Meet Our People

Mitch is a experienced real estate investor/developer who focuses on new acquisition and development opportunities primarily in the retail sector within the Chicagoland area. He’s been involved in the acquisition, development, leasing and disposition of more than one million square feet of retail, industrial and office properties totaling over $200 million in the last decade. Mitch’s experience also includes design, construction, management, financing and overall execution of both short and long term investment plans for each property through implementation of various value added strategies such as leasing stabilization, re-positioning, redevelopment and dispositions.

Mitch has a deep understanding of the real estate business and has cultivated relationships with many of the top local and national retailers, restaurants and professionals in the real estate community. He is the son of a third generation Chicago retailer, so he is able to identify with both the financial and emotional significance of a purchase or sale of family owned properties. He understands that there can be several important factors, beyond money, that need to be considered and satisfied for a transaction to go smoothly and successfully.

Shai is a graduate of Carnegie Mellon University and gained his initial work experience at Merrill Lynch working on the Emerging Markets Fixed Income department focusing on trading strategies for both debt and credit derivatives. He later moved on to work as a Credit Risk Associate at TIAA-CREF analyzing debt, equities and real estate portfolios for the $400+ billion retirement fund. In 2008, he left to form Shai Town Realty Group Inc, a full service real estate brokerage and management firm that grew to over 40 agents. At the same time, he began developing single tenant assets and strip centers for national tenants across the Chicagoland area. He quickly realized that development was both his true passion and a better use of his skills and previous experiences. After working with Mitch on several projects, they recognized the tremendous synergies between the two of them and decided to join forces to create a boutique real estate firm that’s now GW Properties.