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