Chicago Hotel Investment & Development Series

Brad Wilson is President and co-Partner of Atelier Ace. His first jobs in hospitality were with Hilton International, Park Hyatt, and Westin. He was recruited to launch the first W Hotel and helped guide the fledgling Starwood brand’s early days, rising to Vice President of Operations for W Worldwide. From there, he helped build James Hotels from the ground up, serving as CEO. Wilson attended Cornell University’s School of Hotel Administration.

Lawrence Eppley is a partner in the Corporate Practice Group and Office Managing Partner of the firm's Chicago office. He is also Leader of the firm's Hospitality Team. Areas of Practice Lawrence concentrates his practice on acquisitions, real estate finance, development, public and private finance, joint ventures and raising equity, particularly in the hospitality sector. Previously, Lawrence was general counsel at Potbelly Sandwich Works, one of Chicago's fastest growing companies, and his clients rely on him as their principal outside legal counsel. He often works with middle-market and emerging growth companies, including those in the hospitality and restaurant sectors, and with structured and institutional finance. Lawrence was named as one of Law360's Hospitality MVPs in both 2013 and 2016 for his extensive work in major transactions geared towards hotel development.

Robert Habeeb is the Founder and CEO of Maverick Hotels and Restaurants. Based in Chicago, Maverick has earned a reputation as an industry leader for its innovative and forward-looking approaches to development and management of hotels and restaurants. With a long resume of successful hospitality developments Mr. Habeeb is one of the most sought after experts in the industry. Among his recent projects he gained national attention for his ambitious redevelopment of a large swath of Chicago’s famous Navy Pier. Prior to Maverick, Habeeb served for 21 years as First Hospitality Group’s high-profile President and CEO. He is regarded as one of the leading voices in the Hospitality Industry today. Over his tenure at FHG the company saw significant growth earned a long list of recognitions including multiple years as best of category on Forbes Magazine’s Best Employers and INC magazine’s Fastest Growing Companies lists.   Mr. Habeeb is also dedicated doing his part to nurturing tomorrow’s hospitality leaders through education. He has received an impressive list of recognitions including Global Hotelier of The Year.  He is a frequent and popular industry speaker and author. His innovative approaches to management have been widely recognized in and out of the hospitality industry. With a strong passion for educating those pursuing a career in the hospitality industry, Habeeb serves as a long-time member of the adjunct faculty of Chicago’s Roosevelt University, where he teaches at a graduate level in the Manfred Steinfeld School of Hospitality Management. He has served on numerous industry and academic boards and councils, including the board of directors and executive committee of the American Hotel & Lodging Association and board of the Illinois Hotel and Lodging Association where he served two terms as chairman. He is widely considered the “go to guy” and leading expert on the hospitality industry.

Steven brings over 15 years of specialized hospitality experience in design and delivery having worked on a spectrum of projects at all scales and complexities. He believes in an integrated approach with architecture and design and has led many successful teams throughout the design and construction process. Steven is a leader in the Hospitality Practice Area and Lifestyle Studio at Gensler Chicago, and has led projects for clients from Owners, Operators, and Brands such as Quadrangle, MPEA, Hyatt, and Starwood.

Daniel H. Lesser brings more than 30 years of expertise in a wide range of hospitality operational, investment counseling, valuation, advisory, and transactional services. He provides services to corporate, institutional, and individual clients as well as public agencies on all facets of hospitality real estate including: litigation support and expert testimony, site evaluation, highest and best use analysis, appraisals for mortgage, acquisition, and portfolio management, workout strategies, operational analysis, property tax assessment appeal evaluations, economic impact studies, deal structuring, and fairness opinions. Mr. Lesser is a leading authority on hotel feasibility and valuation, and is highly sought after to speak at lodging and real estate events, as well as lectures at prestigious institutions of higher education, including Cornell University, Columbia University and New York University. He is widely published and quoted, and serves as a quarterly columnist for HotelNewsNow.com and GlobeSt.com. Most recently, Mr. Lesser created and served as the Senior Managing Director - Industry Leader of the Hospitality & Gaming Valuation Advisory Services Group at CB Richard Ellis Hotels (CBRE). Prior to joining CBRE, Mr. Lesser founded and led the Hospitality & Gaming Group at Cushman & Wakefield and was a founding member of the team at HVS International. Mr. Lesser has also held operational and administrative positions with Hilton Hotels Corporation and Eurotels - Switzerland. He earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Hotel Administration from Cornell University, and also attended the Ecole hôtelière de Lausanne, Switzerland and Baruch College - City University of New York. Mr. Lesser holds the following professional designations: MAI (Member of the Appraisal Institute), FRICS (Fellow of The Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors), CRE (Counselor of Real Estate), and CHA (Certified Hotel Administrator). Mr. Lesser is a member of and has served on numerous committees for the Counselors of Real Estate, the Appraisal Institute, the American Hotel & Lodging Association, and the Board of Directors of the New York City Chapter of the Cornell Hotel Society. He is a former Advisory Board member and member of the Fundraising Subcommittee for the New York University Preston Robert Tisch Center for Hospitality, Tourism and Sports Management. Mr. Lesser is a founding member of the Lodging Industry Investment Council (LIIC), the hotel industry “think tank.” Furthermore, Mr. Lesser served as an Honorary Committee Member of the annual UJA - Federation New York Hotel & Hospitality Division Dinner, and is a member of the AIPAC Real Estate Division.

Steven Kisielica is one of the founding Principals of Lodging Capital Partners, LLC. Mr. Kisielica’s primary role at LCP is to manage the company’s acquisition and disposition program. Prior to starting LCP, Steve was Senior Vice President, Acquisitions and Development of Strategic Hotel Capital Inc. (“SHC”). SHC is an owner and asset manager of luxury hotels and resorts on a global basis. Steve helped build this company from the ground up in 1997, and it quickly became a multi-billion dollar, internationally recognized organization. The company completed an initial public offering in June 2004, and Mr. Kisielica was one of the executive officers of this public company. Steve was responsible for all acquisition and development functions for the company. His primary responsibilities included sourcing and negotiating potential acquisitions, management contracts, closing documents, and property dispositions. Additionally, he oversaw the underwriting process, including market studies and financial analysis for all potential transactions. In his tenure at SHC, Steve has been directly involved in the acquisition of over thirty hotel transactions totaling nearly $3.5 billion located in the United States, Mexico and Europe. Prior to forming SHC, Mr. Kisielica held senior positions at Geller & Co., Kenneth Leventhal & Co. and Hospitality Valuation Services. Steve is a graduate of Michigan State University’s School of Business with an emphasis in finance and hotel, restaurant and institutional Management. Steve has recently been awarded the Alumni Achievement Award from the Michigan State University Eli Broad College of Business. Steve was also included as one of 2009’s “40 under 40” in Crain’s Chicago Business. Steve has been a guest lecturer at various industry functions and educational facilities, including the American Lodging Investment Summit, NYU Hospitality Investment Conference, New York, Denver, Cornell and Michigan State Universities. Additionally, Steve is an active member of the Urban Land Institute and the Lodging Industry Investment Council.

Vamsi Bonthala is Chief Executive Officer of Arbor Lodging Partners, an award-winning national hotel investment firm that he co-founded. In this role, Vamsi leads all company activities including general corporate strategy, investor relations, strategic relationships, acquisitions, dispositions, and asset management. Vamsi has led all efforts related to approximately $1 billion of transaction volume since the inception of Arbor Lodging Partners. Vamsi is also co-founder and Principal of Arbor Lodging Management, the management affiliate of Arbor Lodging Partners, which has been named one of the nation’s top hotel companies multiple times by Hotel Management Magazine. Prior to co-founding Arbor Lodging Partners, Vamsi practiced law in the Private Equity group of Kirkland & Ellis LLP and the Real Estate group of Cadwalader, Wickersham & Taft LLP. Vamsi earned his AB in Economics and Political Science from the University of Michigan, where he received Class Honors and University Honors. Vamsi earned his JD from the University of Michigan Law School, where he was an Associate Editor of the Michigan Journal of International Law. Vamsi has been a speaker at numerous industry events and is a member of the Young Presidents Organization (YPO), the Economic Club of Chicago, and the Chicago Council on Global Affairs. Vamsi was recently selected as an Emerging Leader by the Chicago Council on Global Affairs and recognized as one of Real Estate Forum Magazine’s 50 Under 40 of 2015.

Mr. Franzen is a commercial real estate and hospitality professional with over 20 years of experience spanning acquisitions, development, operations, asset management, and branding. Mr. Franzen is currently the President of Graduate Hotels for AJ Capital Partners in Chicago, Illinois. In that role, Mr. Franzen leads a team of 40 people, including experts and professionals in such disciplines as branding and marketing, graphic design, food and beverage, sales and revenue management, interior design, project management, real estate transactions, asset management, and accounting, in the execution of AJ Capital Partners’ strategic plan to grow the Graduate Hotels brand across the U.S. Mr. Franzen is a graduate of DePauw University in Greencastle, Indiana and holds a Juris Doctorate degree from DePaul University College of Law in Chicago, Illinois.

While at Oxford Capital Group, LLC, Mr. Peruri has been involved in over $1 billion of new investments. Mr. Peruri is involved in all facets of the business including investor relations, project design/concepting, construction, property operations, deal origination, acquisitions underwriting, due diligence coordination and project financing. He is responsible for investment opportunities across the real estate spectrum and also in the corporate private equity area. Prior to joining Oxford Capital Group, LLC, Mr. Peruri worked in acquisitions and asset management at Equity International focused primarily on real estate related platform investments in South America and Asia. Mr. Peruri began his career working in the investment banking division of Morgan Stanley and completed the analyst training program. Mr. Peruri graduated with an M.B.A. in Finance and Real Estate from the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania, was a recipient of the Pension Real Estate Association Scholarship and the Robert Toigo Fellowship, and served as teaching assistant to Professor Jeremy Siegel. He also holds a B.S. in Finance from the College of Business at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, graduating with Highest Honors and awarded the Bronze Tablet, and completed the yearlong General Course program at the London School of Economics.

Eric Nordness is a Senior Vice President & Chief Financial Officer of Hickory Street Capital. Hickory Street Capital, LLC (“HSC”) is an investment vehicle founded in 2010 by the Ricketts family, owners of the Chicago Cubs baseball club. The Ricketts family purchased a controlling interest in the Chicago Cubs in October 2009 and has embarked on the transformation of the franchise, including the restoration of Wrigley Field. In conjunction with their investment into the club and ballpark, the Ricketts family has the vision for the transformation of the Wrigleyville neighborhood. HSC was formed and capitalized to advance the Ricketts family real estate development goals outside of Wrigley Field. Mr. Nordness leads real estate development for the Ricketts family. HSC is in the process of developing the land directly west of Wrigley Field and creating a unique entertainment destination centered around an approximately 45,000 square foot open area event space (“plaza”). The mixed-used development encapsulates the plaza and two six-story buildings that will house a 175-room boutique hotel, approximately 100,000 square feet of retail space and 75,000 square feet of office space. Designed to fit seamlessly into the urban neighborhood environment this new destination will be a year round entertainment destination serving as the new town center of Chicago’s iconic Wrigleville neighborhood. Prior to joining HSC, Mr. Nordness was the Managing Member for Salita Development, a boutique hospitality development firm focusing on hotels and restaurants. Eric started his career at Robertson, Stephens & Co, a San Francisco headquartered full-service investment banking firm. Mr. Nordness has experience in real estate development, institutional finance and asset management. He received his B.B.A. in finance from the University of Iowa and a M.B.A. from the University of Chicago Booth School of Business, with concentrations in both finance and economics.

Wesley Prato, CPA, is an audit partner in the Firm’s Commercial Real Estate Industry Practice and leads the Southwest Region in this area. Based in CohnReznick’s Chicago office, he has 16 years of experience in public accounting, providing client services in the areas of audit, review, and other financial reporting needs. This experience includes working with developers, hospitality owners and private equity investors of companies in the commercial real estate industry. Wes specializes in the commercial real estate and hospitality industries serving both real estate operators and real estate investment funds. He is responsible for planning the engagements, supervising staff, and coordinating all fieldwork. Other responsibilities on these engagements include determining audit scope, selecting procedures to be applied, establishing budgets, reviewing work papers, identifying audit issues, communicating with clients, and preparing financial statements or reports. In addition, Wes takes an active role in working with his clients to plan and brainstorm on ways to get the next project from concept to development. Wes has participated nationally within the Firm in developing audit programs and techniques specifically tailored to auditing commercial real estate and hospitality entities. He has also leads internal training classes on commercial real estate and often speaks on panels focused in the industry.