The Chicago developer Calvin Boender transformed the former disco at 940 N. Rush St with over $2.5 million dollars in renovations, converting the iconic dance venue into 6,000 square feet of upscale retail space, reflecting a shift towards boutique shopping and capitalizing on the foot traffic generated by the nearby Bloomingdale's.

The North Side's DePaul neigh­borhood is gearing up for another boom. Already the city's hottest residential area for rehab and re­novation, it is now ripe for office redevelopment.

I’ve been studying the commercial retail real estate market lately and I see a few major trends that have me worried for a once booming sector. The amount of empty retail square footage on the market can either be looked at as a consequential market correction or an alarming trend, indicative of worsening economic conditions.

What is the most important task that either of these candidates has to accomplish if elected on November 8, 2016? "JOBS!". Now wait a minute you say, what about unemployment only being at 5% (so says Janet Yellen).

Operating as the CEO and president of NorthDevelopment, a Chicago real estate development firm I founded, I have over 35 years of expertise in residential and commercial real estate.

I have more than 35 years of experience working in the real estateindustry and business world. Throughout my career, I have had to demonstrateproficiency in a wide range of executive-level managerial and developmentskills, one of which is problem-solving.

I have years of experience in the commercial and residential real estate industries. I founded North Development Ltd. to facilitate residential and commercial projects in and around the greater Chicago area.

Being aware of the trends in business and the economy can help an investor make strategic decisions to stay ahead of a trend.

In my college years, I worked as a carpenter and drove a garbage truck through the streets of Chicago. Unknown to me then, I was learning valuable lessons that I have applied later in my real estate career.

Early in my career, all I could think about was achieving financial success. Having this drive wasn’t a bad thing, but I was worried that my son was growing up fast, and that he would soon be off to college and beyond.

The only positive economic indicator is blind human optimism and investors sense trouble ahead. This has triggered a search for value in a marketplace weary of government intervention and manipulated financial statistics.