VanTrust Real Estate, LLC is set to begin construction on a build-to-suit facility for Sephora.

The 746,672-square-foot structure will be located on 61 acres at Avon Landings Commerce Park in Avon, Indiana, and will serve as Sephora’s Midwest distribution center. The targeted completion date is the summer of 2025. This is VanTrust’s second project with Sephora, with the first facility completed in Las Vegas.

CBRE’s Toby Mink and Andrew Morris represented Sephora. The general contractor for the project is Pepper Construction, MacGregor Architects is the architect, and American Structurepoint as the civil engineer.

“Avon Landings is a 119-acre master-planned park with a prime location, near Indianapolis, a dynamic market we continue to invest in,” said Phil Rasey, vice president of development at VanTrust. “We are pleased that Sephora, one of the best-known retail brands in the world, has chosen to locate its distribution center here.”

CRE experts from the recent Connect Midwest Multifamily conference in Chicago reflected on their experience and the importance of meeting customer needs in business. As the age-old mantra says, “Customer is King,” and student housing is no exception.

“They will be the first to tell you if they have a bad experience and also be willing to share great experiences with customers down the road,” said Ashley Lott, Senior Vice President, Campusville, A Farbman Company, one of the event’s panelists.

In the video below, you’ll also hear insights from Lott and fellow expert Stratos Athanassiades, Regional Manager, Midwest, Red Oak Capital Holdings. They share trends in student housing and multifamily, including tenant demands, investment sales and financing challenges and opportunities.

TMG Real Estate Advisors (TMG) announced the promotion of Andris Lizenbergs, Rob Prioletti and Jimmy Yfantopulos. Since last year, they have collectively completed transactions totaling 1.3 million square feet valued at over $106 million.
– Lizenbergs, who recently celebrated five years with TMG, has been promoted to senior vice president. Specializing in industrial tenant representation both locally and nationally, Lizenbergs has worked with companies across industry sectors. 
– Prioletti has been promoted to vice president. Rob has completed several complex transactions since joining the TMG team three years ago.  As part of TMG’s Supply Chain Solutions team, he focuses on the greater O’Hare market while also fulfilling client needs nationally.
– Yfantopulos has been promoted to senior advisor. Since joining TMG  less than two years ago, he has quickly developed into a client advisor in the Fox Valley submarket.

Apprise, a Walker & Dunlop, Inc. company, announced its strategic expansion in the Midwest region, adding five industry experts to its team. Led by Alex Hoenig, MAI, who joins as a Regional Managing Director for the Midwest, the new team brings a wealth of experience and expertise to further strengthen Apprise’s presence in the region. Joining Alex are Andy Kopek, Scott Peirce, Scott Lunan, and Sean Haar, who have a combined 60+ years of experience in commercial property valuation and consulting, including property appraisals, market and feasibility studies, and tax appeals.

The Apartment Source, a real estate firm specializing in multifamily real estate, announced that Tyson Schutz, owner and managing broker of the company, has been awarded the 2023 Chicago Association of REALTORS Platinum Rental Top Producer award. This marks the company’s fifth consecutive year winning the award, solidifying themselves as a leader in the Chicago real estate market. 

Spring Arbor Senior Living, an operator of assisted living and memory care communities, promoted Susan Durr to senior vice president, divisional operations for the Midwestern region. In her new role, she oversees 13 communities across five states, based in Spring Arbor’s newest corporate location in Springfield, Missouri.

Sitting in JLL’s Minneapolis office, Managing Director Josh Talberg continues to hold his leadership position on the multi-housing investment sales team. Talberg has played a pivotal role in shaping JLL’s Capital Markets Group in Minneapolis and is responsible for institutional investment sales advisory, recapitalizations and joint venture equity for multi-housing properties and portfolios. He collaborates closely with JLL’s top multi-housing debt team, including Ken Dayton, Scott Loving, Bill Mork, Britta Lund, Scott Streif and Pat McMullen in Minneapolis, as well as with JLL Capital Markets’ Senior Managing Directors David Williams and Brian Ranallo out of the St. Paul office.

Crowell & Moring announced today that partner Elaine Taussig is joining the firm’s Corporate group, and partner Tom Williams is joining the firm’s Corporate and IP groups in Chicago from Neal, Gerber & Eisenberg. They will collaborate with their long-time colleagues John J. Koenigsknecht and David S. Stone, who recently joined Crowell in corporate leadership positions to continue the firm’s strategic growth.

Entre Commercial Realty recently completed the sale of a 2.76-acre site for future redevelopment in Arlington Heights. Entre represented the seller, Congregational United Church of Christ, in the transaction, and the proceeds will be distributed to various missions and local initiatives. Entre’s team of Sam Deihs, Dan Benassi, SIOR, and Dan Jones, SIOR represented the seller in this transaction.

Several shopping centers in the Midwest were part of New York-based KPR Centers’ acquisition of an eight-property retail portfolio for $180 million.  

KPR Centers expanded its presence in the Midwest region through the transaction, which the properties located in Milwaukee and St. Louis as well as Florida. The portfolio is 96 percent leased and totals over 1.5 million square feet, with shopping centers anchored by tenants like Dick’s Sporting Goods and The Fresh Market.

The Midwest properties include the 220,083-square-foot Nagawaukee Center in Delafield and the West Allis Towne Center, a four-building site spanning 326,223 square feet. Additional retail centers in the portfolio are the 208,112-square-foot Deer Creek Shopping Center in St. Louis and Central Plaza, a 163,625-square-foot retail center in Ballwin.

Walker & Dunlop, Inc. has originated $65,731,000 in 232/223(f) and 241(a) HUD loans for seven skilled nursing facilities and memory care centers across Illinois and Wisconsin between October 2023 and February 2024.

Walker & Dunlop’s Midwest FHA Finance team, led by Joshua Rosen, Brad Annis, and Johnny Rice, arranged the construction loan and refinancings on behalf of five clients, utilizing the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development as the lender.

“We’re pleased to announce the closure of loans on seven properties totaling 376 units, reflecting our brokers’ dedication and proficiency in complex real estate transactions,” said Joshua Rosen, senior managing director of FHA Finance at Walker & Dunlop. “These closings underscore our unwavering commitment to excellence and drive in healthcare real estate, delivering value and expertise to clients and facilitating significant investments.”

On April 18, join multihousing’s leaders and dealmakers when they explore the most important topics facing the Phoenix and Scottsdale markets today. Register to attend and hear expert insights first-hand, network with the best in the industry, and sit in on discussions you won’t hear anywhere else. Connect Phoenix Multifamily & Single-Family Build-to-Rent on April 18 at the Westin Kierland Resort & Spa. 

Join the leaders and dealmakers when they explore the most important topics and trends at Connect Midwest: Multifamily, Affordable, Student & Student Housing Trends on June 4, 2024, at the W-Chicago, City Center Hotel, Chicago, IL. Register to attend to network with the best in the industry and sit in on discussions you won’t hear anywhere else. Early Bird Registration Ends April 19. 

Jasmine Kilman is Content Director of Connect Commercial Real Estate, covering Chicago and greater Chicagoland, the Midwest, Seattle, and the Pacific Northwest. She covers industry trends, transaction deals, market research, and produces daily news stories.
With experience in marketing and communications for academic nonprofits and corporate clients, including Hearst Media, Hilton, and Coldwell Banker, Kilman has written about commercial real estate, environmental, social, and corporate governance (ESG), technology, healthcare, and philanthropy. She was born and raised in California and graduated with a degree in public relations. In her spare time, Kilman enjoys hiking and traveling to new locations with her family.