Intersect Illinois announced three appointments to its board of directors: Michael Sacks, CEO and Chairman of GCM Grosvenor; Smita Shah, President and CEO of SPAAN Tech, Inc.; and Kevin Warren, President and CEO of the Chicago Bears. Sacks, Shah, and Warren will help advance Intersect Illinois’ mission to attract new jobs and investment to Illinois.

Kiser Group has promoted Jack Petrando from advisor to director. Since joining Kiser Group, Petrando has demonstrated unwavering dedication and expertise in brokering multifamily transactions, effectively bridging the gap between sellers and buyers in the dynamic real estate market. In his new capacity as Director, he will continue leveraging his extensive mid-market knowledge to negotiate on behalf of clients and ensure seamless transactions from inception to conclusion.

Colliers announced today that industry veteran Scott Barrett has joined the firm as senior vice president of retail leasing and will be based in the Rosemont office. Over the past three decades, Barrett has worked for some of the top REITs, owners and asset managers in the industry. He has spearheaded the development, redevelopment and repositioning of properties in 27 states. Most recently, Barrett worked for Chicago-based Heitman, where he played a crucial role in boosting the value of a 26-property portfolio by more than $60 million.

LaSalle Investment Management announced that Brad Gries has been named Head of the Americas. Brad, who previously served as Co-Head of the Americas, will retain his position as Chair of the LaSalle Americas Investment Committee, resume his role as Co-Chief Investment Officer for LaSalle Americas and maintain his role as part of the Global Management Committee. As Head of the Americas, Brad will oversee all personnel, operational, and investment management activities across the region for LaSalle.

Diana Zagarzhevskiy has joined CBRE’s Indianapolis office as a vice president. She will specialize in retail landlord and tenant representation throughout the Midwest. Zagarzhevskiy brings over 12 years of commercial real estate experience to CBRE. Most recently, she served as a senior director at Cushman & Wakefield, where she was responsible for providing strategic commercial real estate plans for retail landlords and tenants in Indiana and the Midwest. During her tenure at Cushman & Wakefield, Diana assisted over 30 local and international retailers and leased more than 70,000 square feet of retail and mixed-use space.

Douglas Crocker II received an honorary degree from DePaul University’s Kellstadt Graduate School of Business in Chicago and delivered a commencement address to the graduates, their families and guests. Crocker was conferred the honorary degree with a citation read by Sulin Ba, PhD, Dean, Driehaus College of Business and the hooding by Robert L. Manuel, PhD, President, DePaul University; and Salma Ghanem, PhD, Provos, DePaul University. Crocker, a respected and renowned commercial real estate executive, was recognized for his support and financial contributions to the DePaul University community.

The Laramar Group announced the promotion of Scott Kessel to Chief Financial Officer. Kessel previously was Vice President of Asset Management, overseeing asset management decisions for the company’s extensive portfolio of multifamily and medical real estate assets. As Chief Financial Officer, Kessel now directs Laramar’s overall accounting decisions across individual properties and corporate-level finances. He also oversees decisions on budgeting, forecasting, analysis, cash management, and accounts payable.

Chicago-based Aequum Capital provided $30 million in aggregate credit facilities to one of the nation’s largest printers that also provides marketing and logistics solutions. The credit facilities allow the company additional leverage on their current assets and equipment supporting their working capital needs, and growth and acquisition strategies. These plans were not supported by their incumbent lender.