Welcome To The Real Finds Blog: Commercial Real Estate Insights for Chicago and the Midwest
Welcome to The Real Finds Blog, your daily briefing on commercial real estate trends across Chicagoland and the Midwest. Published by Gordon Lamphere, a fourth-generation commercial real estate broker at Van Vlissingen & Co., this blog delivers sharp, actionable insights for CRE professionals navigating a changing market. Every article connects macro trends—interest rates, automation, supply chains, policy shifts—to local real estate strategy across high-demand submarkets, including:
- Downtown Chicago – office space, adaptive reuse, capital markets
- Elk Grove & O’Hare – industrial leasing, logistics infrastructure
- Kenosha & SE Wisconsin – warehouse development and distribution hubs
- Oak Brook & Schaumburg – suburban office leasing and reinvestment
- Naperville & the I-88 Corridor – flex space, R&D, life sciences
- Bolingbrook & the I-55 Corridor – fulfillment centers and industrial site selection
- Lake, DuPage, Will, Kane, and McHenry Counties – land use, entitlements, development opportunities, and tenant migration
From daily blog posts to in-depth strategy guides and transcribed podcast interviews, Real Finds turns global uncertainty into hyper-local market intelligence for investors, landlords, tenants, developers, and brokers New posts are published every weekday.
Antioch Breaks Ground on Downtown Open Space Redevelopment Project
The Village of Antioch recently marked a major milestone in its ongoing efforts to revitalize its downtown area with a...
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Coaching Sustainable Commercial Real Estate Success With Robert Powell – Real Finds Podcast #26
https://youtu.be/DCUxAENKctU URL: https://youtu.be/DCUxAENKctU Summary: Welcome to episode 26 of "The Real Finds Podcast" where we are thrilled to present an...
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Minimizing Commercial Real Estate Exposure With Brian T. Bradley, Esq. – Real Finds Podcast #25
https://youtu.be/-0B3_dNT3Bw URL: https://youtu.be/-0B3_dNT3Bw Summary: Welcome to episode 25 of "The Real Finds Podcast". In this segment, we are graced by...
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Transforming Your Brand: Marketing Insights from George Pino – Real Finds Podcast #24
https://youtu.be/h_B_8Z5lcLI URL: https://youtu.be/h_B_8Z5lcLI Summary: Welcome to the 24th episode of "The Real Finds Podcast." In this enlightening episode, we plunge...
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Digital Realty Sells Majority Stake in Elk Grove Village Data Centers in $450M Deal
The sale of a majority stake in two Elk Grove Village data centers by Digital Realty Trust to GI Partners...
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Inside the Mind of a Top Producer: Brokerage Success With Michael Arnold – Real Finds Podcast #23
https://youtu.be/tHR7nc8qkDc URL: https://youtu.be/tHR7nc8qkDc Summary: Welcome to episode 23 of "The Real Finds Podcast," the ultimate portal for delving into the...
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Developing Scalable Teams & Cultures in Real Estate With Kerri Davis – Real Finds Podcast #22
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ovDdlVeT5QI Host: Gordon Lamphere, Director of Sales and Leasing at Van Vlissingen and Co. Guest: Kerri Davis, Founder & CEO...
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Designing Workspaces that Work With Corinne Murray – Finds Podcast #21
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jmh2Clpc3rM Host: Gordon Lamphere, Director of Sales and Leasing at Van Vlissingen and Co. Guest: Corinne Murray, Co-Founder of the...
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Deal Making In Affordable Housing With Kyle Shoemaker – Real Finds Podcast #20
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XTYeHyr4Z_g Host: Gordon Lamphere, Director of Sales and Leasing at Van Vlissingen and Co. Guest: Kyle Shoemaker, Expert in Affordable...
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Deal Financing 101: How to Thrive in High-Interest Environments – Real Finds Podcast #19
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DusIKNIZ7z0 Host: Gordon Lamphere, Director of Sales and Leasing at Van Vlissingen and Co. Guest: Culby Culbertson, Founder of Culbertson...
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The Self Storage Renaissance With Fernando Angelucci – Real Finds Podcast #18
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KAZ9IpD7WXQ Host: Gordon Lamphere, Director of Sales and Leasing at Van Vlissingen and Co. Guest: Fernando Angelucci, Senior Managing Partner...
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Safeguarding Generational Real Estate Wealth With Megan L. Whipp -Real Finds Podcast #17
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cWPlzQdylkQ Host: Gordon Lamphere, Sales & Leasing Director at Van Vlissingen and Co. Guest: Megan L. Whipp, Lawyer and Real...
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Redeveloping Historic Chicago With Architect Prashanth Mahakali – Real Finds Podcast #16
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xBlt86PlzvU Host: Gordon Lamphere, Sales & Leasing Director at Van Vlissingen and Co. Guest: Prashanth Mahakali, Founder of PMPC Architects...
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High Schools in Lake County Top of the Class
Stevenson High School, in Lincolnshire, is the best public high school in the country according to the ranking website...
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Lake Zurich Approves First Industrial TIF Agreement
The recent approval of the first tax increment financing (TIF) redevelopment agreement by the Village of Lake Zurich trustees marks...
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Success in High-Risk Scenarios: Tips From An Insurance Specialist – Real Finds Podcast #15
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uuRVFhyRGLE Host: Gordon Lamphere, Director of Sales and Leasing at Van Vlissingen and Co. Guest: Jeremy Goodrich, Host of "The...
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The Power of 1031 Exchanges With Bernard Reisz – Real Finds Podcast #14
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3PYQG6Xkob0 Host: Gordon Lamphere, Director of Sales and Leasing at Van Vlissingen and Co. Guest: Bernard Reisz, Certified Public Accountant...
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Surfing The Silver Tsunami: Investing in Residential Assisted Living – Real Finds Podcast #13
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T4yYFlWrEOg Host: Gordon Lamphere, Sales & Leasing Director at Van Vlissingen and Co. Guest: Isabel Guarino, Chief Operating Officer at...
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