To achieve superior results, you have to hold non-consensus views regarding value, and they have to be accurate.
Howard Marks
Fully Integrated. Highly Focused.
The R2 team includes experienced principals with a multi-year track record of successfully deploying, returning, and growing capital across market cycles.
Department
Marc is Principal and COO. He leads R2’s Operating Platform and Holding Company and oversees the implementation of R2’s services and investments. Marc has over 20 years of business experience in retail management, banking, business operations consulting and real estate operations.
Prior to R2, Marc founded and managed a Chicago based residential and commercial real estate management company.
Marc graduated from Marquette University with a degree in business and received an MBA with a concentration in finance and operations from the University of Notre Dame.
Matt has +12 years experience directing the repositioning and leasing of commercial real estate assets. Most notably, Matt has worked directly with institutions and developers on large-scale projects that include the Chicago Main Post Office, Aon Center, Citadel Center, Willis Tower and Prudential Plaza.
Matt co-founded the Telos Group where he oversaw a portfolio of 25 million square feet and was a two-time recipient of the Greater Chicago Food Depository’s ‘Broker of the Year’ Award. Matt graduated from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.
Gary oversees all Design and Development for R2. He is a licensed Architect and Builder who heads a team of Architects, Designers, Owner’s Representatives, and Development& Construction Managers. His team is responsible for the execution of all capital and cosmetic projects across R2’s portfolio, and personally manages all of R2’s developments. Gary’s passion is to create modern dynamic space from complex historic structures.
From 2001-2013, Gary worked for distinguished Architectural practices in New York & Chicago. During that time, he managed the design and construction of a wide range of projects, including high-end corporate interiors, landmarked theaters, multi-family development, and award winning single-family homes.
During the economic downturn, when a General Contractor disappeared from a custom home project midway through construction, Gary took it over as the GC and started a design-build practice that designed and built projects in Chicago, including R2’s first offices.
In 2013, Gary joined R2 and started R2 Design-Build to manage all cosmetic, capital, and TI projects across the R2 portfolio. In 2018, Gary transitioned his focus to R2’s major development projects, including REI’s Flagship store on the Chicago River, Morton Salt and CB2’s new headquarters on Goose Island.
Gary grew up around the construction trades. Prior to practicing Architecture, he worked for concrete and framing contractors. This experience taught him to appreciate all facets of the building process; balancing conceptual topics learned in architecture school with the practicality of building a building.
Gary graduated from Columbia University with a Masters in Architecture where he was awarded for Excellence in Building Technologies, and from the University of Illinois with a Bachelors in Architectural Studies where he studied abroad in Versailles, France.
Matt has worked as an investor and operator of real estate assets ranging across student housing, multi-family, retail and office. At R2, Matt has personally managed and negotiated over 1M square feet of leasing for R2’s portfolio, specializing in office and retail leasing. Matt worked with Matt Garrison for five years prior to forming R2 Companies where he led development sales.
Matt graduated from Purdue University and has an MBA with a specialization in Real Estate from Roosevelt University.
Jason has over 16 years of investment experience across a variety of sectors in the commercial real estate industry. He has asset managed several portfolios of properties with a gross investment value of $1.5 billion and has completed $725 million of acquisitions, dispositions and financings.
Jason is a Bachelor of Science graduate in Finance & Real Estate from the Kelley School of Business at Indiana University and is an active member of the International Council of Shopping Centers and the Urban Land Institute.
Since joining R2 in 2012, Zack has been directly involved in acquiring +$800 million of real estate assets in markets across the U.S., specifically Creative Office, Experiential Retail & Hospitality, Multifamily, Flex Industrial and Single-Tenant NNN. Zack participates in all fundraising activities at R2, including the development of R2’s Fund strategies (R2 Yield, R2 Flagship).
In 2015, Zack led R2’s Goose Island 2025 masterplan that received recognition in national publications. He has lectured on the subject at multiple Universities. Zack is also a Board Member of Urban Rivers, a non-profit tasked by the City of Chicago with the creation of The Wild Mile, a mile-long eco-park on the east side of Goose Island.
Zack earned his Bachelor’s degree in English Literature & Architecture from Washington University in St. Louis.
Ishan Novljakovic
Partner - Director of Construction
As a Project Manager for R2 Design+Build, Ishan is responsible for general management of various construction and development projects.
Ishan has over 20 years of experience in the construction industry having built residential, office, and retail.
As General Counsel for R2, Brendon oversees the firm’s legal & litigation matters. Brendon earned his JD from DePaul University and BA from the University of Illinois.
Maria Clara Mesa has over 5 years of accounting experience in commercial & residential Real Estate. Prior to R2, Maria worked for Lincoln Property Company as a Staff Accountant; her clients included Invesco, JP Morgan, UBS and Stockbridge. Before that, Maria lived in Nashville where she was a bookkeeper for Unimex Audiocar, while she pursued her CPA. Maria is fluent in Spanish and English.
Tom has over 15 years’ experience in the commercial and residential construction and property management Industry. Responsibilities have included all areas of Development / Management from design & build to tracking construction progress, budgeting and day-to-day operations.
Tom Graduated from the University of Illinois with a degree in Economics. Tom holds a state of Illinois Property Manager License and Illinois Real Estate Broker’s License.
Antonette has over thirty years of experience combining a background in construction accounting and project management, successfully overseeing multiple phases of multimillion-dollar construction, infrastructure and environmental projects for government and private-sector clients and a variety of other construction/demolition projects. Her experience includes preparing all accounting records including payroll, working with auditing firms, contract and change order management, budgeting, billings and cost controls, project administration, assisting field superintendent with job costing reports. Antonette acquired her Bachelor of Science in Accounting from Chicago State University.
Zoe joined R2 in July of 2022 after graduating from the University of Illinois. She has a bachelor’s degree in Advertising and a minor in Business, and now executes marketing strategy and implementation for R2’s diverse portfolio of buildings.
Zoe thinks creatively to inspire R2’s target audience with a multi-faceted marketing approach that’s geared toward today’s consumer. She is continuously exploring ways to evolve R2’s brand to ensure the entire portfolio of assets maintains maximum exposure within the market.
Almir Mesinovic
Construction Assistant Project Manager
Advisory Board
Nate Laurell
Principal
Nate is a Principal at R2 Companies and the Founder of New Frontier Holdings, a private investment firm focused on real food, clean energy, and real assets.
Nate is the current CEO of Here Holdings (a leader in the local-food movement) and chairman of ampCNG (a renewable-energy company). In addition, he serves on the boards of Brook Park Holdings, Tailings Capital, and Acumen Fund, a patient-capital fund that invests in businesses tackling global poverty.
Nate has been an entrepreneur since forming TECHnacity (a software-development firm) while in college. He holds a BS and MS in Electrical and Computer Engineering from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. He has been recognized by the Council on Global Affairs as an emerging leader and by Crain’s 40 Under 40.
Nate lives in Chicago and San Francisco with his wife, Kris, and their three nutty rescue dogs (Sinna, Logan, and Riley).
George Hanley
Advisory Board
George Hanley is a veteran trader and philanthropist best known for founding Hanley Group (acquired by INTL FC Stone) and the Hanley Foundation. During his more than 30 years of success in the trading business, Hanley established himself as a leader in his field and a mentor who helped scores of students and young professionals learn the trading business. Throughout his career he has maintained a commitment to sound, disciplined trading practices and support for sensible industry regulation. George Hanley has been a visionary member of the Chicago Board of Trade and Chicago Mercantile exchange (now CME Group). Mr. Hanley has lectured at the University of Dayton, the University of Illinois and NYU. He serves on the University of Dayton Board of Trustees.
Mike Sekulic
Advisory Board
Mike Sekulic is an active trader, investor and entrepreneur with a successful 25+ year track record. He was the co-founder of Blink Trading, a pioneering electronic trading firm, that merged with GETCO in 2001. At GETCO, Mike held a variety of leadership positions that included managing one of the firm’s primary equities teams, as well as its commodities and fixed income groups. During his tenure, GETCO grew from 28 employees to a 500+ employee trading firm with offices in Europe, Asia and the U.S; developing a reputation as a leading global market maker.