Chris Pine is the Executive Vice President of Anchors and Big Box Leasing & Development for Brookfield Properties' retail group and is a seasoned veteran in the retail real estate industry. Mr. Pine leads the leasing strategy for redeveloping department stores across the Brookfield Properties portfolio and spearheads efforts to bring new uses to those anchor spaces, such as retail, fitness, grocery, entertainment, and more. He started at the company in 2011 as Senior Vice President of Big Box Leasing.

Previously, Mr. Pine worked as Vice President of Real Estate for Whole Foods Market, where he transacted more than 1 million square feet of leases per year, and as a real estate director for Brinker International, where he was responsible for the rollout of emerging concepts.

Mr. Pine graduated from the University of California in Santa Barbara with a bachelor's degree in organizational psychology.

Jeff Aronoff is Senior Vice President of Box Leasing for GGP. He oversees the large format retail and entertainment leasing at Brookfield. Jeff has more than 25 years of experience in the industry. He has been responsible for selling shopping centers, creating a peripheral land division and leasing to large format retailers in both new and existing projects. He works mostly with large format operators in the entertainment, discounter, grocery, sporting goods and health club fields.

Jeff started in the business at Equity Properties and Development Company, Sam Zell’s shopping center company. While there he helped dispose of assets owned by First Capital. He also built the peripheral land division and led the big box leasing team. Following the sale of EPDC, Jeff joined General Growth Properties. He eventually led the big box leasing team and was instrumental in GGP significantly increasing its business relationships with retailers such as Barnes & Noble, Best Buy and Cinemark. Jeff left GGP in 2007 to join Crate & Barrel. While at Crate, Jeff led Crate’s expansion into Canada and the retail expansion of CB2. He returned to GGP in 2012.

Jeff has worked with many retailers during his career and learned about both sides of the equation while at Crate & Barrel. He has spoken at ICSC events and continues to search for new businesses looking to expand.

Jeff received a BA in Economics from Johns Hopkins University and an MBA from the University of Michigan.

George Van Dusen was appointed Mayor of the Village of Skokie on January 4, 1999, and has

been re-elected to the office each term since then. He had been serving as a Village Trustee

since 1984. From 1973 to 1999, Mayor Van Dusen had served as Legislative Assistant and

Director of Suburban Operations for U.S. Congressman Sidney R. Yates (9 CD-IL). Prior to

becoming a Village Trustee, he served as Assistant Supervisor of Niles Township.

Mayor Van Dusen is an active member of the Northwest Municipal Conference (NWMC),

serving as a past president and currently on the agency’s Executive and Legislative

Committees. He serves as Chairman of the Board for the Solid Waste Agency of Northern

Cook County (SWANCC); is a member of the Board of the Illinois Municipal League (IML); is a

member of the Council of Mayors Executive Committee, and is Co-Chair of the North Shore

Council of Mayors.

Mayor Van Dusen is a member of the Adjunct Faculty at Oakton Community College where he

teaches American History and American Government.

He and his wife, Susan, have been residents of Skokie for 47 years. Their children were

educated by Skokie’s public schools and they reside in Skokie with the Van Dusen

grandchildren. He is co-author of the Detroit Tigers Encyclopedia (Sports Publishing, Inc.,

2002) and Clear It with Sid! Sidney R. Yates and Fifty Years of Presidents, Pragmatism, and

Public Service (2019) University of Illinois Press.

Van Dusen holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Detroit (Michigan) and a

Master of Arts and Ph.D. from Loyola University (Chicago).

The Village of Skokie provides high-quality government services to over 67,000 residents,

24,000 households and 2,400 businesses all within a 10 mile radius. Skokie was the first

community in the entire United States to have nationally accredited FIRE, POLICE and PUBLIC

WORKS Departments. In addition, the Skokie Health Department is only one of seven state-

certified municipal health departments in Illinois and provides a wide range of services to Skokie

residents.

John’s diverse real estate background includes extensive property management experience with central business district class A office high rise, industrial, office/flex, retail, suburban office, and public facilities management.

In addition to his property management background, John has distinguished himself in all aspects of tenant improvement and building construction. John has worked for such industry leaders as Hines Interests, Cabot Industrial Trust (now Cabot Properties) and CB Richard Ellis. John received his Bachelor of Arts in Economics and Political Science at the University of Richmond. John is a graduate of Culver Military Academy and a former United States Army Officer and helicopter pilot.

EXPERIENCE:

Principal and Founder - Cincinnati, Ohio 2001 to Present

RICORE INVESTMENT MANAGEMENT, INC.

GENERAL CONTRACTING PARTNERS, LLC.

RICORE INVESTMENT MANAGEMENT SPECIAL ASSETS, LLC.

Vice President and Midwest/West Regional Director

Cabot Industrial Trust

Cincinnati, Ohio

1998 –December 2001

Vice President and Director

Commercial/CB Richard Ellis

Cincinnati, Ohio

1994 – 1998

AFFILIATIONS

• Former Chairman, Deerfield, Ohio Township Trustee Advisory Board

• Former Board of Zoning Appeals Commissioner, Deerfield Township

• Founder & Former President, Cincinnati Chapter – Culver Alumni Association

• Member Building Owners and Managers Association (BOMA)

• Member Institute of Real Estate Management

• Certified Commercial Investment Member (CCIM)

EDUCATION

• United States Army Flight Training Academy, Fort Rucker, Alabama, 1988

• University of Richmond, Richmond, VA, 1987 - BA, Economics

• Culver Military Academy, Culver, Indiana, 1983 - Cum Laude

• Active Real Estate Broker’s License, Ohio – 2003 to present

• Active Real Estate Broker’s License, Kentucky – 2009 to present

With 20+ years of experience, Jim Willits has been responsible for overseeing all

aspects of marketing, sales, services, operations, technology, and analytics across

a portfolio of sports and entertainment. Over the course of his career, he has

generated maximum revenue for the following organizations: Phoenix Coyotes,

Cleveland Indians, Comcast-Spectator (Philadelphia Flyers/Phantoms/76ers/Wells

Fargo Center), Florida Panthers/BBT Center and Chicago White Sox. In his current

role, he oversees all aspects of Sales and Service for the White Sox. Willits is a

native of Bronson, Iowa, and a graduate of Northwest Missouri State University.

He and his wife Meredyth have four kids.

Julie Giese is President of the Chicago Street Course, spearheading a bold initiative to bring NASCAR racing to downtown Chicago in July 2023. Prior to her role in Chicago, Giese served as President of Phoenix Raceway, a role she held since 2018, overseeing the promotion and operation of the modernized facility that is a top motorsports and entertainment destination in the Phoenix market.

Previously, Giese oversaw the marketing efforts for NASCAR’s 13 race track properties in her role as NASCAR Vice President, Track Marketing. She also previously served as the Managing Director of Business Operations for International Speedway Corporation’s (ISC) Design & Development, leading the coordination between ISC’s 13 race tracks, internal corporate departments and the Design & Development team on the Company’s significant capital investment and redevelopment projects. In January 2017, she began her tireless work on the design and project management of the $178 million modernization project at Phoenix Raceway.

Joining ISC in 2001, Giese has taken on roles with increasing responsibility, from Director of Public Relations at Watkins Glen International to Vice President of Marketing and Communications at Daytona International Speedway where she spent 12 years overseeing all aspects of consumer marketing, branding, creative, advertising, digital, public relations and event entertainment for the “World Center of Racing”. Giese played a leading role in the redevelopment of the Speedway, managing the marketing and branding of the project as well its opening in 2016.

In 2019, Giese was recognized as a Forbes Women in Sports to Watch, SportsBusiness Journal Game Changer, AZ Business Magazine’s Most Influential Women in Arizona and is also a 2019 Cynopsis Top Woman in Sports recipient. Giese, a native of Wisconsin, is a graduate of the University of Wisconsin-River Falls and holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Agriculture Marketing Communications.

Chris joined Alamo Drafthouse Cinema in April of 2019 to grow theater distribution

through franchising. Before joining Alamo Drafthouse, Chris was the Vice President of

Development at IHG responsible for growing the Holiday Inn, Holiday Inn Express,

Staybridge Suites, Candlewood Suites and avid hotels brands across the U.S., Canada

and Mexico. He also served as Vice President, Owner & Franchise Services where he

oversaw owner relations, the market feasibility and impact review process and

development marketing. Chris’ career at IHG spanned 14 years. Prior to IHG, Chris

spent eight (8) years with the Walt Disney Company, where his duties included

attractions design, development planning, and labor modeling. He was a member of the

Disney Cruise Line launch team and played a key leadership role in the redesign of the

company’s guest reservations systems and CRM implementation. Chris holds an MBA

from Duke University and an industrial engineering degree from Georgia Tech. Away

from work, he enjoys speaking to children’s ministries at North Point Community Church

and is a dedicated supporter of the nonprofit organization Lighthouse Family Retreat.

Erika Espinosa has been selling Mexican crafts, gifts and fine art since she immigrated to Chicago 14 years ago. Her passion has taken her from a stall in Little Village, to tables at street fairs across the city, to a kiosk on the Chicago Riverwalk, and now to Michigan Avenue, the City’s most prestigious shopping street.

Today, her store, Colores Mexicanos: Chicago’s Mexican Gift Shop, is recognized as one of the finest Mexican cultural stores in the world, and the first ever in downtown Chicago. Every day, Espinosa and her team strive to create a hybrid cultural and retail experience that leaves guests with a deeper appreciation of the diversity and artistry of her home country.

As President of Graycor Construction Company, Tim provides executive and strategic leadership to

Graycor’s operations and has been instrumental in the expansion of the company’s national footprint.

During his 25-year construction career at Graycor, Tim has built a reputation of trust and long-term

perspective with owners, designers, engineers and subcontractors. Tim’s commitment to providing

value to clients at every step of the construction process is one of the reasons clients choose to partner

with Graycor. Tim works closely with Graycor’s leadership team to foster a culture of performance

excellence, continuous improvement and innovation, as well as people growth and development. Tim

earned his bachelor’s degree in civil engineering from Northwestern University.

Jason Schulz has over 25 years of commercial real estate consulting and brokerage experience.

Throughout his career he has consulted some of the most sophisticated and innovative organizations. In

2010, Jason Schulz and Rich Schulz formed The J. Rich Company to provide consulting, real estate

brokerage and site selection services to office, retail, and industrial tenants across the country.

Jason is known for his broad spectrum of abilities; from being one of the most tenacious negotiators in

the real estate industry to crafting and implementing some of the most creative real estate occupancy

solutions for corporations and private equity firms with large multi-market real estate portfolios. Jason

has often acted as the “outsourced” real estate department for many companies whereby he

continuously monitors these portfolios for flexibility and cost saving opportunities. Jason is credited

with some of the most noteworthy office lease strategies that have resulted in major cost savings for

various clients. Jason is also known for his expertise in sports, media, experiential marketing &

entertainment as well as the low latency, high frequency trading arena.

Infuse Hospitality Founder and Chairman, Michael Schultz, brings over a quarter century of experience in the hospitality industry and a proven track record of success and profitability. From casual restaurants to fine dining establishments, his expertise and leadership combined with his passion for top-notch hospitality has yielded a very loyal following. Throughout his tenure, Michael has created numerous brands, built successful leadership teams, and has mentored countless individuals. With his many years of experience, he founded Infuse Hospitality. Infuse Hospitality creates and operates first-in-class F&B amenities for companies and organizations without the resources to do so. From mobile cart solutions, to full cafe and restaurant branding, to operational services and supply chain management, Infuse Hospitality is a one-stop-solution for the best in specialty food and beverage experiences. Operating more than 25 million square feet across North America, the Infuse Hospitality portfolio includes partners such as Tishman Speyer, Spaces, Conagra Brands, and Jones Lang Lasalle (JLL). The portfolio also boasts Infuse Hospitality’s first brick and mortar concept, Fairgrounds Craft Coffee & Tea, a first-of-a-kind cafe offering a variety of craft coffee roasters, specialty teas and fresh, chef made food under one roof. With eight locations across the nation, Fairgrounds is redefining the coffeehouse experience with more options than ever.