Chicago/Midwest People & Company News, week of June 12, 2026

Chicago-based Mary Cook Associates, a national, award-winning commercial interior architecture and design firm, today announced that Senior Vice President Josh Kassing has been named managing principal. The strategic leadership transition positions the company for continued innovation and growth with Kassing’s frontrunning capabilities that operate in tandem with Founder and CEO Mary Cook and the senior leadership team.

CBRE’s Jeff Kaiser has been promoted to executive managing director, expanding his oversight across the Midwest while continuing to lead the St. Louis office. In his expanded role, Kaiser will be adding Minnesota and the Dakotas to his regional leadership responsibilities, which currently include Indiana, Missouri, Kansas, Nebraska, and Iowa.

Indianapolis-based Ambrose announced that Courtney Schneider has joined the firm as vice president and market officer for the Mountain States region. In this role, Schneider will lead capital deployment efforts, leasing activity and identifying new investment opportunities as Ambrose continues to expand its investment platform across key markets in the region.

JLL announced that a five-person industrial team has joined its Chicago O’Hare office, significantly expanding the firm’s capabilities across the Chicago Metropolitan area’s most active industrial corridors. Adam Haefner, SIOR, joins as managing director; Marty Mikaitis and Zeke Rowan as executive vice presidents; Nick Fazio as vice president; and Anne McGrath as sales coordinator. 

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. The newly created role will focus on the continued growth of the company through sales, marketing and account management.

Matt McGrady has joined JLL’s Indianapolis office as executive vice president on the firm’s industrial brokerage team, where he will provide advisory services to tenants, buyers, developers, and landlords of industrial distribution real estate. With more than two decades of experience, McGrady brings extensive market knowledge and leadership to JLL.

Landmarks Illinois has awarded $27,100 in grant funding to seven preservation projects across the state through the Preservation Heritage Fund and the Barbara C. and Thomas E. Donnelley II Preservation Fund for Illinois. Grant-funded projects are in the Illinois communities of Chicago, Lemont, Ottawa, Vienna, Warsaw and Wayne. The funds will support priority repairs and efforts to stabilize the historic sites.

Baird & Warner and homebuilder Fidelity Wes have announced the start of sales of Karen’s Corner, a collection of 20 customizable single-family homes in Long Grove, Illinois. Located at 20470 N. Hicks Road, the new-construction community is slated to break ground in August 2026, with first home deliveries anticipated in August 2027.