Scardino joins Lee & Associates, launches retail division
April 05, 2010 | Staff Writer | Print Article | Email this Article
Rick Scardino, a 24 year veteran of the Chicago retail real estate market, has joined Lee & Associates Illinois and will head its new retail division.
Scardino comes to Lee from Affinity Commercial Real Estate, where he was 
the founder and president. He also had extensive experience at Grubb & Ellis, where he spent nine years as one of its top retail brokers in the Chicago region. During his tenure at Grubb & Ellis Scardino ranked second nationally within the company’s retail division and among the company’s top 25 brokers in the nation (from 1,000 brokers nationally) in 2002.
With a strong background in restaurant projects and land sales, Scardino spent 20 years in family-owned restaurants prior to entering the commercial real estate field. He is a charter member and past president of the Chicagoland Restaurant Brokers Association (CRBA).
“Rick had already had a long-term relationship with many of the brokers in our office. It goes back to his Grubb days. So his presence here at Lee is a huge plus for us,” said Jeff Galante, principal and co-founder of Lee & Associates of Illinois, in a statement. “We’ve never really had a retail division in Chicago so it made sense to hire the best for the job. And Rick was it. He’s well respected in the industry.”
Scardino is a graduate of Bradley University. He is a board member of the International Council of Shopping Centers (ICSC) State Board and has been a featured speaker at ICSC events.
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