Episode 19 - Andy Koglin

October 02, 2017 by Phil Coover

Phil sits down with our first architect on the podcast, Andy Koglin—the President of OKW Architects. Andy tells Phil about current trends in real estate, including redeveloping and adapting bricks and mortar for different uses by creating value and density, and seeing an increase in urban infill properties. Examples of these projects are the new Amazon, Bareburger, and Soul Cycle in the Clybourn Corridor. While Phil has Andy’s ear, he asks Andy to tell us about the NewCity Development, and how he approaches integrated community development projects such as the Southport Corridor.

OKW is involved in many aspects of commercial real estate, from architecture, to interior design, to urban planning, and to landscape architecture. You will see OKW on many interesting projects such as New City in the bustling North/Clybourn corridor, to central station in Evanston, IL, to the Soul Cycle on Southport. The good people at OKW take an idea from start to reality.

We should note that at the end of the episode Andy tells Phil about the CANstruction fundraising project to help the Greater Chicago Food Depository. While we did not get a chance to release the podcast while this project was on display, we urge you to keep this project in mind for next year as it helps a great cause. Schenk Annes Tepper Campbell Ltd. was a proud sponsor of the OKW team’s project this year.

Learn more about OKW here. http://www.okwarchitects.com/

DISCLAIMER – No information contained in this Podcast or on this Website shall constitute financial, investment, legal and/or other professional advice and that no professional relationship of any kind is created between you and podcast host, the guests, SATC Solution Center L3C, or Schenk Annes Tepper Campbell Ltd. You are urged to speak with your financial, investment, or legal advisors before making any investment or legal decisions.

Episode 18 - The University Club of Chicago

September 12, 2017 by Phil Coover

The University Club of Chicago is a private city club residing in a gorgeous 13 floor gothic skyscraper located at the corner of Monroe and Michigan Avenue in downtown Chicago. Phil recorded this episode onsite with its general manager, John Spidalette, head chef and restaurant manager, Mark Baker, and chief engineer, Marty Keane, to discuss the opening of $13.5 million expansion on the 7th and 8th floor. This is a unique development as it involves combining two buildings, dealing with landmark building issues, and raising funds to deliver a beautiful new restaurant (The Parliament), private dining space, two outdoor spaces including a balcony overlooking Millennium Park, and a more casual sports bar area called The Living Room. The project includes design and architecture by Antunovich Associates, general construction services rendered by Bulley and Andrews, and owners representative JLL. We release this episode just one day before its formal opening to membership. In full disclosure, Phil is a longtime member of the University Club, involved in club governance, and this is his home away from home.

Find out more about the University Club here: http://www.ucco.com/

Check out the Expansion Project video here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6YMTKCHORJA#action=share

Episode 17 - Liz Holland

September 01, 2017 by Phil Coover

The Back to School Special. Phil sits down with Liz Holland, the CEO of Abbell Credit Corporation and Abbell Associates. Liz takes us to school on current retail real estate trends, what Amazon is going to do to compete in the grocery store market. She also discusses the under-utilization of the female workforce causing a limited economic growth environment, and the fight for sales fairness legislation (a/k/a the main street fairness act). Liz explains the value of brick and mortar and how recent online retailers are transferring to them, creating a situation where the line is murky between online sales and in-store sales.

Liz is the former chairman of ICSC (and currently serves on the board of trustees), an accomplished attorney, commercial real estate owner, an asset manager, and a renowned speaker. Liz is able to identify current trends in the market and use her creativity and insight to provide value for real estate owners and investors alike.

Learn more about Abbell Associates here: http://abbell.com/
Learn more about ICSC here: https://www.icsc.org/
Watch Liz’s TedxTalk here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W9YBCwgrwQA

Episode 16 - Linda Day Harrison

August 11, 2017 by Phil Coover

Marketing! We all know that we should be doing a better job marketing ourselves and our companies online. But it is hard to know how to market oneself. We had Linda Day Harrison, founder and CEO of theBrokerList, come on the podcast to describe simple tips and strategies to market yourself online. Marketing is simply educating the public about who you are and what you can do for them. Linda is passionate about helping people market and is generous with her time, energy and ideas.

We also asked Linda about theBrokerList, a commercial real estate network created to provide an online forum for brokers to share ideas, listings, contacts, and deals. theBrokerList is a free tool and way to unite all of our commercial real estate organizations and the affiliated members to message and find each other or groups of our colleagues and save those lists for future reference.

You can learn more about the BrokerList here. http://thebrokerlist.com/

Connect with Linda here: Twitter Facebook LinkedIn Group LinkedIn Profile
YouTube Google+ P interest Snapchat Instagram

Follow-Up Call with Colin Laitner

August 03, 2017 by Savannah Rountree

Phil’s friend Colin Laitner (Deeter Investments / Metis Capital) comes back on the podcast as a follow up to Episode 4 to let us all know the resolution of his company’s real estate lawsuit between the Nook and the Westin regarding the Westin’s claim that the Nook’s awesome sound was infringing on its use and enjoyment of its property. It is an interesting discussion of litigation strategy, finding common ground in a multi-dimensional negotiation, and realizing value in the midst of a contentious real estate litigation. This episode is an experiment on using an Uber conference call to connect people across the country, and as such, please excuse the audio quality.

Check out the subject of this podcast, The Nook, here. http://www.nookamphitheater.com/

Episode 15 - Dan McCaffery

July 19, 2017 by Savannah Rountree

Phil sits down for a cup of coffee with Dan McCaffery of McCaffery Interests. Dan explains how he went from a college student in Canada to running a hugely successful real estate development and full service real estate firm in Chicago, Illinois, that has successfully completed over $2 Billion of commercial real estate developments. Dan is a big picture guy who has made big developments his business, including the current development of The Lincoln Common in Lincoln Park, Illinois. The Lincoln Common is the former site of the Children’s Memorial Hospital, and the project will cover a contiguous 6.04 acre area which includes 100,000 square feet of retail space, 538 apartment units, 40 luxury condominiums, a 5-story boutique office building, 850 garage spaces, and a 156 room senior living facility, with over 1 acre of open space and multiple swimming pools. Dan explains how he and his team “imagineers” huge developments, his strategy for pricing the site while factoring in construction and other costs, and obtaining the vision to see the project completion and how it can transform a community. Dan also discusses his developments in the West Loop and participating in the revitalization of that area, and how to build projects which are attractive to multiple generations including the millennial demographic. McCaffery interests has been instrumental in pioneering the Strip District in Pittsburgh. Dan’s story about the sale of the old Nike Town property exemplifies the attraction to real estate development and real estate property values. Dan also explains why the retail sector may be a great opportunity for investment in this period of bad news surrounding retail.

It is readily apparent that what Dan values above all else is partnerships, and having partners that you can trust, and who share similar visions. “Relationships over returns,” as Dan says.

McCaffery Interests Website: http://www.mccafferyinterests.com/

The Lincoln Common Project: https://lincolncommon.com/

Episode 14 - Jon Winick

June 26, 2017 by Savannah Rountree

Distressed Debt. Debt buying is a multi-billion dollar industry that operates largely under the radar. Phil has Jon Winick of Clark Street Capital come on to discuss the business side of debt purchases and sales, the industry, and how it all works. As it turns out, all banks sell loans. There are professional loan buying companies, private equity groups, and individual investors, out there that purchase loans to restructure (i.e. workout) loans and enforce delinquent debt. Jon talks about the process and costs of loan management, the reasons for selling loans, the purchasers in the market, and the opportunities available for loan purchasers. Jon also gets into the 2008 downturn, the consequences on the banking industry, and how that changed the loan sale industry. Clark Street Capital puts debt sellers and buyers together and creates a market for these transactions. Their primary business is value management and sale of complex loan portfolios by selling loans and valuing loans.

Learn More about Clark Street Capital here.

Link to FTC report (The Structures and Practices of Distressed Debt Buying Industry) mentioned on podcast can be found here.

Episode 13 - Sam Rosen

June 13, 2017 by Savannah Rountree

In order to learn more about the coworking phenomenon, Phil has Sam Rosen, co-founder of Deskpass, on the podcast. Sam, a design and technology professional by trade, is a long time pioneer in the coworking space industry (former founder of the “Coop” in River North), and Deskpass allows users to dip their toes in the coworking atmosphere. Sam discusses trends with the millennial workforce, the shift to the freelance workforce, and how companies are using creative strategies to attract top tier talent in urban areas.

Learn more about Deskpass: www.deskpass.com. At the 21:00-23:00 minute mark, Sam offers our listeners 50% of their initial month. Call and mention that you heard about the deal on our podcast.

Episode 12 - Sleeping Bear Capital - Andrew Calcutt and George Freeman

May 25, 2017 by Savannah Rountree

First, Phil provides an ICSC RECON recap, and he shares his first experience at the storied conference in Las Vegas. Phil then sits down with Andrew Calcutt and George Freeman, two long-time friends and business partners, who invest in 6-30 unit multi-family buildings in the south side of Chicago. Andrew and George discuss their strategies, their challenges finding quality deals in the current marketplace, the lack of REO inventory, distressed debt purchasing, and their strategy of renovating challenged properties to provide affordable, quality housing in challenging markets.

Learn more about Sleeping Bear Capital here.

DISCLAIMER – No information contained in this Podcast or on this Website shall constitute financial, investment, legal and/or other professional advice and that no professional relationship of any kind is created between you and podcast host, the guests, SATC Solution Center L3C, or Schenk Annes Tepper Campbell Ltd. You are urged to speak with your financial, investment, or legal advisors before making any investment or legal decisions.

Episode 11 - Dee G. Coover - Mother's Day Special

May 11, 2017 by Savannah Rountree

Dee G. Coover. MOTHER’S DAY SPECIAL. In this episode, Phil’s mother Dee G. Coover comes on the podcast to discuss one of the most complex real estate deals one can imagine: The DeKalb Public Library Expansion project. As (now happily retired) director of the DeKalb Public Library, Dee embarked on a 9 year, $25 Million Dollar, journey to renovate an existing historical structure, build a new structure which merged with the historic structure, purchase multiple parcels, change the zoning laws, build public support, obtain government approvals, and finance the project through a combination of public funds, private donations, TIF Financing, loans from private banks, municipal bonds, and public grants. It was an absolute pleasure having Dee’s on to discuss the public library. Please support your local libraries, and have a Happy Mother’s Day.

Learn more about the DeKalb Public Library here.

DISCLAIMER – No information contained in this Podcast or on this Website shall constitute financial, investment, legal and/or other professional advice and that no professional relationship of any kind is created between you and podcast host, the guests, SATC Solution Center L3C, or Schenk Annes Tepper Campbell Ltd. You are urged to speak with your financial, investment, or legal advisors before making any investment or legal decisions.