Chicago Deep Dish: State Of The Office

Eric Helfand brings over 20 years experience to Farpoint Development with comprehensive knowledge ranging from accounting, tax and finance, to development, asset management and business operations. Now a founding partner, he has served as a Chief Financial Officer and Chief Operating Officer, where he oversaw the operation of real estate services. Redeveloping over 1.6 million square feet of creative loft space between 2012 and 2016, Eric’s continued success in the redevelopment of Chicago’s commercial properties is key to Farpoint Development’s accomplishments. Eric received a Bachelor of Science in Accounting from Indiana University and is a registered CPA in the State of Illinois.

Elizabeth “Betsy” Ziegler is the first female CEO of 1871, now the Number 1 ranked tech incubator in the world. Previous to 1871, Betsy was the Chief Innovation Officer at the Kellogg School of Management, Northwestern University, responsible for portfolio innovation as well as integrating technology into the Kellogg educational experience. From 2011 through September 2015, she served as associate dean of degree programs and dean of students. Prior to Kellogg, she served as a principal in McKinsey & Company’s Chicago office where she led the firm’s Life Insurance Operations and Technology practice and co-led its Financial Institutions Operations and Technology practice. Ziegler holds an M.B.A. from Harvard Business School and received a B.A. in economics from The Ohio State University, where she graduated with distinction.

Jo Anne Gottfried leads Urban Innovations, headquartered in River North, Chicago. As President, Jo Anne provides strategic leadership to a team of over 30 real estate professionals and implements growth strategies vital to expanding UI’s client portfolio and the reach of its core services. Additionally, Jo Anne is the Managing Broker of Urban Innovations and has directly contributed to its growth and profitability throughout her 32 years at the firm. Jo Anne joined UI in 1987, most recently serving as COO. With over three decades in the industry, Jo Anne is known and respected as one of Chicago’s leading women in real estate. Jo Anne earned her Bachelor’s degree from the University of Colorado and is a licensed Managing Broker in Illinois.

Chris Phares has over 20 years of experience in the general contracting market. In his current role as Vice President at Clark Construction Group, he oversees operations for the company’s Northern Division. Chris has contributed to the transformation of the city’s skyline leading projects such as 300 N LaSalle, the Hyatt Regency McCormick Place Expansion and Renovation, 150 North Riverside, 215 West Lake, 110 N Wacker, and the in-progress 320 S Canal. He has also worked on significant projects throughout the country including the United States Penitentiary in Terre Haute, Indiana, the Wheeler Sack Army Airfield Barracks in Fort Drum, New York, and Music City Center in Nashville, Tennessee. Chris earned a Bachelor of Science in Civil Engineering from the University of Southern Indiana and an MBA from Loyola University Chicago. He is a registered Ohio Professional Engineer, a LEED accredited professional, and a Safety Trained Supervisor. Chris lives in Chicago with his wife Jennifer and two children, Harper and Reid. He enjoys golfing, coaching his kids’ sports teams, and traveling.

Mr. Koita has developed a comprehensive skill set in development and investing throughout his nearly 20 year career in commercial real estate with a total transaction volume of over $4 billion of direct real estate across all major asset classes. Prior to forming Knickpoint, Mr. Koita was a Director at Fir Tree Partners where he led value add real estate private equity investments throughout the country and internationally with Fir Tree Real Estate Fund III, a fully discretionary $800 million vehicle. Prior to Fir Tree, Mr. Koita was a Director at Angelo, Gordon & Co. where he led opportunistic and core plus investments throughout the Midwest, Florida, self storage and hotels. Prior to AG, Mr. Koita was at Related Midwest where he was an integral member of the development team that completed over $1 billion of luxury condominium projects in Chicago. Mr. Koita holds an MBA from the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University and graduated with honors from Washington University in St. Louis.

Harry Wolle is the Senior Director of the SBA DAS & Small Cells business unit. Harry has over 25 years of experience in designing, deploying and operating wireless mobile technology solutions for carrier customers domestically and internationally. Solutions include micro and macro-cell based deployments, distributed antenna systems (DAS), HetNet and WiFi applications. Harry spent a significant amount of his career as a business development leader/strategic consultant responsible for developing, marketing and deploying mobile infrastructure solutions. Harry holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Electrical Engineering from North Carolina State University.