Former City of Chicago Planning and Development Commissioner, David Reifman, will join Clayco’s real estate development and investment firm as partner and senior vice president for strategic development initiatives. Reifman will lead key aspects of CRG’s national development activities, help expand Clayco’s design and construction businesses in existing and new markets and support the Decennial platform.
“David has a unique skillset and experience that encompasses high-level public and private sector work that will be strong assets to Clayco and our national platform,” said Clayco chairman and CEO, Bob Clark. “His ability to develop creative programs and deliver innovative projects complements our work across multiple business lines, while also bringing new perspective on growth areas where our company has been working to achieve and expand.”
In his role at CRG, which will begin September 3, 2019, Reifman will support various aspects of Clayco’s vertically integrated development platform, including helping source investment opportunities, identifying potential projects and investors, supporting key elements of the development process and forming and implementing growth strategies. In supporting Decennial, he will focus on scalable, long-term investments in Opportunity Zones with the goal of revitalizing neighborhoods throughout the country.
“I am very excited to become a part of the Clayco family of companies and work with Bob and Shawn Clark,” said Reifman. “I have spent my career working on a broad range of real estate development issues. From my work with the City of Chicago to support neighborhood development and urban revitalization, to my decades in law where I focused on complex real estate and mixed-use redevelopment, I have always strived to find innovative ways to transform urban spaces. CRG is doing incredible work, creating new opportunities and programs across the real estate spectrum and I look forward to using my knowledge, experience and skillset to continue to have a meaningful impact on urban reinvestment and underserved communities.”
From September 2015 through May 2019, Reifman served as the City of Chicago’s Commissioner of Planning and Development. As Commissioner, he was responsible for implementing large-scale, complex development and infrastructure projects, as well as numerous innovative policy and programming initiatives. Among his most notable accomplishments, Reifman was the architect of Chicago’s widely recognized Neighborhood Opportunity Fund, which leverages the success of increased density in downtown development to create resources for businesses in underserved neighborhoods on Chicago’s South and West Sides.
As commissioner, Reifman also led the efforts to rehabilitate long-vacant landmark buildings such as Chicago’s Old Main Post Office; modernized land use and mobility/transportation frameworks to transition obsolete industrial corridors to vibrant mixed-use job centers; initiated reforms to enhance minority- and women-owned business participation in private development; created contemporary sustainability policies for effective “green” building development and developed community anchors in underserved neighborhoods, including multiple grocery stores, affordable housing, public facilities and other commercial, industrial and institutional assets.
Prior to joining the city, Reifman was a partner at DLA Piper, where he practiced law for over 25 years. During his legal career, he focused on commercial, residential and industrial development, land use planning, complex real estate transactions, public-private partnerships and other key aspects of the real estate development process. Reifman was lead counsel on projects such as the restoration, renovation and expansion of Wrigley Field, the establishment of the Method factory in Pullman, the redevelopment of Fort Sheridan and the relocation of The Boeing Company headquarters to Chicago, as well as the national site selection for the 787 Dreamliner airplane assembly.
