The Texas facility will be the seventh TopGolf facility in the world, joining existing facilities in Dallas; Alexandria, Va.;, Woodale, Ill.; and three facilities in the United Kingdom.

The Allen facility will be part of the recently completed Village at Allen and Fairview, a retail development by the Dallas-based MGHerring Group. This development contains more than 2 million square feet of occupied retail space.

TopGolf is an entertainment facility that combines a restaurant/bar atmosphere with that of a driving range.  The driving ranges uses RFID technology and large target pits throughout the range to provide players with instant feedback on precisely where their golf balls are landing on the range; this allows users to compete in a variety of different TopGolf games.

The new facility will contain 94 hitting bays and 35,000 square feet of interior space. The interior space will be comprised of two restaurants and bars, a high end lounge for TopGolf members only, event and banquet space and a large beer garden/lounge space.

Whirlpool campus in Benton Harbor, Mich.

Whirlpool Corporation on Sept. 9 selected The Pizzuti Companies, of Columbus, Ohio, as developer for its new corporate campus to be located in downtown Benton Harbor, Mich. The new development will transform the property into an office campus of three three-story buildings and other amenities.

“Pizzuti offered a creative and talented team that not only embraced Whirlpool Corporation’s 100-year history but also demonstrated an understanding of what it takes to support our forward-looking innovation processes,” said Lee Utke, director of global corporate real estate for Whirlpool Corporation. “They offered a holistic solution, a commitment to using locally based contractors and service providers, and a demonstrated track record of successful community enhancement projects.”

The proposed design will also target LEED Gold certification.

Pizzuti’s development projects include the Heathrow International Business Center in Orlando, Fla., and One and Two Miranova, a mixed-use redevelopment in downtown Columbus that features a luxury high-rise condominium tower and a 12-story Class-A office building that serves as home to Pizzuti’s corporate headquarters.

In addition, Pizzuti is serving as master developer for Exploration Park, a high-tech research and office park on the grounds of the Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Pizzuti also has completed multiple buildings for Whirlpool Corporation, including a 1.6-million-square-foot LEED-certified facility.

“We’re extremely pleased to continue our long-standing relationship with Whirlpool Corporation,” said Joel Pizzuti, president and chief operating officer of The Pizzuti Companies. “The entire Pizzuti team is committed to delivering a sustainable, world-class corporate headquarters that will allow Whirlpool to continue to retain and attract the best and brightest minds to its corporate workforce.”

The plan is Phase 1 of a proposed development of nearly 500 acres on the southeast side of Chicago. Phase 1 will include the construction of new public infrastructure and the mixed-used development identified as The Market Common, an 800,000-square-foot project featuring retail, restaurants, entertainment venues and residential units.

Daniel McCaffery, president and founder, McCaffery Interests remarks: “We share the vision of the Chicago City Council, Mayor Daley and Alderman Pope and Jackson to bring to life a vibrant master-planned urban community based on innovative sustainable principles.  We commend the city council’s actions to support the Phase 1 redevelopment agreement.  Our team is committed to this important Chicago neighborhood and look forward to working with community leaders, associations and municipal departments on the continuous development process.”

The approved RDA focuses on a 76-acre land parcel bound by 79^th St, 83^rd St, Brandon Ave and US Route 41 in the Chicago Lakeside Development Phase 1 Tax Increment Financing Redevelopment Project Area.  TIF assistance in the amount of $96 million is allocated for the construction of new streets, sewers and other public infrastructure. Chicago Lakeside Development will invest an additional $397 million on construction and development of The Market Common. Construction is scheduled to commence as early at 2012.  The project is estimated to generate more than 1,500 temporary construction jobs and 1,000 permanent jobs.

About the Chicago Lakeside Development Master Plan:

Planned to be constructed in a minimum of six distinctive phases, the Chicago Lakeside Development Master Plan long-term vision includes an estimated $450 million in new public infrastructure, 125 acres of public land, miles of lakefront access, new bike paths, and expansive commuter rail and bus service — all surrounded by 13,575 new homes, 17,500,000 square feet of retail and other commercial space, a new high school, and a 1,500 slip marina.  Designed by Skidmore, Owings and Merrill in conjunction with Sasaki Associates and Antunovich Associates, it is perhaps the largest public-private development project ever undertaken in the City of Chicago. It will take an estimated 25 – 45 years to complete and will cost more than $4 billion in both public and private funds

The Chicago Lakeside Development Master Plan has already earned national and international recognition and is the recipient of four prestigious awards including the 2009 AIA National Honor Award Regional & Urban Design, 2009 Chicago Athenaeum International Architecture Award, 2009 AIA Boston Chapter Sustainable Design Award Urban Design & Master Plan, and 2007 AIA Chicago Chapter Sustainable Design Award.

Total Hockey is a privately held hockey equipment retailer. Based in St. Louis, Total Hockey has nine retail locations in the greater St. Louis, Chicago and Minneapolis/St. Paul areas. It also boasts a growing online business.

Benson-Orth Construction has also started interior demolition and build-out of a second Total Hockey store in Minnetonka, Minn. That store is scheduled for a late fall opening.

EnergyPrint’s budgeting tool allows chief financial officers, property owners and managers to model changes in energy rates, consumption or even total budget amount. By applying these predictive variables against historical rate and consumption data specific to each property, users can create credible energy-cost budgets.

“Providing easy-to-use tables and intuitive displays of historical and predicted performance, users can quickly understand the impact of rate and consumption on their total budget,” said Priscilla Koeckeritz, president and chief operating officer of EnergyPrint. “Used in conjunction with our suite of benchmarking tools, realistic goals for cost and consumption reduction can be set, taking control over energy expense.”

According to the U.S. Department of Commerce, U.S. Department of Labor and Whitestone Research, the energy cost index for non-residential buildings has increased 6.9 percent from last year. Officials at EnergyPrint believe that the opportunity for corporations to save money on energy consumption and to control costs for the future is huge.

That’s because possible tenants seem to be spending every second of every day trying to squeeze more out of you: more rental drops, more concessions, more incentives.

Chris Rohrer understands. He’s the executive vice president of the Minneapolis office of Jones Lang LaSalle. He sees just how much pressure the landlords in his market area are under.

“In downtown Minneapolis right now there is a lot of pressure still for landlords,” he said. “Tenants are aware of the unique opportunity to lock in favorable lease terms and incentives. There is a decent amount of activity in the office market here now from people coming out to try to take advantage of this situation. Landlords, then, are facing some very real, very significant pressures from a rate and incentive standpoint.”

In addition to local leadership, the event was attended by state and federal officials that helped bring the project to fruition, including Governor Patrick

Pictured (left to right): Village President David Pope, Oak Park; Representative Elizabeth Hernandez (District 24); Paul Zimmermann, BDC President; Senator Kimberly Lightford (District 4); Congressman Danny Davis (IL-7); Elizabeth Dominick; Governor Patrick Quinn; Town President Larry Dominick, Cicero; and Mayor Robert Lovero, Berwyn.

Quinn, U.S. Congressman Danny Davis (IL-7), Senator Kimberly Lightford (District 4), Senator Don Harmon (District 39), and Representative Lisa Hernandez (District 24). The ceremony was followed by a reception at Bodhi Thai Bistro located at 6211 W. Roosevelt Road.

The culmination of more than eight years of planning by Berwyn, Cicero and Oak Park resulted in the appropriation of nearly $7 million in state and federal funding for the improvement of Roosevelt Road, from Harlem Avenue to Austin Boulevard. The three communities will share additional costs, which brings the total value of the improvement to the corridor in excess of $10 million. Mayor Robert J. Lovero commented, “This project was fueled by a common vision between Berwyn, Oak Park, and Cicero to revitalize Roosevelt Road into a unified experience for residents, businesses and visitors. This collaboration is a key step in supporting our diverse entertainment and retail corridor.”

The end result will include upgraded street infrastructure and coordinated amenities such as bike racks, benches, refuse containers and lighting. The Berwyn Development Corporation obtained funding in 2000 through an Illinois Tomorrow Grant, which allowed the City of Berwyn and Village of Oak Park to hire Farr Associates to complete Roosevelt Road’s first comprehensive corridor study. A 2006 intergovernmental agreement between the three municipalities solidified their cooperation. Consultants were then hired to prepare the streetscape plans along with a new form-based code zoning overlay. With the form-based code and the streetscape plans approved by all municipalities, funding was needed to keep the project on track.

Of the obtained funding, $1.2 million from the Illinois Department of Transportation (IDOT) will be allocated toward road resurfacing and $1.8 million toward other corridor improvements. An additional $25,000 was singled out for bikeway improvements along the corridor through the Illinois Transportation Enhancement Program (ITEP). Federal funds totaling $3.95 million will go toward the street’s redevelopment. Senator Martin Sandoval (District 12) and Senator Don Harmon (District 39) were instrumental in securing support at the state level and obtaining needed funds from the ITEP program.

In late 2009, the State of Illinois resurfaced Roosevelt Road in preparation for increased traffic from the upcoming Eisenhower Expressway renovations, which began earlier this year. Since the I-290 renovations are substantially complete, the streetscape work on Roosevelt Road can begin. The completion of the streetscape project is scheduled for late 2011.

With the support of all three municipalities, the project intends to unify the Roosevelt Road corridor, which hosts an average of 22,400 vehicles per day. The new and improved streetscape plan includes signage, lighting, street furniture, cross walks and sidewalks in an effort to make the thoroughfare more user-friendly for vehicles, pedestrians and bikes. Alderman Nora Laureto (8^th Ward, Berwyn) stated, “I am excited to finally see this project in action. Roosevelt Road has been heading in a great direction for years and this streetscape is going take us even further.” “The inclusion of high quality infrastructure will protect the long-term health of the street and enhance the city,” added Alderman Cesar Santoy (5^th Ward, Berwyn).

L-R: Lynn Reich, Meredith O'Connor, Alex Cole, Stacey Kruger Birndorf, Kelly Martincin, Deanna Arce

The Third Annual Women in Real Estate Awards luncheon was held today at the University Club in Chicago. Some of the industry’s top women were recognized in five categories as leaders and stand-out performers in their field.

The event was hosted by the Illinois Real Estate Journal and the Chicago Chapter of CREW.

More than 200 attended the event, which included a keynote address from Lynn Reich of Colliers International and president of SIOR International.

The 2010 winners are:

Meredith O’Connor of Jones Lang LaSalle and Deanna Arce of Shepard Schwartz & Harris LLP both took home Bright Horizon Awards. This award is given to women who have five year or less of commercial real estate experience and have demonstrated that they will be industry leaders in years to come. Deanna joined Shepard Schwartz three years ago. Meredith O’Connor joined Jones Lang LaSalle transitioning from the public sector.

Molly Kelly, chief marketing officer of Jones Lang LaSalle, was given the Impact Award. The Impact Award is given to the woman who has had a significant impact on the commercial real estate industry within the last 18 months. Kelly recently celebrated her 20^th anniversary with the firm and continues to impact how the firm is perceived nationally and internationally, as reflected by the honors and recognitions it receives.

The Community Service Award went to Kelly Marticin of HAWORTH, Inc. Marticin has voluntarily served on the board of Hostelling International for more than six years. Additionally, she has been a board member of the Cynthia L. Bischof Foundation for three years. The foundation increases awareness of domestic violence issues.

Stacey Kruger Birndorf of Transwestern received the Crystal Apple Award for her efforts in mentoring women in the commercial real estate industry. In her poignant remarks, Birndorf explained the role of a mentor is to care for someone as they grow in the industry.

And this year’s Career Achievement Award was presented to Alexandra Cole of Perkins Coie LLP. Cole has had a storied three decade career working with some great names and well-known projects in Chicago. She also was involved providing legal counsel to the developers of the first commercial structure in Poland after the fall of the Berlin Wall.

The move will retain 3,000 jobs for the state and will reportedly create 400 temporary construction jobs.

Discussions with the truck and diesel engine manufacture seemed to break down a few months ago when the firm declared that it would begin to look at other sites for a potential headquarters location. Residents in Lisle voiced opposition to the potential move because of a proposed engine testing facility. Many felt that it would contribute to area noise pollution.

Apparently, the deal announced today will not include the testing facility and will only include the firm’s corporate offices.

The company will invest $110 million dollars in the Lisle headquarters, which will include executive management, business operations and product development. Core features of the technology center once envisioned for the Lisle campus will move, possibly to the Melrose Park facility as part of a contemplated $80 million investment. Another approximately $15 million will be invested in a new parts facility, the location of which is still being finalized, but will be in the Northern Illinois area. Combined, Navistar will be investing $205 million in Illinois.

The firm was represented by Jones Lang LaSalle in the transaction.

Romanek Properties Investment Director Peter Holstein made the announcement.

The firm paid a reported $26.2 million for the property.

Romanek Properties purchased the office building on Aug. 19 from 400 Skokie Boulevard Investors, who was represented by Paul Lundstedt, senior vice president and director of Grubb & Ellis.

The acquisition was led by Romanek Properties Ltd in association with Bachmann Associates Ltd and Syndicated Equities Ltd Ladder Capital Finance, New York, provided long-term financing, sourced by Bill Barry of Draper and Kramer and Joel Simmons of Grubb & Ellis.

The eight-story building is located between Dundee and Lake Cook Rd. on the west side of Skokie Blvd.  In addition to Romanek Properties, other tenants include M. Holland, Ameriprise Financial and Levenfeld Pearlstein.  Building amenities include a deli and fitness center.

An additional 5,500-square-foot free-standing building is planned for the site as the future home of TD Ameritrade Financial Services.

“This is a property we’ve wanted to acquire for more than four years. Quality assets in the north suburban corridor don’t often trade and 400 Skokie is a stand-out property,” said Holstein. “Like the seller, who held the property since it’s development over 20 years ago, we’re looking forward to a long-term hold, especially given the attractiveness of the north shore location and the limited alternatives to invest in an asset of this size within the area.“