Richard P. Shields

Executive Vice President
Développement

  • Chicago
  • One South Wacker Drive
  • Suite 3000
  • Chicago, IL 60606

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