Chicago-based Mary Cook Associates has elevated Senior Vice President Josh Kassing to managing principal. The commercial interior architecture and design firm described the move as a strategic leadership transition that aligns Kassing with Founder and CEO Mary Cook and the senior leadership team to support the company’s innovation and growth objectives.
CBRE reported that Jeff Kaiser has been promoted to executive managing director. Kaiser will broaden his regional oversight across the Midwest while continuing to lead the firm’s St. Louis office, adding Minnesota and the Dakotas to responsibilities that already include Indiana, Missouri, Kansas, Nebraska and Iowa.
Indianapolis-based Ambrose announced that Courtney Schneider has joined the company as vice president and market officer for the Mountain States region. Schneider will lead capital deployment efforts, oversee leasing activity and identify new investment opportunities as Ambrose works to expand its investment platform in key markets across the region.
JLL has expanded its industrial platform in the Chicago market with the addition of a five-person team to its Chicago O’Hare office. The group includes Adam Haefner, SIOR, as managing director; Marty Mikaitis and Zeke Rowan as executive vice presidents; Nick Fazio as vice president; and Anne McGrath as sales coordinator, strengthening JLL’s coverage of the Chicago metropolitan area’s most active industrial corridors.
Aigentless, an AI-driven proptech startup focused on the apartment tour experience, announced that Jesus Machuca Jr. has joined the company as head of revenue. In this newly created role, Machuca will concentrate on advancing company growth through sales, marketing and account management initiatives.
JLL also added veteran industrial broker Matt McGrady as an executive vice president in its Indianapolis office. McGrady will serve on the firm’s industrial brokerage team, providing advisory services to tenants, buyers, developers and landlords active in industrial distribution real estate, drawing on more than two decades of market experience.
Landmarks Illinois reported that it has awarded a total of $27,100 in grant funding to seven preservation projects across the state. The grants, made through the Preservation Heritage Fund and the Barbara C. and Thomas E. Donnelley II Preservation Fund for Illinois, will support priority repairs and stabilization work at historic sites in Chicago, Lemont, Ottawa, Vienna, Warsaw and Wayne.
Residential activity also advanced with Baird & Warner and homebuilder Fidelity Wes announcing the start of sales at Karen’s Corner, a collection of 20 customizable single-family homes in Long Grove, Illinois. The new-construction community, located at 20470 N. Hicks Road, is scheduled to break ground in August 2026, with first home deliveries anticipated in August 2027.
