[Editor?s Note: This article was written with an Irish accent. Please adjust your monitors accordingly.] Zifkin Realty recently hired a new Michigan Ave expert, Jennifer Fitzpatrick, formerly of Blatteis & Schnur. She grew up in Ireland and graduated from Northwestern, before heading up the Chicago outpost of the Beverly Hills-based company. Her decade in the industry includes leasing at the redeveloped former Montgomery Ward  building in River North, now home to Japonais and David Barton Gym, anchoring a thriving restaurant district. She also leased up the North Avenue Collection, a large piece of the North and Clybourn corridor.

Jennifer had already worked with Zifkin in several transactions. One of her favorites: 545 N. Michigan, where she arranged for the sale of the building as well as several leases, including one to Universal Pictures to shoot scenes from The Break-Up. (She also sold the building next door, the Gap, to an Irish investor.) As for the Avenue, Jennifer anticipates foreign retailers and investors will thrive in the coming years (example: The new Zara store.)