Chicago Deep Dish: Suburbs

Adam Firsel is the founder and managing principal of Core Acquisitions. Adam started Core with the intention of creating a full service and fully integrated commercial real estate organization. With Adam’s storied career including investment banking, development, property management, and acquisitions, he brings a wide range of roles and diversity of experience to Core business and culture. Adam graduated from the University of Wisconsin-Madison with a Bachelors of Business Administration majoring in real estate and urban land economics. After college, Adam was a real estate investment banker with GMAC Commercial Mortgage in Denver, Colorado. In 2003, Adam moved back to his hometown of Chicago to become the Director of Finance & Development for Mid-America Development Partners. Adam then joined Crossroads Development Partners as a Principal and subsequently became the Director of Acquisitions for Next Realty. In 2011, Firsel formed Core Equities, LLC which focused on property management, leasing, receiverships, acquisitions, and development. In 2014, Adam renamed the company to Core Acquisitions, LLC when he partnered with Core’s other Principal, Bradley Joseph, to focus primarily on value-add acquisitions, property management, and development projects. Through a career that has allowed Adam to succeed in many roles, he has focused expertise in development & construction management, project analysis, and asset management among other skill sets. Adam has been involved with the complete life cycle of many complicated and successful projects in all property types including retail, office, hotel, mixed-use, apartments, and industrial. The transaction types have been note purchases, auctions, joint ventures, public-private partnerships, and traditional arms-length transactions. All said, Adam has been the managing principal on over 25 projects in the last 6 years, and in his career has been involved on the principal side in over one hundred projects totaling over two billion dollars of project cost and millions of square feet of real estate.

Ralph Zucker is President of Somerset Development, one of the New York Metropolitan region’s foremost pioneers of New Urbanism and Traditional Neighborhood Design development. Throughout his career, Zucker has worked hands-on in every facet of the building and development process, and has demonstrated a commitment to working with municipalities to create innovative communities based on the principles of New Urbanism. Zucker is perhaps best known for Bell Works, the two-million-square-foot redevelopment of the former Bell Labs property in Holmdel, N.J., where he and the Somerset Development team successfully transformed the iconic Saarinen-designed research facility into a “metroburb,” a term that Somerset coined to describe the suburban building’s revival into a blossoming, downtown-style ecosystem of technology, traditional office, retail, dining and hospitality. Today, Zucker and his team are in the midst of redeveloping The Ameritech Center in Hoffman Estates, Illinois, originally built as the former AT&T research facility, into Bell Works Chicagoland. The 1.65-million square foot building, which has already welcomed retail and office tenants, is quickly transforming into another successful metroburb. Under Zucker’s leadership, Somerset and its projects have earned numerous industry awards and recognition for their contributions to furthering responsible development practices, including the New Jersey Future Smart Growth Award for Wesmont Station, Somerset's 70-acre transit-oriented mixed-use redevelopment located in Wood-Ridge, N.J., where Somerset partnered with NJ TRANSIT to build a brand new train station that provides access to Manhattan.

Richard H. Tucker, CEO, formed Tucker in March 1996. Tucker draws on Mr. Tucker’s 39 years of experience in the development, redevelopment, financing, leasing, and management of real estate assets. Utilizing his expertise, Mr. Tucker has developed and/or acquired over ten million square feet valued in excess of $1 billion. Mr. Tucker is a leader in various influential industry associations. His leadership roles include past Co-Chair of the National Open Air Committee; past Director of the Illinois State Committee; and past Chairman of the Illinois governmental Affairs Committee. Mr. Tucker is also an active member of both the International Council of Shopping Centers (ICSC) and the Urban Land Institute (ULI) and serves as a frequent panelist at various national real estate conferences and other educational forums.

As Managing Principal of Wright Heerema Architects, Roger Heerema has a proven track record of designing highly successful buildings and interiors throughout Chicagoland and across the country. His portfolio of award-winning work includes redevelopment projects, ground-up buildings, build-to-suits, and master plans. He has worked closely with investors, developers and property managers for over 30 years with a long-lasting goal of designing outstanding work spaces that excite and impress tenants. Roger received his Master of Architecture from the University of Illinois. He has provided leadership to the WHA project team since joining the firm in 1996 and continues to implement a comprehensive architectural and design approach that integrates functionality and client needs. He is active in professional affiliations and supports various local non-profit organizations including the Greater Chicago Food Depository.