Prior to starting Beitler Real Estate Corporation, J. Paul Beitler was co-founder of Miglin-Beitler Developments with his partner, Lee Miglin. Beitler Real Estate Corporation was founded by J. Paul Beitler following the death of Lee Miglin in 1997.

Over the course of Mr. Beitler’s 30 year real estate career, he has achieved a remarkable financial success record for his partners and investors. Mr. Beitler has been responsible for the development of over 10 million square feet of Class A office space, including some of the largest and most architecturally distinguished building in the City and suburbs. Many of these developments sold for the highest values in the history of Chicago providing unprecedented financial returns for investors.

Mr. Beitler’s office building redevelopment group has also received numerous awards for successfully transforming older office buildings into financially successful showcase properties. Many of these buildings would have been lost to the wrecking ball, but instead have been saved so that their architectural beauty can be enjoyed by future generations.

In addition, Mr. Beitler created a management company (formerly Miglin-Beitler Management) responsible for a portfolio of over 30 million square feet in 16 states, as well as the privatization of the management of the largest public building in Chicago, the Richard J. Daley Center. His management style and attention to detail have established standards of excellence throughout the industry.

The Beitler Team is proud to service its clients in all aspects of real estate – without compromise.

Beitler Team Leadership

J. Paul Beitler - President

J. Paul Beitler has been one of Chicago’s best known real estate leaders and most influential developers for over 35 years. His high profile developments and detailed management style have placed him and his firm among Chicago’s most respected real estate teams in the history of Chicago.

Prior to entering the real estate world, Mr. Beitler served in the Vietnam War where he earned the Army’s Bronze Star. He returned to the United States and eventually began his career as a commercial real estate broker in Chicago.

Over the past 30 years, Mr. Beitler and his companies have negotiated over 7,000 leases, managed over 30 million square feet of space across 16 states and developed 10 million square feet of buildings. In 1991 Mr. Beitler made international headlines when he unveiled plans to develop the tallest building in the world, the Miglin-Beitler Tower. Ultimately the project lost steam due to the recession of the global economy, however, Mr. Beitler’s other successful developments have earned the respect of business leaders and competitors alike.

Mr. Beitler has been recognized as one of Chicago’s most influential real estate brokers, most well known for acting as the sole broker in one of the largest  transactions in the history of Chicago – the long-term lease signed by JP Morgan Chase at 131 S. Dearborn Street in Chicago, IL for 650,000sf. In Addition, Mr. Beitler also leased 350,000sf of space to Chase at One North Dearborn Street for a combined total of 1 million square feet. Both buildings were Beitler developments.

In addition to his success and involvement in the business world, Mr. Beitler has been extremely active in many prominent civic, cultural and business institutions. He has served on the Board of Trustees of the Museum of Science and Industry, Board of Trustees for the Museum of Contemporary Art, is a Member of the Architecture Committee of the Art Institute of Chicago and was on the International Board of Directors for the Frederic Remington Art Museum in New York.

Mr. Beitler was formerly an Advisory Board Member for Northwestern University’s J.L. Kellogg Graduate Center for Real Estate Research, former Member of the Board of Directors for the Greater State Street Council and Board of the Chicago Development Council.

Mr. Beitler was inducted in the Chicago Association of Realtor’s Hall of Fame in 2001.

On a personal level, Mr. Beitler is extremely active in many different activities, having received his Airline Transport Pilot rating for both fixed-wing jet and turbine-helicopter aircraft by the FAA.

James A. West - Executive Vice President

Mr. West has over 30 years for commercial and residential real estate experience. Mr. West spent 20 years as Senior Vice President at Equitable Real Estate Investment Management, Inc. where he directed equity acquisitions and sales. Later, Mr. West was Executive Vice President at American Invsco Corp. responsible for acquiring multi-family real estate and arranging acquisition financing.

Mr. West’s major accomplishments include the purchase of over 5,000 apartment units, negotiated real estate acquisitions in excess of $2 billion, responsible for overseeing the development of the 792,000 sf NBC Tower in Chicago, IL including negotiating the lease transactions with numerous tenant including NBC (230,000 sf) and Navistar International Corporation (160,000 sf).

At Beitler, Mr. West is responsible for overseeing all aspects of development for Beitler’s commercial, residential and retail projects. Mr. West’s deep understanding of finance and long history in the industry provide Beitler with a strong ability to execute on a diverse array of projects.

Mr. West received his BS in Real Estate and Finance form the University of Missouri and is active in various real estate economic associations and organizations including: The Chicago Development Council, The Economic Club of Chicago and The Real Estate Board of New York.

John Paul Beitler III - Vice President

John Paul Beitler III (“J.P.”) oversees and manages all the daily operations of the Beitler companies and is Vice President of Beitler ’s Brokerage and Leasing company, Beitler Properties LLC. Mr. Beitler grew up in the real estate business and formally joined the company in 2003. Mr. Beitler has extensive office leasing and marketing experience in Chicago and its outlying suburbs and has completed transactions with clients that include Thompson Coburn LLP, Kohler Interiors, American Association of Diabetes Educators and has exclusively represented the Commuter Rail Division of The Regional Transportation Authority with their office, retail and land properties.

Mr. Beitler is responsible for identifying new development and redevelopment opportunities. Mr. Beitler has been involved with projects such as 151 North Franklin Street (office) 301 & 321 South Wacker Drive (office / hotel), 100 North Sheridan Road (residential), 6469 Sheridan Road (residential) and 151 North Michigan Avenue (retail).

Prior to joining Beitler, Mr. Beitler worked at one of Chicago’s largest law firms, Mayer Brown LLP. He specialized in paralegal services and worked with such clients as America Online, Bank of America and United Airlines.

Mr. Beitler is a licensed Illinois Real Estate Broker, has earned the LEED Green Associate credential from the Green Building Certification Institute and received his Bachelor of Arts degree from Southern Methodist University (SMU) in Dallas, Texas. Outside of work Mr. Beitler is an aviation enthusiast. Mr. Beitler is an instrument rated pilot and received his license at the age of 17.

Phil Salazar - Senior Vice President, Construction & Development

Mr. Salazar is an accomplished builder and owner representative for top tier projects, including Beitler’s 1.5 million square foot Dearborn Center development in Chicago, IL. Mr. Salazar’s background includes large national and international contractors including McClier, Schal Bovice, JA Jones Construction Co. and Morse Diesel. Foreign successes include a major 1992 Summer Olympics project in Barcelona Spain and post NAFTA pre-construction consultations in 1994 Mexico City.

Mr. Salazar’s skills span from pre-construction to close-out, in both field and office capacities. His body of project types and sizes range from $10 million to $750 million including commercial, manufacturing, healthcare, educational, renovation and mixed-use buildings. Mr. Salazar holds two technical degrees including an MBC in Construction Management from the University of Florida.

Kevin D. McGee, CPA - Controller

Mr. McGee serves as the firms Controller and is responsible for financial oversight of the company’s development and management projects including The Shops at Millennium Station. In addition, Mr. McGee manages the day-to-day financial operations of the firm as well as construction loan management for Beitler development projects. Prior to joining Beilter, Mr. McGee was a Senior Property Accountant for Prime Group Realty Trust in Chicago, IL.

Mr. McGee received a Masters of Accounting and Financial Management from the Keller Graduate School of Management and is a CPA.