John S. Gates, Jr.
Mr. Gates is the Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of PortaeCo, a private investment and asset management company. In 1979, he joined CB/Richard Ellis, and in 1981, co-founded the Chicago office of Jones Lang Wootton (now Jones Lang LaSalle), a global commercial property investment firm.
Prior to forming PortaeCo, Mr. Gates co-founded CenterPoint Properties Trust and served as Co-Chairman and Chief Executive Officer for the past 22 years. During that period, CenterPoint became the largest private property owner in the Metropolitan Chicago Region, and the Nation's first publicly traded Industrial Real Estate Investment Trust (NYSE: CNT). The company currently has ownership interests in approximately 45 million square feet of buildings and 3,000 acres of land throughout the area. In March 2006, CenterPoint was acquired by the California Public Employees Retirement System (CALPERS) and Jones Lang LaSalle for approximately 3.5 billion dollars.
Mr. Gates graduated from Groton School in 1972 and from Trinity College in 1976 with a BSc in Economics and Philosophy.
* Member, Visiting Committee, Harris School of Public Policy Studies, University of Chicago
* Member, Board of Directors of Children's Memorial Hospital of Chicago
* Center for Urban Land Economics, the University of Wisconsin
* The Eaglebrook School
* Salisbury School
* Executive Committee & Immediate Past Chairman, Metropolitan Planning Council of Chicago
* Member, Executive Committee, Board of Governors, National Association of Real Estate Investment Trusts
* Commercial Club of Chicago
* Economics Club of Chicago
* Illinois Business Roundtable
* World Presidents Organization
* Urban Land Institute
* National Association of Industrial and Office Parks
* Real Estate Roundtable
