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Event Host

Saranello’s

Saranello’s

Saranello’s offers a broad menu of Italian-fare utilizing the freshest ingredients to bring handmade pastas, fresh fish, seafood, and classic Italian favorites to the table.

Feel the energy while dining in a casual and rustic setting. Dine at natural reclaimed wood tables, surrounded by inviting darker woods, exposed brick and beams, subtle filament lighting, and accented with muted chocolate and caramel tones throughout. An impressive 50′ bar lines an entire wall with seating for all.

The perfect place to relax, eat and drink with your family and friends

Speakers and Panels

Keynote: Chicago Executive Airport & the North Shore Economy

George Sakas
Broke Ground On 16-Acre Sky Harbour Campus

George Sakas

Director of Economic Development

Chicago Executive Airport

Len Becker
Moderator

Len Becker

Economic Development Director

Village of Wheeling

George Sakas

Broke Ground On 16-Acre Sky Harbour Campus

Chicago Executive Airport

George Sakas has served as the Director of Economic Development at Chicago Executive Airport since 2018. Owned jointly by the City of Prospect Heights and the Village of Wheeling, Chicago Executive is a reliever airport for O'Hare International and consistently one of the five busiest airports in Illinois. CEA contributes $500M of economic activity and 2,400 jobs for Northern Cook County. George has worked in aviation economic markets almost his entire career. A graduate of the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, his Army service included work in installation aviation operations. As economic development director for Schiller Park and Des Plaines, he worked on many multi-use commercial and logistics development projects in the O'Hare International Airport market. During his tenure, Chicago Executive Airport has seen the construction of three Fixed-Base Operator hangars, a fuel farm, and a stand-alone Customs and Border Protection facility. Currently under construction is a private hangar complex by Sky Harbour Group. Planned for construction next year is a NetJets standalone terminal, one of the first 12 being constructed by that Berkshire Hathaway company. The Airport plans to build a new headquarters with a community center and an educational facility in 2029. In addition to redevelopment of aging facilities and development of the remaining open land at PWK, George's interests are economic impact analysis and advanced air mobility.

Len Becker

Economic Development Director

Village of Wheeling

Len is currently the Economic Development Director for the Village of Wheeling. Prior to his appointment in Wheeling last summer, he led the Village of Skokie’s economic development efforts by building additional real estate capacity, spearheadingredevelopment efforts, expanding capital investment, growing employment and regional presence, all of which enhanced municipal revenues. His efforts led to the approval of multiple Tax Increment Financing agreements, and Property Tax incentive projects. These efforts yielded over $300 million in capital investment and over 1500 new jobs.

Prior to relocating back home to Illinois, Len worked for Buckeye, Arizona as Economic Development Director, Vice President of the Greater Phoenix Chamber of Commerce, Economic Development Director for the Downtown Phoenix Partnership as well as Economic Development Director for the Tucson Metropolitan Chamber of Commerce to name a few. Over his career, his efforts led to the attraction of hundreds of new businesses, over 20,000 new jobs, and development of millions of square feet of new and redeveloped commercial space resulting in significant economic impacts. He has a demonstrated track record of success in germinating and leading creative and innovative strategic economic development and business development initiatives on behalf of organizations and stakeholders. Len is a member of numerous business and professional organizations and currently serves on the Board of Directors for the Chicago North Shore Convention and Visitors Bureau as well as the Greater Wheeling Area Chamber of Commerce.

The Housing Surge: Building Where People Want to Live

Tom Drake
Just Opened 62-Unit Cerca Glenview

Tom Drake

Principal

The Drake Group

Aaron Tucker
Delivered The Henry At Harms Woods In Skokie

Aaron Tucker

President & CIO

Tucker Development

Andrew Juiris
Oversaw $2.3B In Real Estate Investment

Andrew Juiris

President

Double Eagle Development

Jessica Erickson
Moderator

Jessica Erickson

Economic Development Director

City of Woodstock

Jessica Erickson

Economic Development Director

City of Woodstock

Jessica Erickson is a seasoned economic development professional currently serving as the Economic Development Director for the City of Woodstock, Illinois. She brings deep expertise in municipal governance, public-private partnerships, and strategic redevelopment, leading efforts to attract investment, support local businesses, and advance transformative projects, including redevelopment within Woodstock’s Downtown and Route 47 TIF District.

Jessica takes a results-driven approach to complex economic development challenges. Her prior experience includes leading public-private economic development organizations in Colorado and serving as Senior Business Development Manager for the Colorado Office of Economic Development and International Trade. Before joining the City of Woodstock, she worked in the private sector as Director of Business Development for a commercial and industrial general contractor, focusing on highly technical environments across the aerospace, life sciences, advanced manufacturing, and government sectors.

Throughout her career, Jessica has demonstrated a strong track record in strategic planning, business attraction and retention, and the development of impactful public-private partnerships. She is passionate about building vibrant, sustainable communities that foster innovation, economic opportunity, and long-term growth.

Jessica serves on the Board of Directors for the Woodstock Chamber of Commerce and the McHenry County Enterprise Zone Board and is a member of the Leadership Greater McHenry County Class of 2026.

The Great Conversion: Malls, Mixed-Use & Making the Deal Pencil

Sam Whitebread
Leading $252M Hawthorn Mall Redevelopment

Sam Whitebread

VP, Development & Tenant Coordination

Centennial

Brad Friedman
Building 302 Units At Former Stratford Square Mall

Brad Friedman

Director of Midwest Operations

The Lynmark Group

Vic Howell
Delivered 311-Unit Domaine At Hawthorn Mall

Vic Howell

Vice President, Development

Focus

Brad Friedman

Building 302 Units At Former Stratford Square Mall

The Lynmark Group

Brad Friedman is Director of Midwest Operations for the Lynmark Group. He handles all of the site acquisitions and project management for developments in the Chicagoland area. Brad formed a joint venture partnership with Josh Goldstein for the purpose of developing the Wheeling Town Center and joined Lynmark in 2014. Brad is responsible for the deal structure, entitlement, concept planning, financing, and overall development coordination of projects in the Chicagoland area. He coordinates with the municipality, architects, engineers, consultants, attorneys, the loan underwriting team, the general contractor, and the on-site management team.

Why You Can't Miss This Event

Numbers to Know:

  • $550M: Economic benefit expected from Sky Harbour's private hangar campus at Chicago Executive Airport, which broke ground in September (Chicago Executive Airport)

  • $252M: The Hawthorn Mall redevelopment in Vernon Hills, where the village's incentive stake is rising to as much as $64M as costs climb (Daily Herald)

  • 282 units: The next phase of apartments coming to Hawthorn Mall, following the 311-unit Domaine at Hawthorn Row (Focus)

  • 24.2%: Chicago suburban office vacancy in Q2 2026, up 230 basis points year over year (Cushman & Wakefield)

  • $51M: FPA's purchase of a 378-unit apartment complex in Wheeling, part of the busiest suburban apartment sales stretch in years (The Real Deal)

What We'll Explore At This Commercial Real Estate Conference:

  • How Chicago Executive Airport and the new Sky Harbour campus are turning Wheeling and Prospect Heights into a business aviation hub, and what that means for the North Shore economy.

  • Where suburban renters want to live next, from The Drake Group's newly opened Cerca Glenview to Tucker Development's The Henry at Harms Woods in Skokie.

  • How dead and dying malls are becoming neighborhoods, from Centennial and Focus' Hawthorn Mall redevelopment in Vernon Hills to The Lynmark Group's 302 units at the former Stratford Square Mall.

  • What it takes to make a mall conversion or mixed-use deal pencil as costs rise, from phased delivery to retail and residential blends to larger public incentive packages.

  • How village and city economic development teams in Wheeling, Woodstock, and Huntley are using TIF and incentives to compete for the next wave of investment.

  • The role of interest rates, construction costs, and a 24% suburban office vacancy rate in underwriting new suburban projects heading into 2027.

How You'll Do More Business From Attending This Summit

Chicago's northern suburbs are rewriting what they're built for. Aging malls are giving way to apartments, restaurants, and public space, Chicago Executive Airport just broke ground on a private hangar campus expected to deliver $550M in economic benefit, and apartment buyers and developers are pouring back into the collar counties. In Vernon Hills, the Hawthorn Mall redevelopment is heading into its next phase even as costs have nearly doubled. In Glenview and Skokie, new rental communities are opening to strong demand.

Join Bisnow for a conversation with the developers, owners, and public officials steering these projects, including Centennial, Focus, The Lynmark Group, The Drake Group, Tucker Development, Double Eagle Development, Chicago Executive Airport, the Village of Wheeling, and the City of Woodstock, and build the relationships that turn insight into your next deal.

Who You'll Network With At This Discussion

Owners, developers, investors, brokers, business consultants, architects, engineers, designers, lawyers, accountants, bankers, and village, city, and county government officials.

Why You Should Attend This Session

Bisnow events are where the commercial real estate industry gathers to learn, connect, and do business. Our State of the Market series brings together the most influential owners, developers, investors, and public officials shaping a region's built environment for candid, high-level conversation — not sales pitches. You'll leave with sharper market intelligence, a stronger local network, and direct access to the people driving the deals that matter in your market.

Agenda

Time Activity
8:00 AM
9:00 AM
Breakfast & Networking
9:00 AM
9:25 AM
Keynote: Chicago Executive Airport & the North Shore Economy
9:30 AM
10:15 AM
The Housing Surge: Building Where People Want to Live
10:20 AM
11:05 AM
The Great Conversion: Malls, Mixed-Use & Making the Deal Pencil
11:05 AM
11:30 AM
Closing Networking

Tickets

General Admission

$125.00 /ticket

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Group Tickets

$110.00 /ticket

Group Tickets

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