Recent real estate career changes involving Chicago professionals and firms show that companies are stockpiling talent to push into life sciences and make their businesses greener. And office leasing agents continue to jockey between brokerages amid a slow market for commercial space. Plus, industry group Building Owners and Managers Association of Chicago has a new president and board members.
➤ Phil Stafford, COO of Colliers’ Chicago office, was elected Thursday as president of the Building Owners and Managers Association of Chicago, a trade group for 240 commercial buildings in the city. Stafford succeeds Derrick Johnson, senior vice president of Zeller, who completes two years as president this year.
“As commercial real estate continues to move forward post-pandemic, and as we face even more headwinds in the coming year, it’s more important than ever that we have the resources in place to make our city flourish,” Stafford said in a statement. “We have a terrific team on board and I’m looking forward to working with them to provide our members with advocacy, education, networking and charitable opportunities.”
Stafford will steer BOMA’s positions on issues such as real estate taxes, energy management and sustainability, property security, building codes, member education, diversity and inclusion and return to office initiatives, among others.
Nancy Capadona, portfolio manager at The Hearn Company, was elected BOMA’s vice president, and Michael Giese, executive director at Glenstar, was elected treasurer.
➤ After eight years representing office landlords of downtown Chicago properties with brokerage Telos Group, Emily Marquardt jumped to Avison Young in Chicago as a vice president and leasing agent. In her new role, she will handle leasing services throughout the Chicago area.
She initially left Telos, where she represented landlords of a collective 8 million square feet, a little more than a year ago and started with Avison this month.
“Emily will make an immediate impact on our operations and the growth of our business, given her experience and relationships throughout the region,” said Damla Gerhart, principal and managing director of the firm’s Chicago office. https://therealdeal.com/chicago/2022/04/04/qa-damla-gerhart-tapped-to-lead-avison-youngs-chicago-office-leaving-cbre/
➤ Chicago-based CA Ventures, which started in 2004 as a student housing developer and landlord, is expanding into a new focus on life sciences properties by bringing on Alessio Tropeano. He’ll start working on a CA project investing in life sciences real estate in Emeryville, California, outside Oakland.
He was previously a vice president on CBRE’s New York City life science team, where he represented owners and tenants in the office and life science sectors throughout North America, and advised on 5.5 million square feet of life science development projects in the U.S. and Canada.
“As the industry has grown over the years, it has expanded beyond what has historically been the top two or three research and development markets in the U.S.,” Tropeano, who will spearhead CA’s life science practice, said in a statement. “CA is well positioned to take advantage of this geographic expansion to budding markets that demonstrate compelling underlying market fundamentals to support a growing life science ecosystem through its trusted national network, reputation and reach.”
➤ Oak Brook-based industrial developer and landlord CenterPoint Properties tapped former Prologis sustainability leader Tanner Hayes to oversee adherence to environmentally friendly practices.
Before working with Prologis, the world’s largest industrial landlord, Hayes worked for shopping center owner Regency Centers and has worked on electric vehicle charging leases and solar power development.
“I’m very excited to help a firm of CenterPoint’s reputation advance its commitment to ESG and create long-term value for our customers, stakeholders, and the communities where it operates across America. I’m joining a tremendous team at the forefront of decarbonizing real estate and logistics operations,” Hayes said in a statement.
Read more
Commercial
Chicago
Movers: EQ Office names Britton Derkac head of leasing, more
Commercial
Chicago
Q&A: Damla Gerhart tapped to lead Avison Young’s Chicago office, leaving CBRE