Jim McDonald, president of Great Lakes Region, will lead downtown team of 35+ professionals

Ryan Companies US, Inc. (Ryan), a national leader in commercial real estate services, announces it has enhanced its Chicago presence with the opening of a new downtown office at 224 North Desplaines in the city’s West Loop neighborhood. The 6,500-square-foot space accommodates approximately 35 full-time employees and will complement the firm’s larger office in suburban Westmont.

“While we’ve long had a robust presence in the Chicago area, with 150 employees based in Westmont, our business is increasingly bringing us downtown as we capture more market share,” said Jim McDonald, president of Ryan Companies’ Great Lakes Region. “Our region’s business platform has grown significantly in recent years, so we need additional office space to accommodate our larger team and our growth strategies.”

More than 15 people within Ryan’s architecture + engineering division began working in the new downtown office in the fall. As the design studio of Ryan Companies, the A+E team includes experts in healthcare, industrial, multifamily, office and senior living planning and design. Other professionals in the downtown office include members of the firm’s construction, development, capital markets and marketing divisions.

“With our multifamily, senior living, healthcare, industrial and life science portfolios growing across Chicago and the Great Lakes, this new space will give our team more flexibility and the opportunity to be closer to clients and projects as we continue to pursue opportunities in the city center and beyond,” McDonald said. “This new downtown office also allows us to add new staff to support our enormous growth throughout the Great Lakes Region.”

Ryan has several notable recently completed and under-construction projects in the Chicago area that represent its growth in the region. The firm is currently developing the 10-story, $117 million Clarendale Six Corners, a mixed-use, retail and senior living community at the corner of Irving Park Road and Milwaukee Avenue in Chicago’s Irving Park neighborhood that is expected to be completed by fall 2022.

In 2021, Ryan completed several projects throughout the south and west suburbs of Chicago, including a 3.5-million-square-foot Amazon fulfillment center that opened in July in Markham; a two-story, 50,000-square-foot building as part of its 18-acre Oakmont Point office park redevelopment in Westmont; and a new 36,100-square-foot Edward-Elmhurst Health Center in Woodridge.

Recent Great Lakes Region projects outside of Chicagoland include Kroger’s first automated online customer fulfill center in Monroe, Ohio, which opened in April 2021. Ryan is also designing and building a Kroger fulfillment center in Romulus, Mich. And near St. Louis, Ryan recently developed and built Clarendale Clayton, a 13-story senior living project.

About Ryan Companies:

Founded in 1938, Ryan Companies offers comprehensive commercial real estate services as a national developer, architect, capital investment consultant, builder and real estate manager with a focus on bringing lasting value to its customers and the communities in which it works. Ryan’s market depth includes retail, industrial, healthcare, multifamily housing and senior living. Ryan’s development and corporate build-to-suit work spans a wide range of product types including office, mixed-use, hospitality and mission critical facilities. Ryan has over 1,800 employees in 16 offices and has completed projects in nearly every state. For more information, visit ryancompanies.com.

Ryan Companies has opened a new office at 224 North Desplaines in the Chicago’s West Loop neighborhood that complements the firm’s larger office in suburban Westmont. Photo courtesy of Ryan Companies.