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Principal
Christopher Ilekis is the owner and founder of Vequity and its affiliated companies, with a focus on commercial real estate transactions since 2003. In that time, he’s represented over 500 lease and sale transactions for both national and local clients. His deep expertise in all aspects of the industry including development, design, finance, construction, and legal has contributed to Vequity’s success—including developing numerous retail projects valued over $200M in the last five years alone.
Christopher is also the owner and founder of Vequity Construction, a Chicago-based general contracting firm specializing in multi-unit facilities for local and global retailers, healthcare providers, and mixed-use commercial buildings in both urban and suburban locations nationally. Vequity Construction works in collaboration with its clients and its talented design and construction professionals to provide a trustworthy, transparent, and reliable construction process.
Vequity Real Estate Advisors (VREA) is a full-service retail real estate brokerage firm, started by Ilekis. VREA exclusively represents some of the world’s top retail brands and helps manage their real estate site selection process both locally and nationally.
Operations Manager
Kim manages our overall operations and organizational processes for the development team as well as oversees all marketing efforts. Her wealth of administrative and leadership experience has been invaluable. Prior to joining Vequity, she spent four years as an Executive Assistant to the Vice President of Sales at Automatic Data Processing, a Fortune 500 Company. Kim earned her bachelor’s in public relations from Illinois State University and is a licensed real estate broker.
Managing Director – Acquisitions and Leasing
Andrew’s main focus is on retail acquisitions and development. With his extensive knowledge of the marketplace, he assists with site selection and build-to-suit development for national retail clients. He’s also responsible for the leasing of Vequity’s portfolio, which consists of retail and mixed-use assets. Andrew earned his Bachelor of Finance from the University of Illinois, is a licensed Real Estate Broker, and is an active member of the International Council of Shopping Centers.
Director of Development and Construction
Ivan’s skills and passion are fundamental to every aspect of our development and construction process. Over the years, he’s been involved with different aspects of over a dozen retail programs and over 4000 stores nationwide, including new construction, build-to-suit, building renovations, and acquisitions. Ivan earned his Bachelor’s of Architecture from the Illinois Institute of Technology and his Master of Science in Project Management from Northwestern University.
Controller
Kevin is innovation-focused and passionate about enhancing investor value through improving the speed, accuracy, and reliability of financial information through process automation. He has significant experience in real estate accounting and financial analysis with a focus in commercial, industrial, and residential asset types. Kevin holds a Master’s in Accountancy from the University of Notre Dame and a Bachelor of Accountancy from Miami University. He’s also a Certified Public Accountant.
Development Project Manager
Scott helps our clients through site design, planning, and preconstruction phases of development. He’s been working in the built environment for over a decade as a real estate broker, green building consultant, project manager, and designer. Scott holds a Master of Landscape Architecture from Colorado State University and a bachelor’s from Michigan State University. He’s also a licensed landscape architect in Illinois.