Judy Frydland serves as the Commissioner of the Department of Buildings for the City of Chicago.

The Department of Buildings is a 285‐person department with an annual budget of $37 million. The DOB enhances safety and quality of life for residents and visitors of the City of Chicago through permitting, inspections, trade licensing, and enforcement of the Chicago Building Code.

Since Commissioner Frydland’s appointment in 2015, the Department has implemented several reforms that have streamlined the permit process for all building projects, from single-family home renovations to large-scale developments, making it quicker and more efficient to obtain a permit than ever before. In 2017, the Buildings Department issued a record 48,408 permits. Under her leadership, the Department is modernizing City code to align with national and international standards. In fall 2017, Chicago became one of the first major cities to align with the National Electrical Code. The updated code improves safety requirements, advances sustainability, brings additional energy efficiency to Chicago’s booming building industry and can lower costs on electric bills for residents and businesses.

Prior to joining the Department of Buildings, Ms. Frydland spent 25 years in the Chicago Law Department working with various city departments, community groups and other stakeholders on the enforcement of building code, municipal health and business license regulations. In her role as Deputy Corporation Counsel for Building and Licensing Enforcement, Ms. Frydland enforced the city’s vacant building ordinance and implemented strategies aimed to preserve the city’s housing stock, closed down and revoked licenses for problem businesses engaging in criminal activity, actively preserved occupied residential buildings through circuit court litigation and city programs, aggressively prosecuted illegal signs and dangerous and hazardous rooftop water tanks, as well as enforced the Life Safety Evaluation (LSE) requirements for pre-1975 high-rise buildings.

Commissioner Frydland is the recipient of the 2018 “Labor Person of the Year” award from IBEW Local 134 and the 2018 “Building Industry Woman of the Year in Construction” award from the Home Builders Association of Greater Chicago.

Ms. Frydland graduated from I.I.T. Chicago Kent College of Law, was admitted to the Illinois Bar in 1990 and is a current member of the Chicago Bar Association. Ms. Frydland earned her law degree while working as a social worker and assistant administrator in a nursing home. Ms. Frydland also has a Master’s Degree in Community Health Care Planning and Administration.

John Bucksbaum, founder of Bucksbaum Retail Properties, LLC. Bucksbaum previously served as chairman and CEO of General Growth Properties, Inc., a publicly traded Real Estate Investment Trust (REIT) which had ownership and management interest in over 200 regional and super regional shopping malls in 44 states. The company portfolio totaled approximately 200 million square feet of space.

Bucksbaum received his bachelor’s degree in economics from the University of Denver, Denver, Colorado in 1978. Professional affiliations include the following: past worldwide Chairman of the International Council of Shopping Centers (ICSC). Trustee and member of the Executive Committee of ICSC; past Chairman of the Zell/Lurie Real Estate Center at The Wharton School; Trustee of the Urban Land Institute (ULI). In addition Bucksbaum serves on the boards of the University of Chicago Hospitals, The Field Museum, the Chicago Sports Commission, the U.S. Ski & Snowboard Team, USA Cycling, the Paralympics Advisory Committee to the U.S. Olympic Committee, Young Presidents Organization and the Advisory Board of the Chicago Chapter of the American Jewish Committee.

John and his wife, Jackie, are the parents of Max and Eli Bucksbaum.

Under Smietana’s supervision, HSA’s diversified management portfolio has consistently ranked in the top 10 in Chicago and grown to include more than 16 million square feet of office, industrial, retail and corporate facilities in 14 states.

Smietana has completed more than 75 commercial developments comprising more than 20 million square feet and valued at $2 billion. His diverse development experience, which began in 1978, includes industrial, retail, hotel, suburban and urban office, senior housing and medical office. He has been responsible for all phases of real estate, including land acquisitions, entitlements, design development, financing, construction management operations, property and asset management, and brokerage.

Mr. Schwartz co-founded Waterton with Peter Vilim in 1995 and serves as CEO and Chairman. Mr. Schwartz is responsible for strategic decisions and leadership of the firm’s business activities and operations, and participates on the Management and Investment Committees.

Prior to co-founding Waterton in 1995, Mr. Schwartz was a vice president of acquisitions for Equity Residential Properties Trust (EQR-NYSE) and from 1985 through 1989 was with AMLI Realty Co.

Mr. Schwartz holds a bachelor’s degree in economics from the University of Illinois and an MBA from the University of Chicago, Booth School of Business. He is a member of the executive committee, a senior officer and chairman of the National Multi Housing Council (NMHC). He is a member of the Urban Land Institute (ULI) and is previous chairman of the ULI Multifamily Blue Council and a member of the Pension Real Estate Association (PREA). Mr. Schwartz is a member of the Advisory Council for the Pritzker School of Medicine and the Department of Biological Sciences at the University of Chicago, and serves on the Strategic Advancement Committee for the US Holocaust Museum and Memorial in Washington D.C.

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.

Jason Burian is a partner in CohnReznick’s Chicago office and a member of the Firm’s Assurance Practice. He also leads the Commercial Real Estate Industry Practice in the Firm's Chicago office. Jason has 12 years of experience in public accounting, providing clients with audits, compilations, compliance, due diligence, agreed-upon procedures, and other accounting services. His clients include real estate operating companies, real estate syndicators, real estate investment funds, and real estate developers.

Jason specializes in the audits of commercial real estate entities, developments benefitting from the Low-Income Housing Tax Credit (LIHTC), and employee benefit plans. He is responsible for many aspects of client engagements including planning, determining audit scope, identifying audit issues, selecting audit procedures to be applied, supervising staff, coordinating all fieldwork, establishing budgets, reviewing workpapers , facilitating client communications, and preparing financial statements or reports.

In addition to Jason’s client responsibilities, he develops programs and techniques specifically tailored to auditing commercial real estate entities for the Firm. He also takes an active role in developing staff, recruiting, scheduling initiatives, and leading the Chicago office’s efforts for the Firm’s volunteer and charity outreach.