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.
Housing an Issue for Urban Illinois Employers
Potential home buyers in Chicago’s urban core are facing both an onslaught of uncertainty and price increases. Lack of affordable housing...
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Reverse Commuting in Lake County
Increasingly, millennials living in downtown Chicago are reverse commuting for better job opportunities outside of the urban core. One of...
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Lincolnshire Best City For Business
The Village of Lincolnshire, IL was named the 3rd Best City in the US to Start a Business in! We...
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City of Kenosha Launches Massive Downtown Redevelopment RFP
The City of Kenosha has issued a significant Request for Proposals (RFP) for a transformative downtown redevelopment project aimed at...
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Office Amenities Improve at 1 Overlook Point
We are known for our award-winning projects, and for innovative improvements to suburban office space in Chicagoland. As the...
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Food Truck Friday’s Returns to Lincolnshire
We are excited to announce the return of Food Truck Fridays to the Lincolnshire Corporate Center at the 300...
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Another Successful Food Truck Friday!
We had a great turnout for Food Truck Friday! The community enjoyed fresh food, good company, and phenomenal weather. While...
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Sprinkman Corp. Expands to Waukesha Amid Craft Brewing Boom
W.M. Sprinkman Corp., a long-standing manufacturer in the Milwaukee area, has recently made a significant move to a new facility...
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Sears to Close Kenosha Store This Fall Amid Nationwide Restructuring
The announcement that Sears Holdings Corp. will be closing its Kenosha store this fall is yet another chapter in the...
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Realty Income Acquires Mariano’s Stores in Lake Zurich and Suburbs for $116M
A recent flurry of acquisitions by San Diego-based Realty Income highlights a growing trend in the commercial real estate market:...
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Mars Cheese Castle Expanding Near Kenosha with 21,000-Square-Foot Addition
Mars Cheese Castle, a beloved landmark near Kenosha known for its castle-themed architecture and expansive cheese selection, is set to...
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Whole Foods Anchors Mellody Farm: Transforming Retail & Residential Landscape in Vernon Hills
The Mellody Farm development in Vernon Hills, anchored by the addition of Whole Foods Market and featuring a blend of...
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Rust-Oleum Expands Kenosha Warehouse with $7M Project Amid Regional Growth
Rust-Oleum’s plans for a 250,000-square-foot expansion of its Kenosha warehouse underscore the company’s continued growth and commitment to strengthening its...
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Kenosha Acquires Former Chrysler Engine Plant Site for Future Redevelopment
The city of Kenosha’s recent acquisition of the former Chrysler engine plant site is set to transform a cornerstone of...
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300 Tower Parkway in Lincolnshire Corporate Center has been Awarded the LEED Silver Certification
Lincolnshire, IL – Van Vlissingen and Co., the developers and managers of Lincolnshire Corporate Center, has been awarded the...
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HydraForce invests in 142,000 Sq. Ft. Innovation and Technology Center at The Corporate Woods
Vernon Hills, IL – HydraForce (Lincolnshire, IL) announces major expansion plans with a 142,000 square foot Innovation and Technology Center...
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800 Church Street in Lake Zurich Lease
LAKE ZURICH, IL - Van Vlissingen and Co. represented Schultz Brothers Real Estate in the leasing of 116,925 sq. ft....
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Allen Visual Systems, Inc. Expands in The Corporate Grove
BUFFALO GROVE, IL - BUFFALO GROVE, IL- Allen Visual Systems, Inc. has expanded into approximately 12,000 sq. ft. of industrial...
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