Chicago State of the Market

Eugene Golub continues to play a visionary role in the firm’s success – even after nearly six decades in the business. As the founder of this family-owned, privately-held real estate company, Gene built a strong foundation for the firm, with a career spanning nearly 60 years, multiple real estate cycles and two continents. Gene's considerable influence and excellent reputation in the international financial and business arena led the company’s achievement of a key milestone in 1989, establishing development activities in Central and Eastern Europe and Russia. Just prior to the return of market-driven economies to the region, the company became the first U.S. real estate firm to undertake development projects there, and continues its role as the region’s preeminent developer. In recognition of his long and distinguished career, Gene has been honored with the Central & Eastern European Lifetime Achievement Award; the Eurobuild Lifetime Achievement Award, and the real estate industry’s prestigious Lifetime Achievement Award from the Urban Land Institute.

David Pezza is a partner in the firm’s real estate group and is located in White & Case’s Chicago office. Mr. Pezza’s practice focuses on sophisticated real estate transactions, including the representation of private and institutional investors, and owners and developers in connection with the acquisition, disposition, development and financing of commercial real estate properties. He has also been involved in the negotiation and structuring of joint-venture agreements with respect to the various transactions he has been involved in. Mr. Pezza’s experience includes a wide range of asset types, including mixed use projects, land for development, retail properties, office buildings and hospitality projects.

After progressing in a series of leadership roles in City government, Eleanor Esser Gorski was appointed Executive Director of the Cook County Land Bank Authority (CCLBA) in August 2020. Gorski brings more than 25 years of planning, design and economic development experience to the CCLBA as it embarks on plans to expand its inventory to create more affordable housing and economic opportunity partnerships within Cook County. The Cook County Land Bank works to efficiently return vacant properties to productive use in underserved communities throughout the county by partnering with community developers, small business owners and prospective homebuyers. It is the largest land bank by geography in the country, with a current inventory of more than 1,700 properties. Before leading the CCLBA, Gorski served as Director of Design and Planning for the University of Illinois at Chicago. From 2019 to 2020, Gorski led the City of Chicago Department of Planning and Development (DPD) as First Deputy Commissioner and Acting Commissioner. Prior to this role, Gorski led the Bureau of Planning and Design for DPD, leading work on the City’s Industrial Corridor Modernization Initiative and the Fulton Market Innovation District Plan, creating the fastest-growing commercial sector in the city. Gorski has held many other leadership roles within the City, including director of the Landmarks Commission for five years. Projects she has managed include the five-year renovation of Wrigley Field, the planning for the Obama Presidential Center, the renovation of most of the early skyscrapers in the Loop as well as the preservation of the Carson Pirie Scott State Street store (now Target). A hallmark of Gorski’s work is the way it centers equity and community, integrating design, planning and historic preservation. Notable projects include the creation of a community review process for the Chicago Plan Commission and numerous design guidelines for city landmark districts and neighborhoods. Her work in financial incentive legislation provided groundbreaking assistance for small businesses in communities of need through the Neighborhood Opportunity Fund and helped to preserve landmarks with the Class L tax incentive. Gorski is a licensed architect with degrees in architecture, art history and history. She is a fellow of the American Academy of Rome, where she studied the integration of new construction and old in Rome, Berlin and Amsterdam. She is also a fellow of the University of Chicago Civic Leadership Academy. Gorski sits on the Local Advisory Board of LISC Chicago, the alumni board of the University of Illinois School of Architecture and the Board of the Illinois Medical

In her current role at Cleveland Avenue Ms. Zopp leads the organization’s work investing in and supporting minority and women entrepreneurs and their companies. Previously she served as President and CEO of World Business Chicago, where she led the organization’s mission of inclusive economic growth, supporting businesses, and promoting Chicago as a leading global city. Prior to joining WBC, she served as Deputy Mayor, Chief Neighborhood Development Officer for the City of Chicago. Ms. Zopp has held executive leadership positions at several Fortune 500 companies. She was General Counsel and Chief Human Resources Officer at Exelon Corporation and served as Senior Vice President General Counsel and Corporate Secretary at Sears Holdings Corporation. Ms Zopp also served as Vice President and Deputy General Counsel at Sara Lee Corporation. As the former President and CEO of the Chicago Urban League, she led the nationally-recognized organization's focus on expanding economic opportunity in underserved communities. Andrea also served as a federal and state prosecutor, serving as an Assistant United States Attorney and as the first woman and African American First Assistant in the Cook County State’s Attorney’s Office. Ms. Zopp currently serves on the board of Relativity a global e-discovery and document management software company and has served on the boards of Urban Partnership Bank and Andrew Corporation. She is the Chair of the Board of Trustees at Chicago State University and also serves on the boards of the Henry Ford Health System, the Economic Club of Chicago, the Northwestern Memorial Hospital Foundation and the Black Ensemble Theater as well as the Chicago Police Board. She received her BA in History and Science from Harvard University and her JD from Harvard Law School

As Division President and CEO of the Northern Region, David Trolian provides executive leadership for Clark's Chicago office and presence throughout the Great Lakes region and Midwest. He is responsible for the company’s overall operations, including the acquisition and execution of work, business functions, and client relations and community engagement. Dave began his career with Clark in 1995 and brings more than two decades of construction industry experience. Dave is Treasurer of the Builders Association (Chicago chapter of the Associated General Contractors of America) and also serves on the organization’s Labor Relations Committee. He earned a bachelor’s degree in civil/structural engineering from the University of Illinois at Chicago and has received continuing education through Northwestern University’s Masters in Project Management Program. Under his watch, Clark has significantly grown its Chicago presence through a diverse range of project types, including commercial office, residential, hospitality, lab/science, higher education and government facilities. Notable projects underway and completed include: · 110 North Wacker · Union Station Redevelopment · 150 North Riverside · 300 N LaSalle · Midway Airport Terminal/Concourse Redevelopment · McCormick Place (7 projects) o Marriott Marquis, Wintrust Arena, Hyatt Expansion, West Hall, North Hall, Hyatt Regency, Central Plant · Argonne Nat'l Lab (4 projects)

Bobby Goodman manages strategic brokerage initiatives and business development at Truss and is the commercial real estate subject matter expert. He also oversees the company’s newest platform, Truss CRE. Bobby combines his extensive background in real estate with Truss’ marketplace vision, helping shape a new era in leasing commercial space. Bobby is a recognized industry visionary, never satisfied with the status quo. Bobby’s mission is to simplify and streamline the entire leasing process to make it easy for Truss customers. Prior to starting Truss, Bobby held positions for international real estate firms JLL, Colliers and Mark Goodman & Associates, completing transactions for some of the largest companies in the world. Goodman has been named Most Influential Real Estate Brokers by Crain’s Chicago Business. He holds a Bachelor of Arts & Science in Psychology from the University of Colorado.

im leads Skender’s team of architects and designers—bringing his passion for integrating the design and construction process to the firm’s clients. In his former position of Chicago office director at CannonDesign, he was the youngest office leader in the history of the century-old firm. Throughout his decade there, Tim oversaw a team of more than 200 architecture, engineering, and planning experts. He also led its City Design practice, a national group focused on helping cities around the world grow and prosper. Having lived in Abu Dhabi, rural India and major American cities like New York and Chicago, Tim brings a unique, global perspective to his design work. He is an advocate for smart growth and sustainable development, working with leaders at the intersection of urban planning, public health, and education. Tim earned a Master of Architecture with a specialization in urban development and infill from the University of Illinois at Chicago, and undergraduate degrees in fine arts and economics from Colgate University.

Jim Letchinger founded JDL Development in 1993 and to date, has developed more than 1,200 residential units with another 1,500 currently preparing to be in construction. He launched his development career with a conversion of a 1940’s Benjamin Marshall building at 210 E. Walton St. in Chicago where he transformed 21 apartments into five unique residential condominiums. Mr. Letchinger quickly became known as one of Chicago’s most creative and respected residential developers, specializing in urban development where his expertise in entitlement and infill design provides a significant competitive advantage. Mr. Letchinger is intimately involved in all aspects of JDL’s projects, from inception to completion. His hands-on approach has helped JDL survive a number of real estate cycles. Mr. Letchinger is a graduate of the University of Michigan. A life long resident of the City of Chicago, Mr. Letchinger is married with two grown children.

Thomas Roszak has been involved in architectural design and construction for over 32 years. His work includes a wide range of building types, including commercial and institutional projects, with a special concentration on urban residential architecture, for which he personally has overseen the design, development, and construction of more than 5,500 units with a market value in excess of $3 billion. Mr. Roszak opened his first architecture, development, and construction office in 1997. Soon after, he established Thomas Roszak Architecture, a firm dedicated to creative, innovative, and environmentally effective design. His keen insight coupled with a unique design process allows him and his team to challenge preconceptions, resulting in innovative and technically advanced design solutions. Mr. Roszak also founded and currently leads the construction management company SteelGrass, an eco-design-build firm focused on new technology and sustainability. Architectural Digest named Mr. Roszak one of its “World’s Top 20 Architects” in 2005. He was featured in Philip Jodidio's ARCHITECTURE NOW!, no. 4, published by Taschen in 2006. In 2008, he received the American Institute of Architects’ prestigious National Honor Award. Recently, his Architecture was chosen by Modern Luxury Interiors to be the “Best Architecture Firm in 2017.” Thomas Roszak was elevated to a Fellow of the American Institute of Architects in 2020.

Wesley Prato, CPA, is an audit partner in the Firm’s Commercial Real Estate Industry Practice and leads the Southwest Region in this area. Based in CohnReznick’s Chicago office, he has 16 years of experience in public accounting, providing client services in the areas of audit, review, and other financial reporting needs. This experience includes working with developers, hospitality owners and private equity investors of companies in the commercial real estate industry. Wes specializes in the commercial real estate and hospitality industries serving both real estate operators and real estate investment funds. He is responsible for planning the engagements, supervising staff, and coordinating all fieldwork. Other responsibilities on these engagements include determining audit scope, selecting procedures to be applied, establishing budgets, reviewing work papers, identifying audit issues, communicating with clients, and preparing financial statements or reports. In addition, Wes takes an active role in working with his clients to plan and brainstorm on ways to get the next project from concept to development. Wes has participated nationally within the Firm in developing audit programs and techniques specifically tailored to auditing commercial real estate and hospitality entities. He has also leads internal training classes on commercial real estate and often speaks on panels focused in the industry.

Lance Wright is a Managing Director for ACORE Capital and operates out of the firm’s Dallas, Texas office. He manages the Central Region for ACORE which includes both the Southwest and Midwest areas of the United States and he originates roughly $1 billion of debt volume per year. Prior to his current role, Lance was a Regional Director at GE Capital Real Estate where he oversaw the origination efforts in the Central portion of the United States. While at GE, Lance was named one of the “20 Rising Stars in Real Estate” by Institutional Investor News in 2008. Prior to this position, Lance was a Senior Director at GE and was consistently one of the top producers within North America Lending. Lance has been actively involved in the real estate finance industry since graduating from SMU in 1990. He joined GE in 2001 from Heller Financial where he was Director. Earlier in his career, Lance worked with Amresco in Dallas. Currently a Vice Chair of the 1,250-member ULI North Texas Chapter, Lance is an active member in the national ULI Student Housing Council (STHC), and is also a member of NMHC, MBA, ICSC and The Real Estate Council (TREC). Lance has a BBA in Finance from SMU and an MBA in Finance from the University of Texas at Arlington. While at SMU, Lance was a member of the 1986 SMU Mustang football team Lance has been married to his wife, Angie, for 19 years and they reside in University Park, Texas. They have three children – Christian (age 16), George Nicholas (age 14) and Alexandra (age 10). Lance enjoys watching his children’s sports teams, playing golf, traveling, and reading in his spare time.

J. Kieran Jennings is Managing Partner at Siegel Jennings Co., L.P.A. Previously a Certified Public Accountant (CPA), Kieran focuses his practice on real property taxation and general state and local tax litigation. He has successfully tried cases before administrative boards, tribunals, courts, and appellate courts, including the Ohio Supreme Court. Kieran has experience in managing real property tax appeals throughout the U.S. and Canada and assists clients in due diligence property acquisitions, tax planning, and structured agreements between taxpayers and taxing jurisdictions. Kieran is the Vice President and a member of the Executive Board of the American Property Tax Counsel (APTC), a national organization of which Siegel Jennings is a founding member. Kieran is also on the Board of Directors for the Northern Ohio Chapter of NAIOP. Kieran regularly conducts seminars and workshops on numerous on property tax issues to industry groups like the National Retail Round Table, The Ohio Society of CPAs, Institute for Professionals in Taxation (IPT), International Association of Assessing Officers (IAAO), National Business Institute, and Lorman Education Service. In 2016, Kieran was awarded the CRE (Counselor of Real Estate) credential by The Counselors of Real Estate, an international group of high-profile real estate practitioners who provide expert advisory services to clients on complex real property and land-related matters. Of the over 150,000 practitioners in commercial real estate today, fewer than 1,100 currently hold the CRE credential.

Mike Moceri, partner at Moceri+Roszak, is intimately involved in all aspects of the firm’s developments. Trained as an Architect, Mike can analyze a potential development site with both design and proforma in mind. His education includes a Bachelor of Architecture from the Illinois Institute of Technology. He also received a Master Degree in Integrated Building Delivery from the Illinois Institute of Technology. Mike is also a project architect at Thomas Roszak Architecture. Mike's professional experience includes single and multi-family residential projects, commercial office projects, classroom repurposing, and hospitality renovations. Notable projects include InterContinental Hotel Miami (renovation), JeffJack Apartments, Linea Apartments, 145 South Wells.

Brandon Svec is a Director of Market Analytics with the CoStar Group, where he leads the firm’s research and analysis on the Illinois and Wisconsin multifamily, office, logistics and retail markets. Prior to his current role, Brandon was Vice President of Research and Product Development at Inland Real Estate Investment Corporation, where he developed fund strategy and led firm-wide research initiatives. Prior to this role, Brandon was Vice President and Director of Due Diligence at Inland Securities Corporation, where he was responsible for reviewing and approving over $1 billion of real estate security offerings. Prior to his time at Inland, Brandon was a due diligence analyst at First Allied Securities, where he primarily focused on due diligence of REITs and closed-end real estate funds. Brandon’s past additionally includes commercial real estate loan underwriting and portfolio management experience. Brandon previously held Series 7, 24, and 66 securities licenses and is a MBA candidate at DePaul University’s Kellstadt Graduate School of Business, where he is finishing his studies in real estate finance and investment.

Graham Grady is a partner at Taft Law where he advises real estate developers, investors and property owners. He assists clients in building consensus with local elected officials, government entities, community organizations and other stakeholders. As a former Zoning Administrator, Buildings Commissioner and Ex-Officio member of the Chicago Plan Commission, his practice encompasses zoning, land use, economic incentives, building code compliance, licensing, construction agreements, government and legislative approvals. Graham helps clients obtain government entitlements and solve problems with units of local government. With a focus on the city of Chicago and Cook County, he helps secure necessary approvals for land developments in the Chicago metropolitan area. A consensus builder and negotiator, he maintains excellent relations with community organizations, local elected officials and other stakeholders. Graham provides legal counsel for compliance, regulatory, public policy and encompasses zoning, land use, building code compliance, licensing, construction agreements, government contracts, procurement and legislative approvals. In the land use area, his experience includes securing all types of land use entitlements through planned developments, zoning map amendments, special uses, variations, text amendments and public way approvals. He represents property owners, real estate developers and every classification of real estate including retail, residential, commercial, industrial and myriad specialized land uses. He regularly represents clients before the Department of Buildings and the Fire Department. In addition, he has obtained approvals through boards and commissions, including the: • Building Board of Appeals • Chicago Plan Commission • Committee on Standards and Tests • Chicago Plan Commission • Committee on Zoning • Chicago City Council • Commission on Chicago Landmarks • Community Development Commission • Zoning Board of Appeals Graham also serves as legal counsel to one of the five annuity and benefit funds of the City of Chicago, advising in a broad range of areas including compliance with the Illinois Pension Code, investment management agreements, open meetings and freedom of information act compliance and the fiduciary obligations of the trustees of the pension fund.