Chicago/Midwest People & Company News, week of July 24, 2026

CBRE announced that Laurel Keller has joined the firm as a first vice president in its Columbus office for CBRE Hotels. In this role, Keller works alongside Eric Belfrage and Michael Shirey, specializing in hotel investment sales nationwide and advising clients on acquisitions and dispositions while optimizing real estate value and investment performance. Based in the Midwest, she serves hospitality investors, owners and operators across the country.

CBRE also announced that Ajay Kalra has been appointed managing director and market leader for its Omaha, Nebraska, business, in addition to his role overseeing the firm’s Iowa business. In this expanded role, Kalra will be responsible for all day-to-day operations for the company’s advisory services in Omaha and Iowa, including leasing, sales, valuations, and debt and structured finance across all property types. The appointment follows the transition of Bennett Ginsberg, formerly Omaha market leader, to a full-time producer role with CBRE.

Ambrose announced key promotions and new hires across its growing team. The announcement follows the recent hiring of Courtney Schneider as vice president and market officer for the Mountain States region. Clay Smith has been promoted to director of development, and Kendrick Crisp has been promoted to accounting manager. Ambrose also welcomed new hires, including Anne Stewart, who has joined Ambrose as chief of staff, supporting founder & CEO Aasif Bade in advancing key strategic priorities across the organization. Leslie Hobbs has joined as vice president of accounting, while Sean Steidler has joined as vice president of financial planning and analysis. Additionally, Natalie Peters has joined as director of investor relations, Jake Okerson has joined as an accountant, and Melodee Allen has joined as an accounting operations specialist. Cathy Roth has also joined Ambrose as office and operations coordinator, where she will oversee day-to-day office operations.

JLL announced the launch of Social-Spatial Design, a performance-led workplace design service from its JLL Design business that helps organizations unlock team performance by aligning physical space with how people actually work together. Developed with Thompson Harrison, a global organizational and leadership development consultancy, the service translates behavioral science and social dynamics into practical design decisions.

Sherman Associates announced four promotions within its development team, recognizing leaders who are driving the company’s growing portfolio of multifamily, mixed-use, and commercial developments across Minnesota, Iowa, and Colorado through historic adaptive reuse, rehabilitation and new construction projects. Dan Collison has been promoted to vice president of strategic growth and public affairs, Will Anderson has been promoted to vice president of development, Meredyth Skemp has been promoted to senior developer, and Tia Jacobs has been promoted to developer.