Thomas Walstrum is a principal business economist in the economic research department at the Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago. His responsibilities include the Seventh District's contribution to the Beige Book, the Chicago Fed Survey of Economic Conditions, and briefings for the Chicago Fed president on Seventh District economic conditions. He also is a contributing author to the Bank's Chicago Fed Insights article series.

Walstrum holds a B.A. in economics from Wheaton College, Illinois, and a Ph.D. in economics from the University of Illinois at Chicago, with concentrations in labor and urban and regional economics.

Emi is a Managing Director and Co-Head of Global Investment Research at Heitman. She leads the North American and Asia-Pacific research teams, overseeing strategy development and underwriting for all private equity and debt investments. Emi is also a member of Heitman’s North American Private Equity Investment Committee and Valuation Committee. Additionally, Emi analyzes demographic and technological trends and their impact on real estate investment strategy and portfolio construction. She received a BA with honors in Urban Studies from Stanford University and is a member of the Stanford Alumni Real Estate Council, the ULI Global Exchange Council, the Board of NAIOP Chicago, and the Lambda Alpha Ely Chapter.

Susan Tjarksen joined Cushman & Wakefield in October 2018 serving as Managing Director of the firm’s multifamily investment sales team in Chicago. Susan co-founded KIG CRE in 2015 which was acquired by Cushman & Wakefield in 2018. She brings more than 30 years of real estate experience working with both private and public investment institutions throughout the country. Prior to brokerage, Susan was a leader in apartment and mixed-use development, having planned, built, designed, financed and delivered projects totaling more than $3.5 billion in revenue. She has also successfully developed and sold 12,000 residential units, 2,500 hotel rooms and more than 2M

square feet of retail and office space. Additionally, Susan is the co-founder and chair of Enodo, an AI-assisted multifamily underwriting and valuation platform. She is an active in the commercial real estate industry and her community. Susan is a member of the Forbes Real Estate Council, Roosevelt University’s MBIRE Advisory Board and the Lincoln Park Builders Club of Chicago.

Nida enjoys being on the cutting edge of the retail space. She is a trusted advisor for retail companies looking to expand their footprint in existing markets and has worked closely with a major online retailer in its leasing arrangements for a new innovative brick-and-mortar retail concept.

She also regularly advises clients as they expand into new markets. She handled all of the leasing negotiations and arrangements for a Wisconsin-based coffee shop that expanded into the Chicago market with five new locations in under two years. When the same company needed to find space to establish a large bakery to service the new locations, again they turned to Nida to handle all the negotiations.  

Her experience also expands beyond the retail leasing space and includes advising developers, retailers and companies on acquisitions and dispositions of their real estate assets, creating and structuring commercial condominiums, and negotiating development and operational documents with co-investors and municipalities. 

Molly is a partner in the Chicago Office of Siegel Jennings, a national property tax law firm. As a litigator and trusted advisor, she collaborates with Owners, Asset Managers, Acquisition teams and Tax Departments to identify, create and execute property tax reduction strategies. She becomes a member of her clients’ management team. Her goal is to maximize and protect the full potential of real estate assets, minimize related tax liabilities, and resolve disputes with tax authorities and government entities.

Molly’s client experience ranges from family owned 1031 portfolios to national commercial investment funds, including special use properties such as hospital campuses to multi-million-dollar manufacturing facilities.

Her comprehensive understanding of the commercial real estate market was developed in part through her time as a real estate broker in the Chicago area prior to starting her legal career. Molly regularly represents clients in hearings before review boards, local assessors’ offices, the

Illinois Property Tax Appeal Board, and the circuit courts.

Roger Daniel is the founder and President of Daniel Management Group, Inc. He is also President of DMG Leasing (dmgleasing.com), the leasing division of Daniel Management Group, Inc. In these capacities, Roger is responsible for the day-to-day management and leasing of a portfolio consisting of over 2,000 units around the broader Midwest. In 2021, Roger co-founded DMG Capital (dmgcapital.com), a real estate investment firm focused on sourcing, underwriting and structuring multifamily real estate transactions. Prior to creating Daniel Management Group, Inc., Roger held various positions in multifamily leasing, property management, acquisitions, and brokerage. Roger’s work history includes roles at The Habitat Company, Village Green Companies, Northwestern Mutual Real Estate and others. Roger earned a Bachelor of Arts degree, with honors, from the University of Wisconsin. He is a

licensed Real Estate Managing Broker, a member of the Chicagoland Apartment Association, a member of EUBA, and a member of the Chicago Association of Realtors.

Dan is presently the founder and Managing Principal of Larchstone

Capital Advisors LLC. Dan has over 40 years of experience in all phases

of commercial real estate transactions and management. He is an expert

in multifamily finance, lending activities and capital access for both

development and existing projects with capital from Agencies (including

Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac and FHA), public, private and institutional

investors, providing capital for market rate, affordable, mixed-use,

student housing, senior housing and MHC projects nationally.

Dan has originated or been directly involved in the origination and

execution of over $3.5 Billion in transactions involving Agency as well as

CMBS, bank, Life Company and institutional debt, including taxable and

tax- exempt financing vehicles as well as mezz, preferred and JV Equity

across all major commercial real estate asset classes.

Prior to starting Larchstone, Dan originated Multifamily and commercial

debt on behalf of Colliers, Key Bank, Red Capital, Prudential Mortgage

Capital and Capri Capital and directed the financing and disposition of

projects nationally for The Balcor Company.

Areas of Expertise

Multifamily and commercial real estate finance and lending activities and

capital access for both new and existing projects with capital from

agencies, public, private and institutional investors, providing financing

for projects including market rate, mixed-use, affordable, student

housing, senior and MHC projects. Dan has worked with private as well

as public, non-profit and institutional clients and private equity sponsors

of real estate investments nationally.

Dan has also held Board and Finance roles in local organizations and

businesses including a microbrewery, school board, as well as

recreational and religious organizations.

Tom leads capital procurement and financing of CRG’s residential developments and acquisitions. He joined the firm in 2021 after nearly 10 years at McCaffery Interests, where he financed assets and development projects worth over $1 billion in value.

In his previous role, Tom led a team responsible for planning, underwriting and financing urban mixed-use developments. He focused on acquiring land and value-add properties, structuring equity investments in joint venture development projects and providing advisory services on real estate investment strategies for institutions, pension funds and high net worth individuals.

Prior to that, Tom was a Managing Director at McKinley, Inc. There he was responsible for asset management and client relationships for McKinley’s third-party management assets. He also lead a team through due diligence, repositioning and financing of multifamily assets in the McKinley’s owned portfolio.

Tom began his career at Borders Group, Inc. where he worked in several finance and real estate positions. He graduated Summa Cum Laude with a degree in Economics & Management from Beloit College, where he was a Rhodes Scholar nominee, and holds an MBA with High Distinction from the University of Michigan Ross School of Business. He lives in Chicago with his wife and two kids.

Chris is a Managing Director in the Chicago office of JLL Capital Markets. He joined JLL as part of the 2019 acquisition of HFF and has more than 15 years of experience in commercial real estate. He focuses on arranging asset-level financings and subordinate debt transactions for all product types along with joint venture equity partnerships. Over the course of his career, he has completed more than $4 billion of commercial real estate transactions.

Before joining HFF in 2013, Chris was a manager in the finance group of General Growth Properties (GGP). During his seven-year tenure at GGP, he was responsible for property financings, enterprise analytics and loan restructurings during the company’s bankruptcy.

Anthony Longo is a distinguished leader with over 20 years of expertise in navigating complex transactions within the real estate sector. As the Co-founder and Managing Partner of Alpha Capital CRE, Anthony oversees strategic initiatives in real estate capital markets and drives production. He possesses a comprehensive understanding of capital structures, investment strategies, and risk management, leveraging this expertise to optimize investment opportunities and maximize returns for commercial real estate operators and developers.

Throughout his career, Anthony Longo has cultivated a robust network of industry relationships, enabling him to forge key partnerships and execute successful transactions in diverse market conditions. He has played an instrumental role in helping Alpha Capital CRE execute over $9 billion in real estate transactions during his 15+ year tenure, consistently delivering exceptional results in raising capital, structuring deals, and executing financial strategies aligned with clients & objectives.

Anthony holds a bachelor’s degree from the Tippie College of Business, University of Iowa. He is actively involved in the real estate community, sitting on panels, sharing insights, and staying at the forefront of emerging trends and innovations in real estate capital markets.

Andy is an accomplished real estate investment professional whose experience spans real estate private equity investments and institutional brokerage. He has invested and participated in approximately +/-$2.0 billion in real estate transactions. As CEO of Midloch, Andy is involved in all facets of the business, including working with investors, making investment decisions, and overseeing the company's long-term growth.

Prior to co-founding Midloch, Andy was a vice president at MLG Capital, a highly respected real estate private equity investment firm. Andy was responsible for MLG's private equity division, which oversaw the JV equity acquisitions and strategy. Prior to MLG, Andy was at Palmer Capital, an institutional real estate brokerage company based in California. He participated in approximately +/-$1 billion of real estate brokerage transactions across the West Coast. Andy considers himself a value investor with an appreciation for growth-oriented investing. He believes that people, management teams, and the right locations are the heartbeat of real estate. Andy's idols include Sam Zell (Equity Companies) and Howard Marks (Oaktree). He is a graduate of Marquette University with a degree in finance, real estate, and economics; and he remains active on Marquette's alumni real estate advisory board. Aside from work, Andy enjoys supporting Wisconsin sports teams, traveling, running marathons (four so far), and cycling.”

Peter Tsantilis is a partner in The Law Offices of Liston & Tsantilis, P.C. He represents clients in the areas of property tax litigation and incentives, land use/zoning, industrial and commercial real estate transactions/leasing and eminent domain litigation. Mr. Tsantilis is the author of the Illinois Institute for Continuing Legal Education (IICLE) chapter entitled Due Diligence for Leases on Commercial Properties and the IICLE chapter entitled Taxable and Exempt Property. He was honored as one of the 40 Under Forty Illinois Attorneys to Watch in

2013, a Leading Lawyer for 2018, 2019 and 2020 (top 5% of Illinois lawyers named by their peers in statewide surveys), a Leading Lawyers Emerging Lawyer for 2015, 2016 and 2017 and an Illinois Super Lawyers Rising Star for 2010, 2012 and 2013. He has been an active member of the Real Estate Law Section Council of the Illinois State Bar Association and is a member of the Chicago Bar Association and the Institute for Professionals in Taxation. He is a frequent speaker at seminars dealing with a wide range of topics affecting diverse and complex interests in the real estate industry, including real estate developers and owners,

brokers, property managers, title insurers and other attorneys.

In 2003, he obtained his J.D., cum laude, from Loyola University Chicago School of Law. In addition, he received his B.B.A. in Economics and Finance, and graduated valedictorian from Loyola University Chicago School of Business Administration in 2000.