MB Real Estate Appoints New Chief Administrative Officer

MB Real Estate is pleased to announce the appointment of Patricia Aluisi as its new Chief Administrative Officer & Senior Vice President of Support Services. She will play a multi-faceted role and manage the firm’s marketing, human resources and information technology departments.

“I am delighted to be a part of a company where the highest professional standards and client focus are the cornerstones of its business,” said Aluisi. “The way we cultivate enduring relationships with each of our clients is the same way we create productive and cohesive relationships within our company. That synergy is key to the success of MB Real Estate, and most importantly, our clients.”

Prior to MB Real Estate, Aluisi served as the General Counsel and Director of Corporate Administration for London-based Bovis International. She negotiated numerous construction/project management projects in more than 20 countries, establishing business entities and serving as an executive or board member. Her projects included the Petronas Towers and Kuala Lumpur City Center in Malaysia; Euro Disneyland; Canary Wharf; The Jewel House at the Tower of London; and the Merck headquarters in Germany. 

She was appointed to the Bovis LTD board as Commercial Director to lead the firm’s development of infrastructure projects, such as privately financed water treatment plants in China and Malaysia and National Health Service Hospitals in the United Kingdom. After returning to the United States, she co-founded business advisory firm Qorval, LLC, as well as served as a consultant with construction management firm Brennan Group, specializing in creative solutions in the criminal justice sector. Aluisi is a founding trustee and actively involved in the Naples Winter Wine Festival, recognized as the most successful charity wine auction by Wine Spectator.

Earlier in her career in Baltimore, Aluisi managed Administrative Services at USF&G Insurance, where she was a commercial real estate broker, and was also a partner in a private law practice. She earned a Bachelor of Arts degree, magna cum laude, as well as her Juris Doctor, from University of Maryland.

MB Real Estate 3rd Quarter 2011 Chicago Market Overview

MB Real Estate has released our 3rd Quarter 2011 Chicago Market Overview, a quarterly report that tracks trends, analyzes data, and provides you with our forecast for the Chicago CBD and Suburban office markets.

Vacancy continued to decline in the CBD, albeit modestly.  Business confidence, which has propelled CBD office demand ahead of the employment market, has been shaken by negative economic news and fears of another downturn.  Without confidence in future growth, tenants are likely to be more conservative in their office leasing.  On the other hand, companies like Motorola Mobility, Sara Lee, and Google are searching for office space and will represent new demand.  In Suburban Chicago, the picture is still bleak with a further decrease in occupancy.  With no consistent drivers of growth and a preference for companies to be in the CBD, Suburban Chicago will have difficulty rebounding.

In addition to the Chicago Market Overview, please reference our in-depth 3rd Quarter 2011 Submarket Snapshots, which include highlights and analysis of each of the Chicago submarkets that MB Real Estate tracks.

Chicago Office Buildings & Pink Go Hand in Hand: MB Real Estate to use pink hand towels in its properties to support national cancer awareness month

CHICAGO, OCTOBER 3, 2011—MB Real Estate is helping to spread breast cancer awareness in Chicago one hand at a time. Throughout the month of October, the Chicago-based commercial real estate firm will have pink hand towels in every restroom at several of its downtown office properties in support of National Breast Cancer Awareness Month. MB Real Estate has teamed up with Think Pink Paper to make a donation for each case of pink hand towels ordered with proceeds going to organizations such as Susan G. Komen for the Cure and The American Cancer Society.

Between the participating eight buildings, this campaign is expected to reach more than 12,500 people each day. The MB Real Estate-managed properties that are participating include Citigroup Center/Ogilvie Transportation Center (500 West Madison); Michigan Plaza (205/225 North Michigan); 200/230 West Monroe; The LaSalle Wacker (221 North LaSalle); 55 West Wacker and 205 West Wacker.

“It’s our unique way of showing our support for the millions of breast cancer survivors in the country, as well as sharing the memories of those who lost their battle with this insidious disease,” said Kevin Purcell, Executive Vice President and Managing Director of Asset Management for MB Real Estate.

According to the American Cancer Society, in 2011, more than 230,000 women have been diagnosed with invasive breast cancer and nearly 40,000 have died from this disease. Currently, there are more than 2.5 million breast cancer survivors in the United States.

The pink hand towels are just one of many initiatives that MB Real Estate has implemented to support National Breast Cancer Awareness Month. The company’s employees have been donating $5 for Lee National Denim Day on Friday, October 7, 2011 to be able to wear jeans to work to show solidarity in support of breast cancer awareness. Since 2004, MB Real Estate has been one of many companies across the country that has helped raise millions of dollars for the Women’s Cancer Programs of the Entertainment Industry Foundation.

MB Real Estate manages more than 12.5 million square feet of property in the Chicago area, including Millennium Park, The Richard J. Daley Center and 181 West Madison. The company was recently selected as the property manager for the new 440,000 square foot North American headquarters in Glenview, Illinois for Japanese pharmaceutical giant Astellas.