Shields brings over 40 years of complex real estate development, land acquisition, marketing and national security program experience to clients with his industry leadership in acquisition, remediation and redevelopment of large urban and suburban real estate that includes complex land acquisition, control, entitlement, environmental conditions and entitlement requirements and large-scale infrastructure and development.

Avison Young Development – Development Executive (2018-Present)
Shields supports large public and private clients in the planning, redevelopment, remediation and marketing of large-scale properties for mixed-use, industrial and residential use.  In the Midwest Shields oversees the redevelopment planning and marketing of a large heavy manufacturing complex into a large mixed-use development site with responsibility for master planning, overseeing extensive infrastructure engineering, zoning, TIF formation, marketing and sales.  For a large public company Shields leads a national relationship where AY provides project management, acquisition, capital markets, brokerage and redevelopment services for the acquisition, remediation and redevelopment of closed coal-fired generating stations.

American Operations Corporation – President (1984-1989 and 2009-2017)
Shields was instrumental in the formation of the company and responsible for directing and management of its personnel, operating and maintaining over 7 million square feet of government facilities in the U.S. and Far East and in providing technology and marketing services for a wide range of government programs.  Returning as President 20 years later, provided leadership of its largest subsidiaries including Battlespace Flight Services (US Air Force drone operations), AOC Support Services (US Navy Blue Angels Base) and the DoD Global Terrorism and Drug Interdiction Program.  He significantly grew the federal services and commercial consulting business and served as CEO of its largest subsidiaries where he oversaw all strategy, profitability, and shareholder interests with different ownership and partners. In addition to corporate leadership activities, Shields has led the commercial consulting practice and corporate partnering and teaming for major federal programs.  He has served a Capture Executive for major acquisition programs including programs for the Canadian Shipbuilding Program,  and the US Air Force Remotely Piloted Aircraft (Predator & Reaper Drones).

Mesa Development, LLC - Member/Owner/Principal (2000 – 2009)
Shields led or supported major land, residential and mixed-use developments including the luxury condominium Three Sixty Residences in San Jose, CA.  He led the firms consulting and development services for various clients, and oversight of the private development of the former Stateway Gardens Public Housing Project into a private financed mixed-use, mixed-income development – Park Boulevard in Chicago, IL.  Shields was involved in a large-scale lake front development in Milwaukee, Wisconsin involving over 1,500 housing units; pre-development/zoning of 24 acres known as LaSalle Park in downtown Chicago and sale and entitlements for a 2-story Target store in the City center.  Other developments included Mesa’s Heritage at Millennium Park, a 57-story mixed-use high-rise and the 70-story Legacy high-rise in downtown Chicago.  Shields has served as advisor to the Secretary of the Army regarding housing privatization; to the National Trust for Historic Preservation, the Historic Hawaii Foundation regarding the intervention and preservation of Ford Island at Pearl Harbor in Hawaii, and has served on ULI Advisory Services Panels for Ft. Meade Housing, St. Elizabeth Hospital Site Development, and City of Tustin, CA Eastside Redevelopment program.  He also has been published in trade journals and lectured at the Northwestern University Kellogg Business School and DePaul University MBA programs.

Stein & Company/Mesirow Financial – Managing Member (1990 – 2000)
Shields spent 11 years at Stein & Company and its successor firm – Mesirow Financial, where he led acquisition and redevelopment the 1,093-acre Orlando Naval Training Center and the 1,121-acre Glenview Naval Air Station where he served as CEO of Orlando NTC Partners, LLC, and as Project Executive for The Glen redevelopment, both involving residential, retail, office, industrial and recreational uses of former military bases.  He also served as CEO for the Town of Fort Sheridan Company where he led the acquisition and redevelopment of the 132 acres of The Fort Sheridan National Historic Landmark District, including obtaining special federal, state and local legislation.  Shields also led the acquisition of the David Taylor Engineering Center in Annapolis, Maryland.  Previously, Shields supported acquisition activities for a McCormick Place Hyatt hotel in Chicago and the Monona Terrace convention center in Madison, Wisconsin, and he directed the team assembled to provide preliminary engineering for a proposed 17-mile light rail transit system in Downtown Chicago.  He has performed preliminary planning for various federal building projects and directed acquisition and development activities for the U.S. General Services Administration’s Metcalfe Federal Building in Chicago.  He served as a Mayor’s Fellow, City of Chicago.

Kaneb Services, Technidril and the US Department of Energy (1975-1984)
Shields directed federal programs for Kaneb Services directing new business for federal pipeline, petroleum storage and transportation, in international business development. Earlier as Vice President/Director of Contracts for Technidril, he directed large diameter drilling services, geothermal development and advanced energy production drilling services, and oversaw over $100 million in federal research and construction projects.  He began his career as a contracting officer for the Energy Research and Development Administration (ERDA) and later the US Department of Energy for the construction and operation of Strategic Petroleum Reserve facilities.

Credentials & affiliations

• Licensed Real Estate Broker, Illinois–475.191146
• Member, Urban Land Institute
• Member NAIOP

Key areas of expertise

• Mixed-use Development
• Land Development
• Brownfield Development and Remediation
• Government Relations, Entitlement and Public/Private Partnerships
• Military Base Redevelopment
• Government Facilities and Program Management, O&M and National Security Programs
• Energy Development and Renewables

Project/Development	Scope	Size	Value	Shields Role
Acquisition Remediation and Marketing of Gibbons Creek Generating Station and Reservoir	Project Manager Broker	6,166 acres	>$100 Million	Development Exec./Broker
Komatsu Mining Global HQ Redevelopment	CRE Advisor/Broker	44-acre Mixed-use redevelopment	>65 Million	Advisor/Broker
Fleetway, Inc. Halifax Warship Architect of Record	Consulting Services	Design Services for 12 Canadian Warships	$345 Million	Capture Exec.
Waukegan South Lakefront	Land Developer	30-acres	$300 Million	Developer
Remotely Piloted Aircraft – US Air Force	Military O&M	Global Deployment	>$1,000,000,000	President
New Hampshire State 700Mhz FirstNet RAN	Telecommunications	State-wide Cell Network	$256 Million	Capture Exec.
FirstNet – 700Mhz First Responders 4G Network	Telecommunications	56 US States and Territories	$100 Billion	Capture Exec.
US Custom and Border Patrol	Government O&M	O&M of Border Stations Vermont/Maine	$23,000,000	President
Wyle Laboratories, McLean, VA	Military Aircraft	F-35 Program Management Price to Win/Black Hat	$345,000,000	Advisor
McKinsey Group, Washington, DC	Consulting Services	Rapid Response Executive Consulting	Not Disclosed	President
Counter Narcotics Global Terrorism Program	Military Services	Global PM/Consulting Services	$110,000,000	CEO
Remotely Piloted Aircraft – US Air Force (2012)	Military O&M	Global Deployment	>$1,000,000,000	Capture Exec.
FBI Information Technology and Services	IT	IT Services to FBI 56 States and Territories	$100,000,000	President
Irving Shipbuilding Halifax Class Frigate	Military Shipbuilding	25 Halifax Class Frigates	$25 Billion	Capture Exec.
Mirion Technologies,	Nuclear Reactor	Nuclear Particle Detectors US/British Submarines	Not Disclosed	Capture Exec.
MetLife Dental	Military Health	Dental Services to DoD Dependents and Reservist	$5,400,000,000	Capture Exec.
National Association of Advance Battery Technology	Industrial	ARRA Grant for US Battery Plant	$960,000,000	President
FAA Weather Systems	Hardware/Software	Software, First Article and Production Units	Not Disclosed	Prop. Manager
US Department of Energy Fossil Energy	Consulting Services	PM Services Strategic Petroleum Reserve	$21,000,000	President
Ft. Huachuca Army Logistics	Government O&M	Army Logistics Operations	$121,000,000	CEO
El Centro Naval Air Facility	Government O&M	1,500-acre site/Blue Angels	$110,000,000	Chairman/CEO
Block 2/W Hotel & Condo, San Jose, CA	Development	500,000 sf/260 cars	$220,000,000	Developer
360 Residences Condo, San Jose, CA	Development	500,000 sf/263 cars	$168,000,000	Developer
Target Store, Chicago, IL	Dev. Service	160,000 sf/400 cars	$55,000,000	Dev. Exec
LaSalle Park, Chicago, IL	Brokerage/DS	5 acre parcel sales	$16,000,000	Broker
Park Boulevard, Chicago, IL	Development	30-acre, 1,316 units	$360,000,000	CEO, Partner
Libertyville Sports Complex, Libertyville, IL	Fin. Advisory	30-acres sports Fac.	$22,000,000	Advisor
Park Shore, St. Francis, WI	Development	64 acre land development	$28,000,000	Advisor
Heritage at Millennium Park	Development	57-story 1,000,000 SF Condo	$289,000,000	Developer
Army Historic Facilities Assessment	Consulting	25,000 Army Facilities	NA	Advisor
David Taylor Engineering Center, Annapolis, MD	Development	30-acre 1.7MM sf	$400,000,000	Developer
Orlando Naval Training Center, Orlando, FL	Development	1,089 acre, 7,000 units	+$1 billion	CEO
The Town of Fort Sheridan, Highland Park, IL	Development	134-acres, 551 units	$350,000,000	CEO, Partner
The Glen/Glenview Naval Air Station, Glenview, IL	Dev. Services	1,120-acres	$1.4 billion	Advisor
Hyatt McCormick Place, Chicago, IL	Design/Build	800 room hotel	$172,000,000	Developer
Monona Terrace Convention Center, Madison, WI	Design/Build	280,000 sf 800 parking spaces	$101,000,000	Project Exec
Washington Redskins Stadium, Landover, MD	Advisory Services	68,000 seat stadium	$253,000,000	Consultant
McCormick Place South Hall, Chicago, IL	Development	800,000 sf	$675,000,000	Pre-Dev. Exec
CTA Headquarters, Chicago, IL	Broker/Tenant Rep	300,000 sf	$125,000,000	Broker
Democratic National Convention	Marketing	20,000 people	$115,000,000	Mayor’s Fellow
CTA Computer Center, Chicago, IL	Dev. Services	40,000 sf Design/Build 12 weeks	$21,000,000	Project Exec
Metcalfe Federal Office Building, Chicago, IL	Development	600,000 sf Design/Build	$153,000,000	Developer
Boston Harbor Clean-up Project, Boston, MA	Engineering/CM	$6 billion 300 million gal/day	$289 million	Pre-Dev. Exec
Nuclear Weapons Facilities, National	Marketing	Classified	Classified	Project Exec
FEMA National HQ, Olney, Maryland	O&M Services	O&M of Federal Facility	$2.1 million/yr	President
Radar Cross Section Range, White Sands, NM	Design/CM	R&D Range	Classified	President
MK 50 Torpedo, ADCAP, NAVSEA, Arlington, VA	Marketing	Federal Ordinance	Classified	President
Elk Hill Petroleum Reserves, Elk Hill, CA	Marketing	Federal RFP	$550 million	President
Camp David/Little Pentagon, Ft. Richie, Maryland	O&M Services	O&M of Federal Facilities	$3.1 million/yr	President
US Department of Labor, Washington, DC	O&M Services	HQ of 900,000 sf O&M	$2.9 million/yr	President
US Department of Agriculture, Washington, DC	O&M Services	HQ of 1.1MM sf O&M	$3.5 million/yr	President
Union Oil Pipeline & Platforms, Pataya, Thailand	ENG/CM	16” pipeline and 4 platforms	$210,000,000	Sr. VP
Strategic Petroleum Reserves, Louisiana/Texas	O&M Services	O&M of seven facilities	$70 million/yr	VP
Geothermal Research Project, Cameron, LA	R&D/Construction	17,000 ft. deep well	$28,000,000	VP
In-Situ Oil/Gas Research Project, Slocum, TX	R&D/Construction	30 well gas recovery R&D	$17,000,000	Project Exec
West Hackberry Oil Dome Wells, Cameron, LA	Construction	Large Diameter well 8,000 ft.	$25,000,000	Contract Mgr
Strategic Petroleum Reserve, Louisiana/Texas	Construction/O&M	750 million barrels	$2.9 billion	Contracting Officer