Brian leads Skender’s specialized Healthcare and Life Sciences market sectors, overseeing project teams responsible for various hospital, outpatient and laboratory projects. A veteran of Skender since 2008, Brian is well known for his contagious energy and commitment to quality, strategy and overall client experience.

Farpoint Development’s founding Principal, Scott Goodman, is an innovative real estate

leader who cares deeply about how a development relates to the community it sits

within.

For 30+ years, Scott Goodman has successfully helped neighborhoods and buildings

thrive by retaining the integrity of the neighborhood while making a culturally unique

home for businesses and people.

Goodman focused on launching Sterling Bay in the mid-1980s, a firm that grew to

national acclaim under his drive for innovation. He deployed a visionary approach to

revitalizing existing commercial buildings and new developments in unexpected

locations. He implemented strategies like warehouse loft office space and the

condo/commercial subdivision of buildings. These concepts in adaptive reuse stood

out in the world of commercial development.

As a leader, Goodman brought together a team that infused artistry, architecture, and

experience into each development. Over the years, he championed major projects for

such prestigious clients as Google, Sara Lee, and gogo, bringing deep insights into how

people and office tenants experience and benefit from a development within a

community.

After Sterling Bay, Goodman sought to transition to a more streamlined operation that

was even more responsive to client and community needs. His focus on investor

relations, procurement of financing and equity and transaction structuring serve as the

foundation for Farpoint Development.

Under Goodman’s guidance, Farpoint has been defining and delivering notable Chicago

projects, from the purchase and enhancement of Prairie Shores in the Bronzeville

community to the development of the 100-acre Bronzeville Lakefront, a mixed-use

district championing life sciences and health innovation in Chicago.

Goodman’s insight and sense for real estate reinvention come from a diverse

education, background, and sense of commitment to a cause. Goodman’s Bachelor of

Science in Economics was earned at the University of Michigan. Additionally, he

received an MBA from Northwestern University’s Kellogg School of Management. As

his career accelerated, he served as the former Board Chair of the PKD Foundation and

Heartland Alliance and is a current Board Member for both prestigious organizations.

His membership in the Chicago Economics Club offers insight to his fiscal acumen as

well.

Goodman’s long-standing leadership, attention to detail and deep building experience

are what make his projects stand out from the others, making them many of Chicago’s

celebrated icons, both current and future.

Ryan Conover, EDAC, Design IALD, is an Associate Principal at The Lighting Practice and is the firm’s leader of Light + Health, where he researches the latest lighting technologies and evidence-based design strategies to implement in his healthcare lighting design. Ryan develops architectural lighting design solutions for the built environment that meet energy and safety codes, balance aesthetics, and support human health. He is committed to supporting clients and the design community with comprehensive reviews of data and human-centric lighting approaches.

Dave joined Leopardo in 2009 as a project engineer before rising to senior vice president in 2024. During his career with the company, Dave has completed millions of square feet of construction and managed some of the most complex healthcare projects in the region including projects for Duly Health & Care, Advocate Healthcare, Endeavor Health, Rush University Medical Center, Loyola University Medical Center and many more. Dave currently leads the Institutional Market at Leopardo managing $150M+ in annual revenue. During his tenure, Dave has played a key role in expanding Leopardo’s client relationships within the healthcare and senior living markets. Dave holds a Master of Architecture Degree as well as a Bachelor’s in Architectural Studies from the University of Illinois.

Kurt’s professional engineering career spans over 40 years. His expertise includes structural engineering design for Mission Critical Facilities such as Data Centers, Health Care Facilities such as Hospitals and Clinics and Life Sciences Facilities such as Biopharmaceutical Pilot Plants and Production Facilities around the United States and the World. His area of expertise is in designing buildings to be occupable after natural disasters including Tornados, Hurricanes and Earthquakes. He has been the structural engineer of record for conventional “fixed Base Buildings” ranging from 1-23 stories, “Base Isolated Buildings” ranging from 1-5 stories, and the retrofit and new construction of buildings incorporating Fluid Viscous Dampers ranging from 1-22 stories. He has published numerous papers on passive energy dissipation and presented the findings at various conventions in Boston, San Francisco and Milan.

For over 23 years as the Founding Principal at PARADIGM Structural Engineers, Kurt spends most of his time developing new leaders at PARADIGM and mentoring staff in Chicago and San Francisco.

Matthew is a Managing Director and leads Fifth Third’s Real Estate Investment Banking group, part of Fifth Third Securities, Inc. (“FTS”). Matthew directs deals throughout the country working on strategic real estate and infrastructure transactions and advisory including programmatic and project-level equity and debt placements, recapitalizations, single-asset and portfolio monetizations, developer selections, energy-as-a-service joint ventures and portfolio optimization. Matthew joined Fifth Third in 2021 as a member of H2C Securities Inc., a healthcare-focused M&A and strategic advisory firm acquired by Fifth Third Bank in 2020. Matthew has led transactions across various healthcare real estate asset classes with a specialization in inpatient rehabilitation, medical outpatient buildings, blood plasma, behavioral health, as well as senior living and select niche healthcare asset classes. He has been named a “Top Player in the Healthcare Real Estate Space” by Globe Street and Connect Media has recognized him as a “Commercial Real Estate Next Generation Leader.” Prior to joining H2C Securities Inc., Matthew was a member of a leading middle-market investment sales team at Cushman & Wakefield. Matthew earned a Bachelor of Business Administration in Finance from the University of Mississippi, where he graduated in three years and was a wide receiver on the football team. He earned his Master of Science in Finance from the Lubin School of Business at Pace University in New York. He currently serves on the Alumni Board of Real Estate at Ole Miss. He is a Registered Uniform Securities Agent (Series 63) and an Investment Banking Limited-Representative (Series 79).

Ekua Davis is the North Region General Manager at Automated Logic, where she leverages over a decade of experience in HVAC and controls. Throughout her career, she has excelled in various engineering and sales roles, consistently driving innovation and customer satisfaction. Ekua holds a bachelor's degree in chemical engineering from Vanderbilt University. She lives on the south side of Chicago with her husband, Jamin, and their son, Jett.

As a founder and principal of Echo, Jon is responsible for the firm’s strategic direction and manages the day-to-day operations for the company. Jon’s responsibilities include sourcing new investment opportunities, debt/equity financing, leasing, project management and asset management for Echo’s portfolio of properties.  Jon has extensive experience in real estate development, land assemblage, property acquisition, corporate real estate consultation, tenant representation, and leasing.

Prior to founding Echo Real Estate Capital, Jon served as Vice President of Development for a privately held Chicago-based development firm where his list of preferred development clients included numerous national retailers and restaurants expanding throughout the Chicagoland MSA.  Prior to that, Jon helped found a Chicago-based retail brokerage company where his list of clients included: McDonald’s USA, Dollar General, Verizon Wireless, Fifth-Third Bank, Save a Lot, Sonic, Anna’s Linens, True North Energy, Flexeon Rehabilitation, and Front Burner Restaurants.

Jon began his commercial real estate career with a retail and hotel development firm and was involved in over 30 projects comprising 8+ million square feet of commercial space.

Prior to his start in commercial real estate, Jon worked in the Indianapolis Division of Centex Homes – a Fortune 500 Production home builder based in Dallas, TX.

With an entrepreneurial spirit and leadership experience in all facets of real estate development and construction, Kevin leads Ryan’s Great Lakes Region market growth and strategy as Vice President of Healthcare Development. He develops new and repurposed healthcare facilities in collaboration with health systems, physician groups, providers, owners and operators, as well as facilitates growth strategies through acquisitions, development, creative capital solutions and building services. Kevin is a strategic thinker known for exerting game-changing influence on investment strategy, deal sourcing, negotiation, and structuring of mergers and acquisitions.

During his over 30 years in the industry, he has gained valuable insights as an owner, landlord, retailer, developer, investor, and investment portfolio manager, including unique expertise in the overlap of healthcare and hospitality. His strengths include strategic conceptualization, deal sourcing, negotiation and structuring of commercial real estate investment opportunities nationally. Kevin loves the challenge of taking a project from inception through completion, incorporating all facets of commercial real estate from site selection through design, construction and operational turnover.

After spending several years practicing architecture in Chicago, Candace joined Mortenson in 2016 and is currently a Senior Design Phase Manager leading the Healthcare Market in our Chicago office. She works closely with our estimating team and our customers to effectively align program needs within an allocated budget. Her expertise in space planning and intricate understanding of the current state of the market allows her to bring forth a unique perspective and creative solutions that are consistently recognized by her peers.

Candace remains a registered architect with AIA, LEED AP BD+C; EDAC certifications. With a large focus on healthcare and sustainability, she has played an integral role on numerous projects including the Mercyhealth Javon Bea Hospital & Physician Clinic, Lurie Children’s Hospital, and Esperanza Health Centers.

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.