Chicago Retail, Entertainment & Sports Trends

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.

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.

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