In this episode of the Real Estate for Breakfast podcast, host Phil Coover interviews Chris Gersch, the founder and CEO of Verde Solutions (Verde). Verde is a full-service consulting firm utilizing a sensible approach to renewable energy, primarily focusing on building, financing, and engineering solar systems, also advising on battery storage and EV where appropriate but concentrating on solar energy efforts with over 1,400 projects in 48 states. During their conversation, the pair discuss Verde’s founding in 2012, and the renewable energy projects that affect individual and commercial real ..read more

In this episode of the Real Estate for Breakfast podcast, Ice Miller partner Phil Coover interviews Sarah Cannella, Director of Property Management Operations for Hiffman National, which is the asset management arm of the privately owned, commercial real estate and management firm. During their conversation, Phil and Sarah discuss how Hiffman is not a one-size-fits-all company and the intrinsic knowledge it takes to provide what the clients want and need to satisfy their stakeholders and investors. Sarah talks about the ability to be customizable, a perk of being privately owned, and how it h ..read more

In this episode of the Real Estate for Breakfast podcast, Ice Miller partner Phil Coover interviews Jon McCulloch, CEO of Belgravia Group, an award-winning Chicago based real estate developer, that has provided quality homes and real estate services to clients for 75 years. During their conversation, Phil and Jon talk about his start with the company, growth, and responsibilities as CEO. Jon also speaks on the bread and butter of what makes Belgravia, a smaller conglomerate, a frontrunner in the Chicago condo market and deep dives into how they survived and came out fairly unscathed in the ec ..read more

In this episode of the Real Estate for Breakfast podcast, Ice Miller Real Estate Practice Group partner and host Phillip Coover welcomes Alissa Adler, Senior Vice President at Colliers, a global real estate services firm. During the podcast, Alissa and Phil discuss serious distress in the office real estate market nationwide—particularly in larger cities such as San Francisco, New York, and Boston. Within those cities, challenges including transportation, tax assessments, and crime are explored while emphasizing other issues such as the change in work culture and having dated, functionally obs ..read more

In this edition of the Real Estate for Breakfast podcast, Ice Miller partners, host Phil Coover and co-host Jay Augustyn, welcome Peter Kelly and Daniel Reidy of Lincoln Property Company Midwest (LPC Midwest). The foursome talks about real estate development and trends, specifically in the Midwest and opportunities that the company is exploring for continued long-term growth in office, residential and industrial space. During the podcast, Peter and Dan discuss strong Midwest market and epicenters for growth, as well as the importance of having a partner with strong ties to local government and ..read more

In this episode of the Real Estate for Breakfast podcast, host Phil Coover chats with Chris Fotopoulos (EVP of Legal, Real Estate, and Risk), and Sam Harmelech, of Verano Holdings - a multi-state cannabis operator headquartered in Illinois, harvesting six brands and 120 retail dispensaries in 13 U.S. states – and growing. During their conversation, the group discusses the challenges of navigating the cannabis industry, the cultivation of such an enterprise, and the real estate hurdles of expanding in a highly regulated and ever-changing industry. Chris and Sam also speak on the difficulties ..read more

On this episode of Real Estate for Breakfast, host Phil Coover and guest Kapil Khanna, CEO of Lamar Johnson Collaborative (LJC), discuss some of the design challenges that the architecture firm faces in a changing world. As part of an integrated design practice with its parent company, Clayco, a full-service, turnkey real estate, architecture, engineering, design-build and construction firm, LJC has a competitive advantage in its understanding of the intersections between design and construction. In addition to discussing LJC’s background and overall design process, Phil and Kapil also talk a ..read more

On this episode of Real Estate for Breakfast, host Phil Coover is joined by a fellow champion of Chicago, Jon Morgan. Jon is co-founder and managing principal of Chicago-based Interra Realty, and he and Phil begin their conversation by discussing Interra’s formation to its emergence as a middle-market commercial real estate brokerage focusing primarily on multifamily asset sales. During the episode, Phil and Jon reminisce on the 2008 recession and how it differs from today’s market conditions, especially concerning the level of control banks previously had on real estate. Now that the real es ..read more

Vice President of Development for Wingspan Development Group Chris Coleman says that the privately owned real estate company is more of a “developer with a general contractor in-house,” than a traditional developer.  That vertical integration gives Wingspan a differentiator in the market.  Currently focused on multifamily and mixed-use developments in Northern Illinois, Southeastern Wisconsin and Central Florida, Wingspan is now seeking to expand into the Greater Phoenix, Greater Denver, and Greater Atlanta markets. On this episode of Real Estate for Breakfast, host Phil Coover and ..read more

Magnolia aims to balance the needs of economic development with the important task of preserving our world's most valuable natural resources.  On this episode of Real Estate for Breakfast, host Phil Coover talks environmental mitigation (that is mitigation with an “M”, not an “L”), and the creation of ecological offset markets, with Mark Bernstein of Magnolia Land Partners. The two discuss Magnolia Partners’ distinctive business model, which includes creating mitigation banks to help businesses navigate complex permitting challenges, while working with landowners to restore environmental ..read more