Registration Questions

Call: 202-684-2034
Email: eventregistration@bisnow.com

Request Speaker Information

Speaker Topics

Tell us a Little More

Event Host

Bell Works

Bell Works

Bell Works Chicagoland is the former home of the AT&T headquarters, a 150-acre corporate campus located in Hoffman Estates, IL and Chicagoland’s first ‘metroburb’ — a self-contained metropolis in suburbia. Originally built in 1990 as the Ameritech Center, Inspired by Somerset Development is transforming the 1.65-million-square-foot space into a central destination complete with offices, ground-floor retail, dining, residences, community gathering spaces, and more. The transformation will turn a vacant corporate campus into a thriving ‘Main Street’ that serves Hoffman Estates and the surrounding communities. Dirk Lohan, FAIA - who helped design the original Ameritech Center - returns to the project with design firm Wight & Company and NPZ studio+, who led the reimagining of the Bell Works New Jersey Metroburb.

Speakers and Panels

Suburban Outlook

A roundtable discussion on what the future holds for CRE in the suburbs

Aaron Tucker

Aaron Tucker

President & CIO

Tucker Development

Tammy Kelly

Tammy Kelly

Head of US Multifamily Asset Mgmt

EQT Real Estate

Paul Robertson

Paul Robertson

Senior Director

Opus Development Company

Ramzi Hassan

Ramzi Hassan

President

Edwards Realty Company

Elbert Walters III

Elbert Walters III

Executive Director

Powering Chicago

Stephen Chrastka
Moderator

Stephen Chrastka

EVP, Office Services

NAI Hiffman

Tammy Kelly

Head of US Multifamily Asset Mgmt

EQT Real Estate

Tammy Kelly CCIM, CPM joined EQT Exeter, successor firm to Redwood Capital Group, in 2014 and brings +20

years of experience in asset management, transactions, and investment strategy. She is responsible for the

strategic oversight of the Firm’s investments, assists with underwriting, and oversees tactical dispositions and

is a member of the Firm’s Investment Committee. As a career total, Tammy has transacted over $4B of real

estate investment transactions to include dispositions, acquisitions, loan modifications and refinances.

Prior to Redwood Capital Group, Tammy spent 8 years at Blue Vista Capital Management as Senior Vice

President - Asset Management. Tammy’s responsibilities at Blue Vista included oversight of investments in

the firm’s Middle Market Equity Funds. Prior to her tenure at Blue Vista, Tammy joined Equity Investment

Group as an Investment Associate where she was responsible for overseeing, coordinating, and evaluating

the company’s property acquisitions.

Tammy earned a BA from DePaul University. She is a past President of CREW Chicago and serves on various

committees within CREW Chicago and CREW Network. Tammy was recognized as a Women of Influence in

2022 by Globe Street and Bisnow’s Power Women in Chicago in 2022 and 2014.

Paul Robertson

Senior Director

Opus Development Company

As Senior Director of Real Estate Development, Paul identifies and executes multifamily and senior living development opportunities in Illinois, Wisconsin and Michigan. His duties include identifying and acquiring the property to be developed, obtaining any required governmental approvals and entitlements, coordinating the design and construction as well as overseeing the marketing and leasing of each project.

Paul joined Opus in 2019 with a diverse background that included over 27 years of commercial real estate experience. He has developed over one million square feet of retail space in markets throughout North America. Paul has a strong track record of analyzing markets, identifying sites, obtaining entitlements, coordinating design teams, sourcing debt and equity, completing construction, leasing up to stabilization and transitioning to operations.

He holds a Master of Science in business real estate appraisal and investment analysis and a Bachelor of Business Administration in finance, investment and banking from the University of Wisconsin. Paul is a member of the International Council of Shopping Centers, Wisconsin Real Estate Alumni Association and NAIOP, the commercial real estate development association.

Ramzi Hassan

President

Edwards Realty Company

Ramzi Hassan is the President of Edwards Realty Company, a leading Commercial Development and Property Management firm based in Orland Park, IL.

Hassan has completed over $250M in retail and mixed-use projects since 2003, finding significant opportunity and upside in distressed assets. Hassan’s keen sense of how community drives commerce, combined with his involvement in the music and fashion industry have helped inform his real estate strategy. Edwards Realty Company owns and manages more than one million square feet of commercial real estate property in the midwest. The firm is actively investing in new mixed-use properties in key growth markets.

Hassan earned a Bachelor of Science Degree in Finance with a concentration in Real Estate from DePaul University. He is an active member of the International Council of Shopping Centers (ICSC) and President-Elect of the Orland Park Area Chamber of Commerce and a Member of the Economic Development Committee (EDC) in the Village of Burr Ridge. Ramzi holds his managing broker license in Illinois, Missouri and Michigan.

Elbert Walters III

Executive Director

Powering Chicago

A former business representative for IBEW Local 134 and longtime member of the union, Elbert Walters III now serves as the Director for Powering Chicago, leading the organization’s 100+ philanthropic and community impact initiatives each year and playing a key role in its daily operations. Walters brings to the position a deep understanding of the unionized electrical industry’s commitment to better construction, better careers and better communities.

Future of the Suburban Office

A conversation on the suburban office submarket and where its opportunities lie

Ralph Zucker

Ralph Zucker

CEO & Founder

Inspired by Somerset Development

David Chameli

David Chameli

EVP, General Counsel, Real Estate Operations

Heritage-Crystal Clean

Roger Heerema

Roger Heerema

Principal

Wright Heerema Architects

Mara Hauser
Moderator

Mara Hauser

Founder & CEO

25N Coworking

Ralph Zucker

CEO & Founder

Inspired by Somerset Development

Ralph Zucker is CEO & Founder of Somerset Development, one of the New York Metropolitan region’s foremost pioneers of New Urbanism and Traditional Neighborhood Design development. Throughout his career, Zucker has worked hands-on in every facet of the building and development process, and has demonstrated a commitment to working with municipalities to create innovative communities based on the principles of New Urbanism.

Zucker is perhaps best known for Bell Works, the two-million-square-foot redevelopment of the former Bell Labs property in Holmdel, N.J., where he and the Somerset Development team successfully transformed the iconic Saarinen-designed research facility into a “metroburb,” a term that Somerset coined to describe the suburban building’s revival into a blossoming, downtown-style ecosystem of technology, traditional office, retail, dining and hospitality.

Today, Zucker and his team are in the midst of redeveloping The Ameritech Center in Hoffman Estates, Illinois, originally built as the former AT&T research facility, into Bell Works Chicagoland. The 1.65-million square foot building, which has already welcomed retail and office tenants, is quickly transforming into another successful metroburb.

Under Zucker’s leadership, Somerset and its projects have earned numerous industry awards and recognition for their contributions to furthering responsible development practices, including the New Jersey Future Smart Growth Award for Wesmont Station, Somerset's 70-acre transit-oriented mixed-use redevelopment located in Wood-Ridge, N.J., where Somerset partnered with NJ TRANSIT to build a brand new train station that provides access to Manhattan.

David Chameli

EVP, General Counsel, Real Estate Operations

Heritage-Crystal Clean

David Chameli is Heritage-Crystal Clean’s Vice President, General Counsel and Corporate Secretary. He also has oversight of the company’s Environmental Health & Safety Department. In his role, David is responsible for all transactional, regulatory, compliance, corporate governance and litigation matters.

David has more than 30 years of experience as an attorney in transportation, logistics, and supply chain, and well as with procurement, strategic sourcing, and compliance.

David holds an undergraduate degree in History from the State University of New York (SUNY) at Buffalo (Amherst, NY), a law degree from Mitchell Hamline College of Law (St. Paul, MN), and an MBA in Marketing, Management Strategy, and Entrepreneurship from Northwestern University-Kellogg School of Management (Chicago, IL). He is licensed to practice law in New York, Minnesota, and Illinois.

Roger Heerema

Principal

Wright Heerema Architects

Roger sees design challenges in all projects, regardless of scope or scale, without forgetting we are people designing buildings for people. Since joining the firm in 1996, Roger has led efforts to diversify and expand the firm beyond its core market into complimentary service sectors. This has resulted in improved and expanded services to our clients, as well as a diverse and talented staff. Roger will provide leadership to the project team and will be responsible for the overall design direction of the project and client relations.

Mara Hauser

Moderator

25N Coworking

Attuned to the interplay between worker and office environment, Mara’s extensive experience in workplace design,

brand building, and entrepreneurship has made her a key player in today’s coworking industry. A pioneer of the

coworking movement, she began bringing shared workspace concepts to corporate environments early in a career.

Since then, businesses and developers have leveraged her experience to bring successful coworking concepts to their

organizations through tailored, flexible partnerships with 25N Coworking and its suite of workspace products and

solutions.

As CEO of Workplace Studio—an independent, multidisciplinary interior design arm of 25N Coworking—Mara brings

design innovations and brand experiences to enterprise clients and developers through interior design projects and

consulting packages. Additionally, Workplace Studio offers flex space consulting for coworking startups, existing

coworking companies, and developers looking to transition and enhance their portfolios to grow into new markets.

Over 80 locations in the past three years have been developed by Workplace Studio’s tailored packages.

Currently 25N Coworking has 4 suburban Chicago locations with 3 in development, 2 in Texas with a 3 rd on the way,

and a location in Alexandria, VA.

Game-Changing Developments

With a number of big planned developments set to bring change to their respective areas, hear from experts on what these developments mean for the suburban market

Christopher Coleman

Christopher Coleman

President

Nicholas Family of Companies

Sam Whitebread

Sam Whitebread

VP, Development & Tenant Coordination

Centennial

Vicky Lee

Vicky Lee

Senior Vice President, Development

Focus

Roger Daniel

Roger Daniel

Founder & President

Daniel Management Group

Andy Schnack
Moderator

Andy Schnack

Vice President, Sales

Zentro

Christopher Coleman

President

Nicholas Family of Companies

Chris Coleman is the Vice President of Development with responsibility for all of Wingspan Development Group’s lines of business. His responsibilities include development oversight, fostering new debt and equity relationships, and implementing Wingspan’s overall strategic plan.

Prior to Wingspan, Coleman was the Chicago Division President for William Ryan Homes, Inc. Chris started in the real estate business in 1988 as a market analyst with Chicago developer and home builder The Zale Group. His career path took him to Orlando, FL with Morrison Homes and Atlanta, GA with John Wieland Homes, a National Builder of the Year winner.

Coleman returned to Chicago in 1997 to launch his own firm specializing in in-fill redevelopment; leveraging deep experience in entitlement, land development and construction, focusing on communities close to Chicago.

Coleman is active in a variety of industry and charitable organizations, and outside of work he enjoys spending time with his wife and three children.

Vicky Lee

Senior Vice President, Development

Focus

Vicky Lee is Senior Vice President, Development at Focus where she manages and leads the company's

expansion into different markets across the Southeast region of the country. As a Management Team

member, Vicky is responsible for defining and implementing internal strategies and policies with the

goal to grow the organization. In addition, she leads real estate acquisition, development, and

architectural design activities on multiple projects, totaling more than $800mm for both Focus and

third-party clients.

Within seven months of kicking off the Focus expansion, Vicky and her team tied up two sites in Florida

and are currently full-steam-ahead in the predevelopment process of both sites. Other notable

achievements include spearheading entitlement and acted as owner’s rep for The Atworth at Mellody

Farm. She maintained an excellent relationship with the Village of Vernon Hills, achieving and

maintaining mutual respect. This has led to Focus recognition in suburban placemaking, catalyzing the

company's most recent 4 new mall-redevelopments in Vernon Hills and Aurora.

Vicky’s combined experience in urban planning, architecture, and business has propelled Vicky into an

industry leader. She currently serves on the Advisory Board for ULI Chicago, Vice Chair of ULI Public

Private Partnership Council (Blue), Vice Chair of ULI Chicago Product Council (Green), and Chair of

Cornell Real Estate Council Chicago Chapter. Her philanthropic activities include serving as Board of

Directors for the nonprofit organization, Teachers Supporting Teachers.

Vicky received her MBA at the S.C. Johnson School of Management at Cornell University and a BA in

Architecture at University of Notre Dame.

Roger Daniel

Founder & President

Daniel Management Group

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.

Why This Matters

What You'll Learn:

  • What do upcoming developments like The Bears’ proposed Arlington Heights campus mean for the future of the Chicago suburbs?

  • How will continued inflation, rising interest rates, and the housing market affect how people live, work, and play in the 'burbs?

  • Will the pandemic-fueled population shift from Downtown Chicago to the Chicagoland suburbs continue in 2023, or will people begin to return to the city? How will that shift affect future development decisions in the suburbs and beyond?

  • What does the suburban office look like today? How can owners attract tenants?  

  • Will industrial activity continue to be hot in the suburbs, or is the boom set to cool off?

  • Is retail returning to the 'burbs? How is the asset class evolving?

  • What is the state of the suburban multifamily market? How does this compare to the urban market? What will bring residents to the suburbs?

How You'll Do More Business

The Chicago suburbs have long been considered the place to get away from the hustle and bustle of the city. In reality, the suburbs are evolving beyond their sleepy and quiet reputation. But what do Chicago's top developers, investors and owners think? Enhance your business by gaining insight into upcoming suburban developments and the state of CRE asset classes in the Greater Chicago Area, including Naperville, Arlington Heights, Orland Park, Hoffman Estates, and more. Join us and the region's top players as we dive deep into the market and the trends impacting its growth.

What You Need to Know:

Who Attends

Brokers, owners, developers, investors, contractors, designers, architects, financial institutions, government officials and more!

Why You Should Attend

Bisnow events bring together the biggest power players in the industry to help you identify opportunities, build your network and expand your business. With the largest audience of commercial real estate professionals in the world, no one knows how to help your business more than we do. Join Bisnow as we jump into the suburban Chicago market to analyze its strengths and strategize on areas of opportunity.

For questions, recommendations, comments or press inquiries please email Event Producer Erika Eringis at erika.eringis@bisnow.com.

Agenda

Time Activity
1:00 PM
2:00 PM
Breakfast & Networking
2:00 PM
2:45 PM
Suburban Outlook

A roundtable discussion on what the future holds for CRE in the suburbs

2:45 PM
3:30 PM
Future of the Suburban Office

A conversation on the suburban office submarket and where its opportunities lie

3:30 PM
3:45 PM
Networking Break
3:45 PM
4:30 PM
Game-Changing Developments

With a number of big planned developments set to bring change to their respective areas, hear from experts on what these developments mean for the suburban market

4:30 PM
5:00 PM
Post-Event Networking