Our Team

Matt is a part of the accounting team performing various accounting and financial services for the Friedman Properties portfolio. Prior to joining Friedman Properties, Matt began his career in public accounting at RSM, where he worked until he started at Potbelly Sandwiches in a Senior Accounting position. Matt graduated with a BBA in Accounting from Loyola University Chicago. He currently resides in Chicago where he enjoys watching live music, trying out new places with friends, and spending time with family.

Linda Fisher is the Office Manager at The Suites Collection, Friedman Properties’ shared executive office center at 101 W Grand. In addition to managing The Suites Collection, she also provides administrative support for the Leasing and Legal teams at Friedman. She enjoys traveling and lives in Oak Park.

Julie Friedman Simon leads both The Friedman Family Office and The Friedman Family Foundation. As a visionary and experienced board member, social entrepreneur, philanthropist, and investor, Julie is dedicated to advancing the family’s innovative approach to real estate development and pioneering next-generation technologies and businesses for the greater good. Julie has achieved remarkable milestones, including bringing industrial-grade 3D printing to the United States and creating an MPEG standard that makes video searchable on the internet. Currently, she serves as the CEO and co-founder of Integro, a psychedelic integration company. Through Integro, Julie aims to establish a framework for systemic change in our mental health care system, ultimately elevating consciousness.

Suzanne Friedman currently consults on special design projects. As the company’s Director of Design, her work in partnership with architecture, construction, property management and leasing helped shape the Friedman Properties aesthetic, which accentuates the properties’ historic character while creating highly versatile modern spaces. Most notably, her work creating The Ivy Room at Tree Studios has been widely praised by top event planners as one of the city’s best event spaces. Suzanne attended the Harrington College of Design. She is an enthusiastic political advocate, enjoys involvement in many community charities, and recently became a Broadway producer. Her most important priority is spending time with her five beautiful grandchildren.

With over 25 years of experience in the IT industry, Philip Hellyer specializes in delivering innovative solutions that drive business success. A proven leader in technology strategy, system integration, and project management, Philip has a track record of helping Friedman Properties optimize their IT infrastructure and enhance operational efficiency. Passionate about leveraging technology to meet Friedman Properties’ needs, Philip Hellyer provides expert guidance and support in today’s rapidly evolving digital landscape.

Camila is Friedman Properties’ Associate Counsel, specializing in all phases of commercial real estate transactions, with a strong emphasis on commercial leasing. She earned her J.D. from Loyola University Chicago School of Law in 2022 and her undergraduate degree from The George Washington University in 2019. Prior to joining Friedman, Camila practiced at a mid-sized law firm, where she represented clients in the acquisition, financing, and development of retail, office, mixed-use, multi-family, and industrial properties. Camila has a wealth of experience in guiding real estate developers through the full lifecycle of complex commercial projects, advising on entity structuring and preparing and negotiating governing documents. She is also well-versed in a wide range of financing transactions, including acquisition loans, construction loans, and refinancings. Additionally, her extensive expertise in negotiating commercial leases on both the landlord and tenant side provides her with a comprehensive understanding that significantly enhances her current role. Outside of her professional practice, Camila is an avid traveler with a personal goal of visiting all seven continents. In her free time, she loves running along Chicago’s lakefront, tuning into true crime podcasts, and attending concerts and comedy shows throughout the city.

Trish Kelly is a transformational leader in the Financial Services industry with a broad range of expertise in commercial and real estate finance. Trish advises Friedman Properties on all lending, investing and capital market matters, and she has been an important consultant supporting Friedman Properties success for more than two decades. Trish previously held executive banking responsibilities at large national and international banking organizations and also was a principal in a M & A investment banking firm providing real estate and bank advisory services. Trish received a Bachelor of Science degree in accounting from Boston College and an MBA in finance from NYU. Outside of work responsibilities she serves on two not for profit boards focused on affordable housing and personally values time with family, sailing, golfing and travel.

Carolyn joined Friedman Properties in 2007 and is a licensed Illinois real estate broker with a bachelor’s degree in history from Princeton University. She particularly enjoys working with adaptive reuse properties and the opportunity to interact with coworkers and tenants from diverse fields. Her work is now focused on oversight of our historic Tree Studios property, lease administration, and residential leasing.

Hollie Kreher manages all things digital/social media for The Good Plate Hospitality Group with Friedman Properties. Hollie is originally from the St. Louis, Missouri area (Go Cardinals!) and moved up to Chicago after graduating from college in 2021. In her free time, Hollie loves trying new coffee shops and hanging out by the lake.

Dana Lazarko is a construction project manager providing analytical support in construction operations and management for Friedman Properties. Ms. Lazarko is responsible for the planning, management direction, project completion, tenant satisfaction, and financial outcome of construction projects, as well as coordinating all contractual requirements, design drawings, and project specifications. Prior to working at Friedman Properties, Dana was a project manager for Newmark in the division of Global Corporate Services. She graduated from the University of Illinois at Chicago in 2015 and her hobbies include running and spending time with family and friends.

Sam Lichtenfeld is Friedman Properties’ General Counsel. He brings more than 20 years of experience in private and in-house practice. In Sam’s private practice, his clients included commercial real estate investment companies, lenders and developers in all manners of acquisitions, dispositions, financings and deal structuring across all asset classes. Prior to joining Friedman, Sam was General Counsel at a multifamily real estate investment company where his legal responsibilities also included matters under the Investment Advisers Act of 1940 and the Investment Company Act of 1940.

Marie has over 14 years of experience in the property management industry, having served as an Assistant Property Manager for a family-owned property management company since 2009. During her tenure, she managed both residential and commercial tenants, focusing primarily on legal matters, collections, and accounts receivable and payables. Marie works with Friedman Properties as a Tenant Coordinator, where she collaborates with the property management team to handle a variety of responsibilities. Her role includes providing administrative support, interacting with vendors, and maintaining strong tenant relations. Marie attended the University of Illinois at Chicago, where she studied Accounting and Finance. In her free time, she enjoys attending Chicago sporting events, participating in summer activities, and traveling.

Tammy McEwen oversees marketing strategies and branding techniques for Friedman Properties. She has 20+ years in the industry marketing residential, commercial and new development real estate. Tammy was born and raised in Chicago and studied Advertising Art at Columbia College. She currently lives in Evanston, IL with her husband and interests include all Chicago sport teams, music, travel and keeping fit.

Xavier Mojica works with the property management team to maintain relations with all Friedman Properties tenants and oversee tasks of field maintenance staff. Prior to joining Friedman Properties, Xavier assisted in managing the MB Financial Bank Building in North Riverside, IL.

Debi is a part of the accounting team and will be leading the accounting and financial services for The Good Plate Hospitality portfolio of Friedman Properties. Debi began her career in Chicago, working in hotel and restaurant operations before moving to the east coast to join Union Square Hospitality Group. After five years in New York City, she relocated to Washington DC and spent two years there, working with USHG and bartaco. In 2021, she decided to relocate back to her home city of Chicago and joined the accounting team at Foxtrot. Debi graduated from Northern Illinois University and is an active volunteer with the Club Sprouts program at Green City Market and was recognized as the Club Sprouts Star 2023 as the standout education volunteer.

Ron Searle has guided the vision, engineering, and implementation of all technology solutions within Friedman Properties for over 25 years. Ron works within all levels of the organization to understand the ever changing business needs to bring forth leading edge technologies to solve problems and create opportunities.

As Chief Financial Officer, Deno oversees all aspects of financial reporting, tax, budgeting and financial analysis for Friedman Properties. He brings over 30 years of diversified institutional real estate investment management and financial reporting experience. Prior to joining Friedman Properties, Deno held various executive roles with real estate investment firms where he oversaw accounting, performance reporting, treasury, and investment structuring for real estate investments funded by institutional investors. Deno earned an undergraduate degree in Accounting from Elmhurst College. He is a Certified Public Accountant and is a member of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants and Illinois CPA Society.

Cole works as a Portfolio Accountant, assisting with accounting and reporting for various Friedman Properties entities. Prior to Friedman, Cole worked for Extell Financial Services in Louisville, KY as a Senior Staff Accountant. Cole attended Centre College in Danville, Kentucky. He currently resides in Chicago and enjoys reading, watching sports, and trying new restaurants.

Jamie Vicars is on the Architecture & Interiors team as an interior designer. Jamie works on all aspects of interiors projects including tenant build-outs, renovations and development. She graduated from Indiana University with a degree in Interior Architecture, and has worked in the commercial interior design industry in Chicago for 5 years. Her hobbies include swimming, yoga and attending live music shows.

Chris Visser is an administrative assistant to the office and responsible for a wide range of administrative tasks. She earned a BA in Management from Robert Morris University. She enjoys crafting, softball, sand volleyball and watching her 3 sons play a variety of sports. She is also a school of Religion Educator. She and her husband and their three sons live in Evergreen Park, IL.

Jim Weiss supervises daily operations of all buildings in the Friedman Properties portfolio. Jim joined the real estate industry in 1977 working for developers of shopping centers and other commercial real estate. He earned a BA from Coe College, Cedar Rapids, IA and a Masters of Science in Marketing and Communications from Roosevelt University. He enjoys fishing, traveling, hiking and kayaking. He is the Vice President of Temple Beth El in Northbrook, IL and actively involved in the Jewish National Fund. He lives in Evanston, IL with his wife and their two children.