News
Schmoozapalooza
August 23, 2010
| We'd like to think our Thursday event was the Lollapalooza of networking, with 550 real estate pros flooding the Wintergarden at 311 S. Wacker for our first Chicago Schmoozarama. We hope you'll all be there for our Real Estate Summit Sept. 21. | |
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| Big news abounded as Beitler Real Estate mega developer Paul Beitler (right) told us he's working on plans to develop a building on the one-acre site just north at 301 S. Wacker. He says the first person to get a building up on the site will earn a major “W†for commercial real estate. He'd like to hire Cassandra Francis (center) and her company Clayco for its experience in the high-rise contracting business. CR|Daccord's David Ariola just merged Chicago Realty and Daccord to form his new company. Even though Paul and his companies have negotiated more than 7,000 leases, managed over 30M SF of space, and he's considered a legend of Chicago real estate, clearly he's closing his eyes in this pic because he's trying to soak up the excitement of reaching his ultimate goal: attending a Bisnow party. | |
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| J.F. McKinney helped us organize the event. Here's J.F's Matthew Pistorio, Bisnow Top Banana Mark Bisnow, J.F.'s Mark Baby andBisnow Chief Awesomeness Officer Michael Farber. Mark Baby is the leasing agent for 311 S. Wacker, which is 93% occupied. | |
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| We snapped Plante & Moran's Jim Frens and Citizen Financial Group's Trish Kelley near Pazzo's in the back of the Wintergarden. Jim's spending a lot of time working on historic and new market tax credits at the accounting firm while Trish has consistently been lending about $150M per quarter for the last two or three quarters on various commercial properties. | |
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| McGuire Wood's Paul Fisher met up with an old colleague, Quarles & Brady's Ted Yi (right) and made some new friends with Bliss PR's Lindsay Schober and Berj Alexian. Paul and Ted met working at Rudnick and Wolfe, now a part of DLA Piper. Both are still practicing real estate law, currently mired in a flood of workouts. Ted says 2011 is going to be a big year for the office markets when employment picks up again. | |
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| SomerCor 504's Gabe Beukinga and David Frank have been working on industrial financing with Paine/Wetzel-ONCOR International, and Gabe says he just financed Chicago's hottest new restaurant, The Girl and The Goat, for Top Chef winner Stephanie Izard and Boka Restaurant Group. But he still has a hard time getting a seat there. | |
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| Here's Poseidon watching over the great-looking crowd-—although we think Dionysus might have been a better choice. We met brokers from as far away as Akron, Ohio, who came out to meet and greet with colleagues and clients. Thanks to all who brought high-energy and quality networking. | |
