ABOUT
GDS Companies
GDS is an Evanston, IL-based real estate consulting and development firm specializing in commercial, mixed-use, multi-family and hospitality projects. GDS Companies provide Development Management, Design Consulting, and Owner’s Representation services for third party ownership groups that would like to outsource or augment their development and project management processes and teams.
GDS’s President, Greg DeStefano, is the former Managing Director of Design and Development for Greenfield Partners, a real estate investment company with over $4.0 billion in assets under management. While at Greenfield, Greg saw the added value of combining the design/architecture perspective with a fiscal and project management discipline. This combination allows GDS to speak the language of all parties involved in design and development, while providing the leadership to ensure the project meets its goals.
OUR
Team Members
PRESIDENT AND FOUNDER
Greg DeStefano
GDS Consulting, Inc. was founded by Gregory J. DeStefano in February, 2012. Prior to GDS Consulting, Greg spent eleven years as Managing Director of Design and Development for Greenfield Partners- a Real Estate Investment Company with over $4.0 billion of real estate assets under management. Greg oversaw all aspects of design and development related issues on Greenfield projects totaling over $1.2B in new construction, entitlement and redevelopment.
Prior to joining Greenfield in 2001, Greg was SVP of Design and Development for dotspot-divine, an infrastructure development company owned by Divine Interventures, a Chicago based Venture Capital Company. Greg oversaw design and development of a roll out of 40,000 SF plug and play incubator facilities with internal data centers targeted towards start-up companies within the dotcom and technology industries.
From 1989 to 2000, Greg was a Senior Design Partner with DeStefano and Partners, a 125 person architectural firm based in Chicago. Greg was responsible for designing and managing over $2B of new construction residential, office, retail and land planning projects. Greg managed a team of 40 architects and was responsible for the creation of DeStefano and Partners Residential Design Group.
Greg maintains his architectural license in the State of Illinois, has a Masters of Architecture Degree with a concentration in Urban Design from Syracuse University in 1993 and a Bachelor of Architecture Degree from Cornell University in 1986. Greg is a member of the American Institute of Architects, Urban Land Institute and the International Council of Shopping Centers.
MANAGING DIRECTOR,
DESIGN AND PROJECT MANAGEMENT
Joe O'Hollearn
Joe O'Hollearn has 30 years of experience in Project Management and Interior Architecture. Joe's recent projects include the renovation and new build, ground-up 163 key Hyatt Centric located in Boston, MA. This project included an RFP process and management of all OAC consultants, including the coordination of all local jurisdictions and business licensing for a late Summer 2018 targeted opening. Prior to this, Joe was involved with a 191 key Hilton Garden Inn located in Chicago, Illinois developed by an East Coast Hospitality Group. In addition, Joe was involved in multiple West Coast Property Improvement Plans for a Real Estate Investment Firm in Greenwich, CT. Brands names / flags for these PIPS included Marriott, Hilton, Hyatt, Sheraton. Before joining GDS, Joe was a Principal of Ir2 - Interior Resource, an Interior Architectural firm in San Diego. Joe’s primary responsibilities were for business development and client relations. Joe received his Bachelor of Science degree from the School of Design and Technology at Northern Arizona University in Flagstaff. He launched his career with the architectural firm of Skidmore, Owings & Merrill in Chicago.
MANAGING DIRECTOR,
DESIGN AND PROJECT MANAGEMENT
Susan Sheldon
Susan Sheldon has been working as an owner's representative for owners, developers, and private clients since 1987. With over thirty years of experience in the construction industry, Susan has managed all aspects of the development process from conception through construction and commissioning. Along with twenty years of design-build project delivery, her experience spans from the hospitality industry and residential development to corporate headquarters. Projects include hotels, restaurants, office buildings, tenant improvements, form-based code development and new town planning. Susan’s expertise is in leading the design team through construction documents and then managing the contractor team through construction. She is currently serving as the Project Manager and Clerk of Works on the Hyatt Centric Hotel in Downtown Boston.
Prior to her development and design-build experience, Susan worked as a project architect at The Architects Collaborative in Cambridge, MA, including large scale mixed-use projects, hospitals, hotels, corporate campuses, higher education buildings, and historic redevelopment. She led the design and construction management on The Cornell School of Hotel Administration & Statler Hotel Renovation and Addition. Susan earned a Bachelor of Architecture degree from Cornell University and studied Business Management at Harvard University.
MANAGING DIRECTOR,
DEVELOPMENT AND PROJECT MANAGEMENT
Jeff Clark
Jeff Clark has recently completed the Main apartment building in Evanston for Riverside Development. He has been working as an owner's representative for owners, developers, and clients since 1985, with 19 years of experience as a Senior Vice President of Development for The John Buck Company, along with eight years of prior project management experience for leading Chicago area development and investment firms. Mr. Clark has managed all aspects of the development process from conception to closeout, on large mixed-use projects including hotels, residential high-rises, and suburban office buildings as well as on smaller projects including bank renovations, townhouses, a private school, and has also overseen the lease-up and marketing of apartment projects. Mr. Clark’s expertise is in leading design teams through construction documents and then managing the contractor team through construction. Prior to his development experience, Mr. Clark worked as a project architect at both Solomon Cordwell Buenz and Skidmore Owings and Merrill, and earned a Bachelor of Science in Architecture and Master of Architecture from the University of Michigan.
CONTROLLER
Tom Reagan
Tom Reagan has served as Controller of GDS Companies since 2012. In that capacity, he has worked on a number of projects including the development of Ace Hotel LA, Hilton Garden Inn Chicago and Centric Hotel Boston. Tom also has served as Business Manager/Controller of GREC Architects since 2010. Prior to this, Tom served as Treasury Manager for Allied Van Lines in Chicago for seven years, and as Assistant Treasurer for Chiquita Brands International in Chicago and Cincinnati for more than 12 years. Tom received an undergraduate degree in accounting/finance at Drake University and an MBA in finance at Keller School of Management.
DIRECTOR OF MARKETING
Mindy Meade
Mindy Meade is a seasoned marketing executive with a focus on understanding client’s needs and helping them achieve superior results. As an executive team member for two organizations, Mindy has honed her skills as an operational leader with P&L expertise. Her career has revolved around being a skilled relationship builder, thoughtful leader and motivator.
Mindy’s classical training at the international advertising agency Leo Burnett taught her to apply a consistent and disciplined approach to each project. She worked for large, complex clients such as Allstate and Aon Hewitt, for relationship based consulting clients and for clients who needed to define an entirely new category in order to sell their product. All of her projects start with a solid understanding of the overall goals of the organization and how marketing can play a role in helping a company reach its business objectives. While an Executive at Parson Group, a finance and accounting consulting firm, the firm achieved the status of Inc Magazine’s #1 Fastest Growing Company in 2000.
Mindy received her B.A. In English from Dartmouth College. She also received an M.A. In Contemporary Poetry from University of Sheffield as a Rotary Scholar, which covered full tuition and expenses. She currently sits on the Executive Team for the Ravinia Festival Women’s Board and is the National Co-Chair for the Women of Dartmouth Communications Steering Committee.
THOUGHTS
From Our Clients
“We hired GDS Consulting to augment our asset management team for projects that include a design and construction component. We are currently using them on our fifth project. They bring over 30 years of experience to the table and help our team translate between the physical and the financial aspects of the project. Their design and construction experience allows our team to challenge our operating partners, architects and contractors and to work together to problem solve and build a better final product.”
- James Orth, Managing Director, WHI Real Estate Partners
“As our former Managing Director of Design and Development, we have hired Greg DeStefano and GDS Consulting on many projects over the past 5 years to assist our internal asset managers and acquisitions partners in underwriting and implementing our business plans. GDS has been valuable in reviewing all aspects of design, development and construction. They have helped us on projects with extreme complexity and unique challenges. Will continue to use GDS in the future and welcome their input and experience.”
- Jeff Usas, Managing Director, Greenfield Partners