CHICAGO—The Georgetown Co. has quickly assembled a significant portfolio of residential and retail properties in Chicago, and the New York-based firm also has plans to launch several major new developments here. The scale of these operations has just led it to open a new office in the city and tap Jonathan Dennis to lead it. He will manage Georgetown's current Chicago property holdings and identify new opportunities for acquisitions and development in the region.

Dennis joins Georgetown from The University of Chicago, where he led a series of projects which helped transform and revitalize Hyde Park's 53rd St. district. In addition to overseeing the design and construction of these developments, Dennis also contributed to the leasing effort for the university's retail portfolio.

“We have been fortunate enough to have activity in a few other cities,” Georgetown chief executive officer Adam Flatto tells GlobeSt.com, “and we found it's important to have an owner on the ground.” The company is currently developing properties in New York City, Los Angeles, Chicago, Columbus, Boston, Atlanta and Washington DC.