How Randy Fifield Relied On Women To Lead The Development Of The Sinclair

"Without the 'w,' there is no power," Fifield Realty Corp. chairwoman Randy Fifield said Tuesday afternoon at the topping off ceremony for The Sinclair, Fifield's 35-story, 390-unit Gold Coast luxury apartment tower. The Sinclair leaned heavily on that 'w,' packing the development team with the most powerful women in Chicago real estate.

Fifield used the ceremony as an opportunity to highlight the contributions of women involved with The Sinclair's development, a 19-month span between groundbreaking in December 2015 and when the building is expected to open this September.

Fifield senior vice president Erin DiPaola Spears and vice president Lindsey Senn were responsible for underwriting and lining up the capital stack for the project. Fifield marketing manager Kadi Mancuso is putting The Sinclair on the radar of leasing brokers.

McHugh Construction chairwoman Patty McHugh has worked with Fifield on multiple multifamily projects, including K2 in Fulton Market, and McHugh project manager Jeanne Bartels is responsible for the day-to-day operations on the construction site. Fifield called these women and others who flanked her at the dais her "posse."

Ald. Brian Hopkins (2nd) said Fifield gets two things right with its developments. First, Fifield takes something existing and makes it better. The Sinclair is being built on the site of a former Jewel-Osco supermarket that had seen better days. The Sinclair will include a new 58K SF Jewel-Osco flagship that Hopkins said will be the most modern Jewel in the Midwest.

Second, Hopkins said Fifield takes something new and runs with it. The Sinclair will provide much-needed apartments on the northwestern edge of the Gold Coast, which is one of Chicago's wealthiest neighborhoods, but it is within walking distance of River North and Old Town to the west, two other neighborhoods teeming with multifamily development, and the nightlife district of Rush and Division streets. Fifield expects The Sinclair's location will attract renters who do not want to pay River North rents. The development's location next to the Clark/Division Red Line subway means future tenants have a straight drop into downtown for work or play.

It would not be a Fifield event without some pizazz, and Fifield delivered with a flash mob to start the ceremony.