Top 100: Alter Group Branches Out

Just like Alter Group prez Michael Alter needed a change from a brief law career 20 years ago, his company also evolves. While it has a history of planned developments and suburban business parks, recent years brought a taste for something new.
 

Pleased with the development of Fornelli Hall  on 55 E. Washington St, Michael is looking at other student housing projects. Also in the mix: office space in the city's Gold Coast at 111 W. Illinois (completed in '08) and healthcare projects in Ohio and Texas. A new asset recovery initiative, Alter Asset Recovery, has been launched this year. Michael says Alter's 80 Chicago employees are looking for opportunities for investment during the recession.

 

Alter Group might get the award for most diverse assets: Beyond its 88% leased portfolio, it owns the WNBA's Chicago Sky (moving from the UIC Pavilion to the AllState Arena, fyi) and holds minority stake in The New Republic, the long-running political magazine. Michael and his brother Harvey are the only family members involved in the business, but he says the company feels like family since most of its five principals have been there longer than 20 years. Alter was also instrumental in bringing in City Year Chicago, an AmeriCorps division that aligns young adult tutors with inner-city children.

Continue reading this story with a free account

Log in or register
Sign up for more articles like this
Subscribe to Bisnow's Chicago Newsletters
Related Stories

From Pandemic Darling To Cautionary Tale: Pickleball Clubs Face A Reckoning After Betting Big On Retail Space

Morningstar Releases New Details On Over 350K SF In Q3 Office Leases

New Bears Stadium Proposal Floated For Bridgeport

Prologis To Develop 3.8M SF Industrial Park On Former Casino Site

Foundry Robotics Leaves San Francisco For New East Bay HQ

Tenant Rep Firm Expands To Philly, Hires Industry Veteran

$120M Ambulatory Center Planned For Suburbs: The Chicago Deal Sheet

Data Centers Lose The Top Spot, San Francisco Jumps 40 Places: 9 Takeaways From ULI's 2027 Outlook

Obama Center Shows Chicago Is Starved For Development

Mapped: Major Chicago Office Sales Since 2024

Cushman & Wakefield, NYC Added To Suit Alleging $250K Agency Lease Shakedown

Denver Public Schools' $11M Centennial Hall Purchase Marks Rare Land Sale For ULC