CRG, the national real estate development and investment firm, has named Tim O’Connell vice president of marketing in its Chicago office.
In his new role, O’Connell will oversee the management of CRG’s corporate communications, branding, public relations and digital marketing initiatives as the firm comes off a record year in commercial development.
Prior to joining CRG, O’Connell served as the vice president of corporate communications and sustainability for Retail Properties of America, Inc., a publicly traded open-air shopping REIT. During his 15-year tenure at RPAI, O’Connell provided marketing leadership to help achieve critical business objectives, including an integral role with the company’s rebranding as part of its 2012 IPO. In 2013, he was elected an officer of RPAI and played a key supporting role in the messaging of the company’s strategic objectives, milestones, and corporate sustainability and ESG achievements.
O’Connell has established himself as a thought leader in commercial real estate marketing with experience in areas such as corporate governance, investor relations and sustainability. He has led courses on digital marketing and corporate branding initiatives for the International Council of Shopping Centers University of Shopping Centers at the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania, the University of Southern California, the John T. Riordan School for Retail Real Estate Professionals and RECon Academy.
He is the recipient of an ICSC US Silver MAXI Award for excellence in marketing for an interdisciplinary campaign and for new media excellence within emerging technology. For two years, he served as a committee chair for ICSC’s marketing and social media conference, known as MOCIAL+, and served as the MOCIAL+ event chairman in 2016.
O’Connell is CRG’s 15th new senior-level hire in the past 12 months, adding to a roster of talent that will support the firm’s long-term strategic growth plan. In 2021, CRG launched three new residential projects representing nearly $300 million of investment, part of a planned $1 billion in multifamily developments over the next two to three years. Last July, it also launched USLF II, a $1.5 billion fund to develop new industrial assets, and has already raised $220 million in capital. The firm is launching a number of new mission-driven initiatives for 2022, all of which will benefit from O’Connell’s corporate marketing experience in the commercial real estate sector.
O’Connell received his BBA in Marketing from Benedictine University in Lisle, Ill., where he is an active alumni member for the College of Business. He has served on the board of directors for Busse Woods Running Club, a Northwest suburban 501(c)(3), and now supports the organization as a marketing and technology advisor.
