighborhood centers, and urban central business districts.
Notable brands Stone has represented include: Kohl’s Department Store, Saks Fifth Avenue Off 5th, DSW, Five Below, Barnes & Noble, Cost-Plus World Market, Shoe Carnival, Party City, Under Armour, Road Runner Sports, 5-11 Tactical, Timberland, The Vitamin Shoppe, Mattress Firm, PNC Bank, Sally Beauty-Cosmo Prof, Uncle Julio’s, Sarku-Japan, Granite City Food & Brewery, Rock Bottom, Famous Dave’s, Bar Louie, and Core Life Eatery.
Additionally, Stone has served as development services coordinator assembling, leasing, and entitling parcels nationwide, delivering strategic client roll outs requiring signalized “hard corner” presentations.
Marlon Stone is a member of ICSC: Innovating Commerce Serving Communities (formerly International Council of Shopping Centers). He is a Board Member of the Harold E. Eisenberg Foundation, Career Day Mentor, and annual guest lecturer at the University of Illinois College of Business. Marlon Stone received his undergraduate degree from the University of Michigan.
Katz & Associates began operations in January of 1996. The company currently maintains offices in New York City, Charlotte, Boca Raton, Nashville, New Jersey and Orlando. Katz & Associates’ primary focus is assisting retailers, restaurants and landlords in all capacities including strategic planning, market analysis, lease and sale negotiations and dispositions. Our team of seasoned veterans has decades of experience and invaluable market knowledge.
Steve’s background in real estate financing, leasing and development encompasses more than $10 billion in real estate transactions. In the past 10 years, he has been responsible for more than 320 consulting assignments in the Chicago market valued in excess of $7 billion.
Steve also leads The Headquarters Practice Group team in the Midwest and is known as an expert in advising companies on their headquarters facility requirements.
Steve is an active participant within real estate industry associations on a local and national level. He is a member and past Director of the Chicago Office Leasing Brokers Association (COLBA), the Chicago Real Estate Organization (CREO), the Chicago Board of Realtors (CBOR) and CoreNet Global.
He has been an active member in the nonprofit community as the past business chairman of St. Joseph’s Hospital’s Celebrity Golf Invitational and a member of the St. Joseph’s Foundation’s Board of Directors. He currently is a member of the University of Illinois Chicago Leadership Council and is on the Board of the 100 Club of Chicago and the Chicago Academy for the Arts. His wife Sarah is also active in the community with the Latin School of Chicago, the Chicago Academy for the Arts and is on The Women’s Service Board of The Children’s Memorial Hospital Foundation.
Christian Tremblay is a Vice President located in Northmarq’s Chicago office. Tremblay specializes in the disposition and acquisition of single-tenant net lease retail, cannabis and industrial properties throughout the United States. Tremblay has closed more than $500 million in total transaction volume.
Before joining Northmarq, Tremblay served as a Director in Stan Johnson Company’s Chicago office. Prior to Stan Johnson Company, Tremblay was a Vice President with Mid-America Real Estate Corporation’s Net Lease Investment Sales Group. In this role, he was responsible for creating offering memorandums, business development, in depth investment analysis, and assisting clients on both the buy and sell side.
Edwin Vdovets is the Founder and Principal of Keeler Real Estate, LLC. Edwin has earned an excellent reputation amongst his clients as a developer who assists National and Regional tenants with their expansion program in delivering stores/units on time and on budget. Prior to Keeler, Edwin was the Director of Development for a national retail developer working closely with national tenants such as: Walgreen’s, Chase Bank, Bank of America, Fresh and Easy; and others in several regions including: the Chicago Metropolitan area and Northern California. Edwin was responsible for all aspects of the development process including: land acquisition, entitlement, construction, leasing and management. Prior to his role as Director of Development, Edwin was the exclusive tenant broker for J.P. Morgan Chase (formerly Bank One) in the City of Chicago and select suburbs. Edwin is a graduate of Bradley University with a Bachelors Degree in Finance. Edwin is involved in a management role in several philanthropic organizations and resides in Chicago’s River North neighborhood.
Edwin experienced 6 mentorships with different industry leaders and often reflects on his day with Al Klairmont, President of Imperial Realty as Al had stressed on Edwin the adage “location, location, location” when buying real estate. Although Edwin had heard the number #1 rule of real estate prior, listening to an industry leader stress the importance of remaining true to principals, Edwin often finds himself reflecting back to that day with Al when he evaluates acquisitions for his firm, never waivering from this industry doctrine.
Since Edwin founded Keeler Real Estate in 2009, Keeler has successfully completed numerous retail developments which range from land purchases to many build-to suit developments for the Walgreen Co. and other National Tenants in high barriers to entry markets in Florida and Illinois. Keeler’s tenant roster includes: Walgreens, TD Bank, Bank of America, Chick Fil-A, Party City, Mattress Firm, Vitamin Shoppe, Sleepy’s, Panera, AT&T, Boston Market and AAA.
Brad Weiner is responsible for identifying strategic and value-add investment opportunities for acquisition in growth markets via risk assessment, analysis of labor, and population growth. He is responsible for day-to-day operations, asset management, investor relations, and new acquisitions. Brad also manages extensive renovation projects, repositions and developments. Brad is experienced in real estate acquisitions, dispositions, operations, value-add strategies, complex financing, zoning, leasing and other matters. He has worked in the commercial real estate industry for over 20 years.
Prior to co-founding National Apartment Partners LLC | National Storage Operations LLC, Brad was a First Vice President at the largest global commercial real estate firms where he represented international clients/investors in real estate acquisitions, dispositions, site selection, build-to-suits, lease transactions, and complex financing for industrial, multi-family, self-storage, office/flex properties, business parks, and mixed-use buildings. Brad has participated in over 620 real estate transactions valued over $1.2 Billion.
National Apartment Partners LLC, a private equity real estate investment firm focused on acquiring and operating strategic value-add multi-family assets in growth markets with diverse economies throughout the Southeast, South, and Midwest regions of the United States. Specifically, the company purchases underperforming multifamily assets, implements significant renovations to add value, and forces appreciation to maximize returns for its investors while providing residents with safe, affordable, and modern housing in key markets. National Apartment Partners LLC currently owns and operates over 3,250 rental units throughout the United States.
Mr. Weiner is also the Co-Founder/Managing Principal of National Storage Operations LLC, a company that invests in strategic self-storage assets in growth markets.
With over 30 years of experience, Perry is a Partner in FGMK’s Tax Practice and Real Estate Department. In financial and transaction planning, Perry advises real estate companies, services companies, closely held businesses, and high-net-worth individuals.
Perry’s tax related expertise includes the planning and executing of tax deferral exchanges, tax minimization arrangements, flow-through entity and tenancy in common structure, cost segregation (depreciation) strategies, estate and gift taxation planning, and public-private partnerships (entitlements).
Perry joined FGMK in 1989. He was previously a tax and real estate partner at Laventhol and Horwath and a partner in the tax practice of Sheldon H. Ginsburg, a boutique accounting firm.
FGMK is a leading professional services firm providing assurance, tax and advisory services to privately held businesses, global public companies, entrepreneurs, high-net-worth individuals and not-for-profit organizations. FGMK is among the largest accounting firms in Chicago and one of the top ranked accounting firms in the United States.
Steven Weinstock is a Senior Vice President and the Regional Manager of Marcus & Millichap’s Chicago Oak Brook office. He serves as the National Director of both the Land & Redevelopment Division and the Self-Storage Division. Prior to joining Marcus & Millichap in 2001, Steven owned and operated a brokerage and property management company in metro Detroit, which he sold in 1994.
He joined Marcus & Millichap’s Detroit office in April 2001 becoming Vice President of Investments and was a Director of the National Multi Housing Group and a Member of the National Self-Storage Group. Mr. Weinstock is the recipient of multiple national achievement and sales recognition awards.
Steven joined the management team in 2008 when he served as Sales Manager of the Columbus and Cincinnati offices. In 2009, Steven was named Regional Manager of Chicago Oak Brook then being promoted to Vice President, First President and ultimately promoted to Senior Vice President in 2022. He became National Director of Land & Redevelopment Division in 2016 and Self-Storage Division in 2020.
Steven received a Bachelor of Arts in psychology from the University of Michigan and a Juris Doctor degree from Wayne State University Law School. He earned the Certified Commercial Investment Member designation (CCIM).
Mr. Weinstock enjoys serving on the Executive Board of the Harold E. Eisenberg Foundation, a foundation committed to cancer research as well as education/mentor programs designed to provide college and graduate students with exposure to, and experience in, the commercial real estate industry. Steven and his wife, Lisa, reside in Chicago and have two sons, Nathan and Jeremy. In his free time, he enjoys travel, swimming and spending time with his family.
Pete Weitz is a Co-founder and Founding Partner at Greenstone Partners. Throughout his career, he has advised clients on more than $2 billion of commercial real estate transactions. He is actively involved in recruiting, as well as the strategic growth of the brokerage firm. Additionally, Pete is a commercial real estate investor and principal in other ventures.
Pete graduated from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign with a degree in Finance. Prior to Greenstone, he worked as an Options Trader at Peak6 and then at JP Morgan before joining Marcus & Millichap.
Born and raised in Chicago, Pete enjoys exploring the city with his family and is a loyal Bears fan and season ticket holder.
As a past mentee, Pete completed four mentorship days and considers his day with Jimmy Persino to be the most memorable. “We began the day by attending a roundtable breakfast. I was able meet other real estate professionals and hear a speaker present on the state of the real estate market. I walked away from the breakfast with several contacts and a better appreciation of the macro real estate market. After breakfast, we met with a tenant and general contractor to assess progress of the tenant’s buildout. We then had a late lunch with a banker to discuss refinancing a property. Lunch was followed by an hour of returning phone calls and emails at Jimmy’s office. In the early evening, we attended a Village of Lincolnwood City Council meeting where a proposed TIF was debated. The day ended with drinks to celebrate a closing with one of Jimmy’s associates. In a single day, I was exposed to construction, finance, politics, business development and legal. The opportunity to start my day on a roof in boots and end it in a suit having dinner and drinks was incredibly appealing and to this day is one of my favorite aspects of the industry.”
Andrew Wendt is the President of Be Realty and the Managing Director of its property management division, helping establish Be Realty as a recognizable name in Chicago real estate and the competitive property management field. Andrew uses his emotional acuity and communication skills to bring all of the talents of his colleagues together for the common goal of becoming an industry leader in the multi-faceted world of Real Estate.
Headquartered in Chicago, Be Realty is a full service real estate brokerage (residential and commercial), and management company whose team members are dedicated to reliable communication. Whether you are buying a home, selling a home, making an investment, or looking for a commercial lease, Be Realty’s agents keep clients well-informed and well-advised throughout the process.
Christian Williams is a partner with the National Retail Partners — Midwest. The NRP—Midwest is recognized as CBRE’s leading national retail investment team, representing a diverse set of clients ranging from REITs and pension fund advisors to private investors and developers. His team has completed over 900 transactions containing over 135 million square feet of retail properties valued in excess of $13.3 billion. Mr. Williams joined the team in 2003 as a Senior Financial Analyst and was responsible for coordinating all financial due diligence and underwriting. His responsibilities included financial analysis, assisting in the due diligence and marketing process, and preparation of marketing materials. Mr. Williams led the financial underwriting in over 115 completed transactions with a total value of over $2 billion.
Mr. Williams’ career with CBRE began in February 2002 as a financial analyst with the Financial Consulting Group. Focusing on institutional-grade retail, office, industrial and multi-family investment properties, he also supported Corporate Service professionals by recommending appropriate leasing strategies. Prior to joining CBRE, Mr. Williams was a consultant with Deloitte & Touche in their Real Estate Solutions group.
CBRE Group, Inc. is the largest commercial real estate services and investment firm in the world. It is based in Los Angeles, California and operates more than 450 offices worldwide and has clients in more than 100 countries.
Andrew Wilson is a seasoned real estate executive capable of assembling teams and directing large and complex mixed use projects. Over the last 20 years, Mr. Wilson has executed the leasing, financing, development, and disposition of retail, hospitality, and residential assets for both major real estate companies and high net worth family offices. He is leaning into the retail space while others are leaning out. He is passionate about place making and takes the time to study the markets he works in.
Andrew is the founder of AW Asset Management Services and has been working in Chicago with Miller Capital, a pension fund advisor and core partner of the California Public Retirement System(CalPers) since 2013. His current responsibilities are for the development of shopping mall mixed use developments in first and second tier cities throughout the United States. He has completed large mixed use development projects for major retail/entertainment developments that include office, hotel, and residential with emphasis on connectivity using public spaces, art, sculpture, and water features in Charleston, Los Angeles, Chicago, Houston, Colorado Springs, and Huntsville.
He previously served as a Director of Development for General Growth Properties, now Brookfield Properties. In this capacity, his responsibilities were to investigate, research, and implement mixed use densification opportunities on a 28 mall West Coast portfolio.
Andrew is a graduate of Miami University in Ohio with a BA in Political Science and Spanish. He also has an MBA with a Real Estate Finance Concentration from DePaul University. Andrew has been involved with ULI, ICSC, and the Eisenberg Foundation for over ten years and previously served as a board member of the DePaul Real Estate Alumni Association and the Real Estate Investment Association. In his spare time, he likes to play basketball and explore the outdoors on his bike with his wife and kids.
Ben Wineman is a Principal and the Managing Broker at Mid-America Real Estate Corporation, part of the Mid-America Real Estate Group. Ben co-leads Mid-America’s Investment Sales Group, focusing solely on the disposition of retail properties throughout the greater Midwest region. Together with his partners, Mr. Wineman has been involved in a transaction volume in excess of $9.5 billion since 2001.
Mr. Wineman has 22 years of real estate experience. Prior to joining Mid-America Real Estate in 2001, Mr. Wineman worked as a financial analyst with Jones Lang LaSalle since 1998, as part of LaSalle Investment Management’s Private Equity Acquisitions Group. He was responsible for the valuation, due diligence, and closing of real estate acquisitions on behalf of institutional clients.
A graduate of DePauw University, Ben earned a Bachelor of Liberal Arts degree with a major in History. He is a licensed broker in Illinois, Iowa, Kentucky, Missouri, and Pennsylvania. As a member of the International Council of Shopping Centers (ICSC), Ben is a member of the Illinois State Committee and the National Economic Policy Government Relations Sub-Committee. Ben is a Board Director of Southfield, MI based Sterling Bank & Trust (NASDAQ: SBT). Within the community, Ben serves on the Executive Committee of the Harold E. Eisenberg Foundation Board. He is a longtime member of the Ravinia Festival family, including service as the President of the Ravinia Festival Associates Board and as a Ravinia Festival Trustee (2017-19).
Through deep rooted and diverse relationships in the commercial real estate industry, GW Properties has developed an expertise in retail and mixed-use properties. Over the past decade, GW principals have been involved in the brokerage, investment, and development of over 500 million of real estate in the Chicagoland area with a typical deal size ranging from $500,000 to $5 million. GW practices respectful development through its collaborative approach of uncovering opportunities, optimizing value, and enhancing communities. This process has yielded a track record of proven results.
Shai gained his initial work experience at Merrill Lynch working on the Emerging Markets Fixed Income department focusing on trading strategies for both debt and credit derivatives. He later moved on to work as a Credit Risk Associate at TIAA-CREF analyzing debt, equities, and real estate portfolios for the $400+ billion retirement fund. In 2008, he left to form Shai Town Realty Group Inc, a full-service real estate brokerage and management firm that grew to over 40 agents. At the same time, he began developing single tenant assets and strip centers for national tenants across the Chicagoland area. He quickly realized that development was both his true passion and a better use of his skills and previous experiences. After working with Mitch Goltz on several projects, they recognized the tremendous synergies between the two of them and decided to join forces to create a boutique real estate firm that is now GW Properties.
Thaddeus Wong is the co-founder of @properties, the largest independently owned residential real estate Brokerage firm in Illinois and one of the 25 largest Brokerage firms in the U.S. by sales volume. Wong, a Loyola graduate (BBA ’96), began his career in real-estate sales in 1996 and quickly established himself as one of the most successful agents in Chicago. During the early years of his career, he earned four consecutive Golden Eagle Awards from the Chicago Association of REALTORS as the top-producing agent among the organization’s 10,000+ members.
In 2000, Wong and business partner Michael Golden established @properties, and in less than 15 years have grown the company from $40 million in sales to more than $4 billion in annual sales. Today, @properties has 15 offices in the city of Chicago, surrounding Suburbs and southwest Michigan. The firm has divisions for residential and commercial Brokerage, Development marketing, relocation, property Management and bank-advisory services.
A highly energetic and creative entrepreneur, Wong is focused on implementing his vision for a real estate company in which Both the agent and client experience the highest level of service and support. He is primarily responsible for the recruitment and retention of @properties more than 1,200 agents, as well as the development and implementation of the firm’s award-winning marketing programs. Wong created and manages the company’s signature training, education and performance coaching programs utilized by hundreds of agents per year. Wong is also one of the industry’s most valued advisers to developers of new-construction and condominium conversion projects in the Chicago area. He takes an active role in all facets of his client projects, including design, promotion and sales. Under Wong’s direction and leadership, @properties has successfully marketed more than 100 Developments representing more than 5,500 units valued at over $2.2 billion.
Wong’s accomplishments have been widely recognized by the real estate industry and the broader business community. Honors include: the Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year in the Midwest; Inc. Magazine’s Inc. 500/5000 list; inclusion on Crain’s Chicago Business Fast Fifty, 40 Under 40, and Largest Privately Held Companies lists; Inman News 100 Most Influential Real Estate Leaders; induction in the Chicago Area Entrepreneurship Hall of Fame; the Impact Aware from the Lincoln Park Builders Club; and the Damen Award from the Loyola University of Chicago School of Continuing and Professional Studies.
Wong and @properties support a number of charitable and civic organizations through the @properties Friends and Neighbors Community Fund. Past and present beneficiaries include: Teen Living Programs, the AIDS Foundation of Chicago, the National Foundation for Teaching Entrepreneurship (NFTE), Off The Street Club and Community Partnership for Affordable Housing.
Separately, Wong sits on the board of NFTE, is a member of the Economic Club of Chicago and the Harold E. Eisenberg Foundation, and co-chairs the annual Beelzebub Halloween Bash and Fundraiser. Wong resides in Lincoln Park with his wife, also a successful REALTOR, and their four children.
Mr. Wool has over 30 years experience as a mortgage banker in the commercial real estate industry, has been directly responsible for the placement of approximately $1.5 billion in debt and equity, and has been involved in asset sales with Both private and institutional partners. Mr. Wool established Wool Finance Partners LLC after spending 16 years as a principal in Janko & Wool Real Estate Finance, LLC. Mr. Wool began his career at Draper and Kramer, where he spent nine years. He then joined Baird and Warner’s Real Estate Finance Group for six years. He is a former member of the Illinois Mortgage Bankers Association (board of directors 1995 to 1997), and is a former member of the editorial board for the Illinois Real Estate Journal. Mr. Wool is also a licensed Illinois real estate broker.
Mr. Wool earned an MBA degree from Loyola University Chicago in 1985 and a Bachelor of Science degree from the University of Wisconsin, Madison, in 1982. Mr. Wool is a Mentor for the Harold E. Eisenberg Foundation Real Estate Mentorship Program. Mr. Wool is a past President of Jewish Council for Youth Services, a past board member of Youthbuild of Lake County and past board member and officer for Congregation B’nai Tikvah in Deerfield Illinois where he has been a resident with his wife Lauren, and their children for over 20 years.
Theodore Yi prides himself on understanding not just the salient laws but the many technical aspects of the commercial real estate transactions on which he works. Ted crafts a wide range of complex, large-scale transactions, with particular experience in commercial leasing, including leases for:
With decades of experience, Ted is a voracious learner and loves his profession because it requires the constant acquisition of new skill sets and industry experience. He views each transaction in the context of the industry that will make use of the space, does his homework on how that industry uses space and tailors the language of the transaction to align with the specific needs of the owner or tenant. He works to meet the objectives of all parties to the agreement while upholding his responsibility to be a trustworthy advocate for his clients.
Steve Zellinger joined First American in 2002 and has been actively engaged in many facets of commercial real estate since 1989. In his role with National Commercial Services, Steve works closely with and as an advocate for prominent public and private REITS, various insurance companies, national and local developers, law firms, as well as other institutional clients. Steve has been a top producer for National Commercial Services for many years and attributes this success to his client focused approach combined with the extremely strong technical staff in the Chicago office. Steve and the NCS Chicago office have coordinated several multi-site, multi-state transactions in excess of $1 Billion and would appreciate the opportunity to put that experience and expertise to work for you.
