Jackson Dearborn Partners was founded in 2014 with a mission to take a hands-on, vertically integrated approach to multi-family and student housing real estate investment and development. Our leadership team has nearly 100 years of combined experience in the industry and we pride ourselves in our relationships, integrity, and track record.
The Team
Ryan Tobias, Partner
Ryan is a Partner and Co-Founder of Jackson Dearborn Partners. He oversees all elements of the JDP business including acquisitions, site selection, fundraising, and investor relations. With 14 years experience, Ryan has worked on over $1 billion in transactional real estate and has developed or acquired over $200 million in student housing and multi-family real estate. Read more
Prior to founding Jackson Dearborn Partners, Ryan worked at brokerage firms Marcus and Millichap and Newmark Knight Frank before starting Triad Real Estate Partners in 2010. Triad is a leading broker of student housing and multi-family in the Midwest completing nearly $1.6 billion in sales since inception. Following the success of Triad, he launched JDP with Shaun Buss and Sean Lyons in 2014 with the goal of building out a vertically integrated real estate investment portfolio.
Ryan is a graduate of the University of Michigan and after a decade in Chicago, moved back to Ann Arbor where he now resides with his wife Brittany and their two children.
Shaun Buss, Partner
Shaun is a Partner and Co-Founder of Jackson Dearborn Partners. He oversees primarily acquisitions and site selection, looking to grow the JDP portfolio. Shaun brings a very diverse background with 25 years of business experience in multiple industries including the last 16 years in real estate. Read more
Before his business career started, Shaun served his country for six years, four of which were as a Sonar Technician stationed aboard the USS Salt Lake City, a nuclear attack submarine. Following his honorable discharge from the service, Shaun spent nine years employed in the securities industry mainly as principal of his own derivatives trading firm. He went into real estate in 2003 as a broker at Marcus & Millichap before founding Triad Real Estate Partners in 2010 and Jackson Dearborn Partners in 2014.
Shaun graduated from Eastern Illinois University, is a licensed real estate broker in five states, and holds his Series 3 and Series 7 FINRA designations. Shaun is a long time Chicago resident and lives in the South Loop with his wife Maureen and their daughter.
Sean Lyons, Partner
Sean is a Partner and Co-Founder of Jackson Dearborn Partners. His primary areas of focus include fundraising, investor relations, and marketing. Sean has over 20 years of experience including the last 16 as a real estate broker and principal participating in well over $1 billion in real estate transactions.
Following a successful career in sales, Sean started his real estate career with Marcus & Millichap in 2003, eventually founding his own brokerage company, Triad Real Estate Partners, in 2010 with partners Shaun Buss and Ryan Tobias. Moving to the principal side, Sean went on to found JDP where he utilizes creative marketing and an extensive network to build a portfolio of real estate and relationships.
Sean is originally from Philadelphia and is a graduate of Boston College. He lives in Wilmette, IL with his wife Gretchen and their four children.
Dane Olmstead, Chief Investment Officer
Dane is the Chief Investment Officer at Jackson Dearborn as well as a partner in the firm. He heads up financial analysis, market data reporting, asset management, and JDP’s research-based acquisition and development strategies.
Dane has spent six years in the real estate business, working in multiple roles on the brokerage side at Triad Real Estate Partners before becoming a partner at Jackson Dearborn with a particular passion for new development projects.
Dane spent his first fourteen years in Ballarat, Australia, before moving to the United States for high school. He is a University of Michigan graduate and currently resides in Chicago’s Wicker Park neighborhood with his wife Katie.
Nick Griffin, Chief Creative Officer
Nick is the Chief Creative Officer at Jackson Dearborn Partners as well as a partner, responsible for all marketing, design, and advertising efforts at the corporate and property level. He has spent 10 years in design, the last six in the real estate business.
Nick began his career as a freelancer through nickgriffindesign.com before taking a job as the in-house designer for the top golf accessory company in the country. He began his real estate career in 2013 with Triad Real Estate Partners, building the brand, marketing materials, and website from the ground up. He is now doing the same thing for Jackson Dearborn Partners, notably designing the website you’re viewing right now.
A graduate of Illinois State University, Nick now lives in Chicago’s Wicker Park neighborhood with his wife Dana.
Principles
Strategy
The strategy is simple: Conservative underwriting and real, dependable cash flow with a value add strategy. Every acquisition deal we do works with a going-in return with a plan to significantly boost revenue in the hold period, typically 5–10 years. Development projects are exhaustively analyzed with the intention to hold long term.
Integration
From the acquisition or the sourcing of the development site to the final disposition of the asset, every facet of the investment is handled in-house. Construction, supplies, insurance, property management, leasing & sales brokerage, and asset management are all handled by an affiliated group of companies owned by the principals and partners.
Experience
The principals at JDP have over 60 years of experience in real estate with a proven track record of success including 200+ transactions. Since 2017, experience includes nearly $100 million in acquisitions and eleven development projects totaling over $300 million in total capitalization.
Integrity
Our principals pride themselves in first and foremost serving their clients, investors, and tenants. Investors are treated fairly and are given honest and regular reporting and access. We value and respect people & relationships and always take the long-term view. Each of our investments and everyone involved with each deal reflects that mentality.
Partnerships
Property Management & Leasing
Green Street Realty manages over 3,000 residential rental units, including over 3,500 student housing beds located on both the University of Illinois, Illinois State University, and Eastern Illinois University campuses. In addition, GSR has over 300,000 sq feet of retail/office space, a wide selection of single family homes and affordable and market rate apartment options throughout Central Illinois.
Construction & Development
SUB4 is a subsidiary of Green Street Realty handling all elements of development and construction. SUB4 has completed 20 projects to date with another 13 in the pipeline, a total capitalization of over $300 million. Included in those totals is 14 student housing developments in the Campustown area of Champaign alone.
Chris Saunders
chris@greenstreetrealty.com
217.621.2895
Josh Stroot
josh@sub4dev.com
217.418.4884
Property Management & Leasing
Green Street Realty manages over 3,000 residential rental units, including over 3,500 student housing beds located on both the University of Illinois, Illinois State University, and Eastern Illinois University campuses. In addition, GSR has over 300,000 sq feet of retail/office space, a wide selection of single family homes and affordable and market rate apartment options throughout Central Illinois.
Chris Saunders
chris@greenstreetrealty.com
217.621.2895
Construction & Development
SUB4 is a subsidiary of Green Street Realty handling all elements of development and construction. SUB4 has completed 20 projects to date with another 13 in the pipeline, a total capitalization of over $300 million. Included in those totals is 14 student housing developments in the Campustown area of Champaign alone.
Josh Stroot
josh@sub4dev.com
217.418.4884
Jackson Dearborn Partners is headquartered in downtown Chicago with regional offices in Ann Arbor and Champaign. Use the form below to contact us regarding acquisitions, development, or investment opportunities or just simply enter your email address below to add your name to our mailing list.
404 S. Wells St. Suite 400
Chicago, IL 60607
t: 312.757.2020
e: info@jacksondearborn.com
