Hilco Real Estate - Our People

Neil R. Aaronson
Chief Executive Officer
naaronson@hilcorealestate.com

Neil brings nearly 10 years of merger, acquisition, disposition, investment and general deal-making experience to The Hilco Organization. During his career, Neil has been instrumental in the successful completion of over $4 billion in transactions.

Prior to joining Hilco, Neil had served as Senior Vice President, Business Development, for Cendant Corporation, where he oversaw all merger, acquisition and investment activity for the Company's hotel and timeshare businesses. He also served as the Senior Vice President of Strategic Development for the corporation's Timeshare Resort Group and prior thereto as Vice President of the Strategic Development Group. Among the many well-known acquisitions, divestitures and investments in which Neil was involved were Wyndham Hotels, Budget Rent a Car, Trilegiant and Trendwest Resorts.

Neil also served as an Associate Investment Banker for ING Barings, where he handled the analysis and negotiations of acquisitions, divestitures and financings for several public and private companies.

Neil received a Juris Doctor Degree from the University of Pennsylvania Law School and a Bachelor of Economics Degree from the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania.

Gregory S. Apter
President
gapter@hilcorealestate.com

Greg Apter is Principal and President. He runs the disposition and restructuring practice. His efforts are focused primarily on owned property disposition as well as leasehold acquisition, disposition and restructuring and mitigation. Prior to joining Hilco, Mr. Apter was a Senior Vice President and head of Retail Tenant Representation with Jones Lang LaSalle. In that role he was responsible for new business development as well as directing, managing and facilitating real estate related functions, such as Underutilized Lease Portfolio restructuring, bankruptcy, market analysis, site selection, asset management, consulting, acquisition and disposition services. He has over 18 years of experience in real estate, legal and finance. At Hilco, Greg has serviced such esteemed clients as Wal-Mart, WorldCom, Biomet, McDonald’s, Bally Total Fitness, Tanner and Haley, and Ahold.

Prior to joining Jones Lang LaSalle, Greg served as General Counsel for Syndicated Equities Corporation where he managed all corporate business and legal matters, including the evaluation of sites, negotiation of contracts, oversight of loan commitments and documents and the review of lease, zoning, title and environmental issues. In addition, Greg was one of the first to develop a syndication program to accommodate multiple individuals contemplating the purchase of investment real estate while satisfying tax-free exchange requirements of Section 1031 of the Internal Revenue Code.

His previous work experience also includes serving as President of Water Tower Bank in Chicago , where he was responsible for all commercial and consumer lending operations, business development and legal matters. Greg holds a Juris Doctor degree from IIT Chicago-Kent College of Law and a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Illinois at Champaign-Urbana.

Andrew S. Hochberg
Principal
ahochberg@hilcorealestate.com

Andy brings years of experience and expertise in real estate development and retail management to Hilco Real Estate, LLC. Prior to co-founding Hilco Real Estate in 1998, Andy served for several years as CEO of Sportmart, a $450 million sporting goods retailer.

During his tenure at Sportmart, Andy spearheaded the company’s growth from 25 to 70 stores, constructing over 2 million square feet of space. He also successfully established real estate strategic direction, arranged financing, recruited and trained management on all levels, and managed the company IPO. Andy negotiated Sportmart’s merger with Gart Sports, creating the second largest sporting goods retailer in the United States.

Though an extremely active businessman, Andy continues to donate time to serve in civic and political organizations. Andy was a candidate for the United States Congress in the 2000 election. He is a board member on several profit and non-profit organizations including Jobs for Youth, also served as President of Citypac for several years, and is currently on the Lake County Affordable Housing Commission. Andy earned his undergraduate degree in Economics from the University of Pennsylvania Wharton School of Business and his Juris Doctor from Northwestern University, where he received a full scholarship.

Todd Haney
President, Valuations Services
thaney@hilcorealestate.com

W Todd Haney, MAI, has been President of Hilco Real Estate’s Valuation Group since 1999. Over his career, Todd has managed hundreds of valuation and consulting assignments involving a broad range of property types throughout the United States and Canada. Properties appraised, including some valued at more than $500 million for a single asset, include traditional industrial, retail office and multi-family residential properties, as well as complex properties evincing environmental concerns, historical status, easements, etc. He has also been involved in proposed project feasibility and economic analysis, portfolio valuation, as well as assessment appeals.

Joshua E. Joseph
Senior Vice President
jjoseph@hilcorealestate.com

Joshua Joseph is a Senior Vice President with Hilco Real Estate and has been with the company since 2001. Josh leads Hilco Real Estate’s principal acquisitions business, which he began managing in January 2006. In his first year, Josh and his team closed on approximately $50.0 million worth of transactions in the retail, industrial and medical office fields. Josh has expertise in the acquisition and disposition of real estate assets both inside and outside of bankruptcy settings. While his primary responsibility is to focus on principal acquisitions, additional responsibilities include his continued focus and assistance on the business development and execution sides of the company’s real estate consulting and restructuring business.

Prior to leading Hilco's principal acquisition business, Josh was one of the company's leading disposition specialists in the disposition of of owned real estate assets. Primary responsibilities included the development and execution of global disposition strategies related to owned and leased real estate portfolios as well as individual asset sales. Josh has worked with publicly traded companies, private equity firms, retailers, financial institutions, corporations, institutions, and traditional private real estate ownerships.

Prior to joining Hilco Real Estate, Josh worked at Mid-America Real Estate Corporation in Oakbrook Terrace, Illinois. While at Mid-America, he specialized in the disposition of retail properties throughout the Midwest. Prior to working in the investment sales arena, Josh served as an Asset Manager of several community/neighborhood shopping centers totaling approximately 750,000 square feet of rentable area.

Josh is a graduate of the University of Illinois and is a licensed Real Estate Broker in the State of Illinois as well as a member of the International Council of Shopping Centers.

Nina L. Kampler
Executive Vice President, Strategic Retail and Corporate Solutions
nkampler@hilcorealestate.com

Nina L. Kampler is Executive Vice President, Strategic Retail and Corporate Solutions. She spearheads retail business development and works with major national and international retailers and commercial companies to develop and implement real estate portfolio restructuring strategies.

Until 2004, Ms. Kampler served as Vice President, Retail and Real Estate Counsel for Polo Ralph Lauren Corporation, where she held various legal positions since first joining that company in 1998. In that capacity, she negotiated, drafted, implemented and supervised all store and corporate real estate transactions throughout the U.S. and Canada. Her accomplishments included opening over 200 new retail stores as well as corporate offices and distribution facilities. Ms. Kampler also led teams responsible for closing the Polo Jeans Company division and its retail stores, closing the Lauren Outlet Store division, and restructuring the real estate portfolio of Club Monaco when it was acquired by and integrated into Ralph Lauren.

Prior to Polo Ralph Lauren, Ms. Kampler practiced law at Coudert Brothers, a diverse, international law practice in New York, as well as with law firm, Richards & O’Neil, also in New York.She is a member of the ICSC Law Conference Committee, on the Advisory Board of the Georgetown University School of Law Advanced Commercial Leasing Institiute, past Associate Dean of the School of Retailing of the University of Shopping Centers, and a founding member of the Board of Governors of the National Retail Tenants Association. She is a frequent panelist and lecturer at ICSC and various Bar Association conferences and meetings. Ms. Kampler is a graduate of New York University School of Law and the University of Pennsylvania, where she received both a B.A., summa cum laude, and an M.A. in International Politics.

Navin Nagrani
Vice President
nnagrani@hilcorealestate.com

Navin is primarily responsible for new business development and deal structuring. Prior to joining Hilco's Real Estate group, he was a team leader in Hilco's Appraisal Services group where he managed a group of financial analysts and worked on dozens of debt restructuring transactions on behalf of equity sponsors, investment banks, lenders, and companies covering a vast variety of industries.

Prior to joining the Hilco Organization, Navin was a Strategy Consultant for Hewitt Associates where he worked on M&A assignments covering the financial services industry. Before Hewitt Associates, Navin was a Jr. Economist for the Federal Reserve Bank.

Navin is on the Board of Directors for the Real Estate Investment Association and is the founder of its Emerging Leaders Program; he serves as Director of Strategy for the Young Real Estate Professionals Association; he is an award winning member of the Turnaround Management Association (TMA) and currently serves as Co-Chair of the group's Public Relations Committee. Recently, Navin served a term as Vice-Chairman of the Illinois Mortgage Banker's Commercial/Income Property Lending Committee.

Navin is the co-founder of Club 21, a leading networking group that brings togeter M&A, restructuring, and other finance professionals together to discuss opportunities and trends in the marketplace. Navin is an active member of the Association for Corporate Growth and the American Bankruptcy Institute. A published author, Navin is frequently invited to speak at industry events. Navin grew up in Evanston and graduated with honors from Loyola University Chicago and is a licensed Real Estate Broker by the State of Illinois.

Matthew S. Darin
Vice President
mdarin@hilcorealestate.com

Matt is responsible for sourcing and executing retail and industrial acquisitions, and also has involvement in financial analysis and underwriting, market due diligence, identification of financing alternatives, and deal making.

Pior to joining Hilco Real Estate, Matt spent three years at PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP in the Assurance & Business Advisory Services practice focusing on real estate and financial services clients. He holds a Bachelor of Science with honors in Accounting and a Bachelor of Science with honors in Business Administration – Management Information Systems from the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign. He is a licensed Certified Public Accountant (CPA) in the State of Illinois and is a member of the following organizations: International Council of Shopping Centers (ICSC), Young Real Estate Professionals (YREP), Real Estate Investment Association (REIA), American Institute of Certified Public Accountants (AICPA), and Illinois CPA Society (ICPA).

Andrew Becker
Senior Associate
abecker@hilcorealestate.com

Andrew is responsible for owned and leased property disposition, lease restructuring, and valuation of real estate portfolios throughout the United States. Clients served include Pep Boys, Neumann Homes, Lone Star Funds, Bank of America, Walgreens, Sears, Bally Total Fitness and Interstate Bakeries Corporation.

Prior to joining Hilco, Andrew was Senior Associate with Chicago-based real estate brokerage company, MJ Partners, where he focused on the disposition of retail and industrial assets throughout the Chicago metropolitan area. Andrew also served as a leasing associate at MidAmerica Real Estate Corporation, where he worked closely with both the landlord and tenant representation groups.

Andrew received his B.A. from of the University of Colorado and has taken continuing education courses at the Chicago School of Real Estate and CCIM Institute. He is a member of the International Counsel of Shopping Centers (ICSC) and Young Real Estate Professionals (YREP).

Ross Block
Senior Associate
rblock@hilcorealestate.com

Ross has been with Hilco Real Estate since 2004. He is principally responsible for leasehold valuation, disposition and restructuring work throughout the United States. Some of the recent clients served by Ross include Bally Total Fitness, Movie Gallery, Tops Markets, Interstate Bakeries, Pep Boys and GameStop. Prior to joining Hilco, Ross was an associate with a Milwaukee-based asset appraisal company, where he focused on the appraisal of industrial assets of major manufacturers for large institutions throughout the country.

Ross received his B.A. from of the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee and has taken continuing education courses at the Chicago School of Real Estate and CCIM Institute. He is a member of the International Counsel of Shopping Centers (ICSC).

Geoffrey S. Schnipper, CCIM
Associate
gschnipper@hilcorealestate.com

Geoffrey is responsible for single-asset & portfolio disposition of owned real estate, project management, and deal structuring for Hilco Real Estate. He has represented a diverse client mix of REITs, Fortune 500 Companies, Banks, Home Builders, and the US Bankruptcy Court handling the disposition of virtually every asset class of real estate. While the disposition of real estate is his primary responsibility, Geoffrey is also involved with business development activities. Prior to joining Hilco Real Estate, Geoffrey was a Project Manager with Sheldon Good & Company Auctions, structuring and executing accelerated marketing programs.

The National Association of REALTORS granted the CCIM (Certified Commercial Investment Member) designation to Geoffrey after he completed a comprehensive educational program and demonstrated successful work experience in the investment and commercial fields.

Regarding Brokerage Activities
Unless otherwise noted, the individuals listed above are sponsored licensees of Hilco Real Estate, LLC, which is an Illinois-licensed real estate holding company. Mr. Greg Apter serves as managing broker of record for Hilco Real Estate, LLC.