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Karin Kraai has launched Forest Partners Real Estate LLC, a commercial real estate consulting practice.  The firm provides services in the management and/or execution of the leasing and disposition process for understaffed corporate real estate departments, banks, commercial real estate advisory groups, and niche building owners.

Karin Kraai

Consulting services will include developing and implementing strategies for OREO bank office asset portfolios that need to be repositioned and leased for a hold or disposition strategy; advisory groups working on receivership and sublease portfolios; distressed asset work-outs, and unique office leasing and marketing challenges.

Forest Partners Real Estate has formed a strategic alliance with RE/Solutions (a partnership between Realogic and Siegel-Gallagher) which provides services and turn-around solutions for distressed real estate ranging from receivership, asset/property management and leasing, to asset dispositions.

“As a result of the economy, many organizations are facing major challenges, and are frequently understaffed,” said Kraai in a statement. “In the 2001 recession cycle, the economy lost 2 percent of its jobs and took four years to get them back.  This time, more than 5 percent of jobs have been lost, and employers remain reluctant to hire back full-time employees.   They are now relying on consultants with the critical skills and experience necessary to quickly step-in to assess and solve the problem for a company without adding the cost of full-time salaries and benefits.”

Kraai has almost 25 years of real estate experience, including stints as an executive at Merchandise Mart Properties and Jones Lang LaSalle.  Ms. Kraai has served in the role of both player and coach, driving the performance of office portfolios in excess of seven million square feet and valued at over $2 billion.  She has closed over 3.7 million square feet of transactions valued in excess of $1 billion; and repositioned and re-branded assets providing  both short and long term added value for her clients.

Tags | Chicago, consulting, CRE

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