In 2004, Mr. Fowler acquired Near North National Title (“Near North”). Mr. Fowler serves as Chief Executive Officer for Near North. Near North is a national real estate title company, established in 1988 that handles over $5 billon in real estate transactions annually. The senior executives of Near North have over 50 years of collective service at the company. These executives manage the day to day functions of the business.

Mr. Fowler also serves as Chief Executive Officer of Connaught Real Estate Finance (“CREF”). CREF is a privately held real estate investment firm focused on investment strategies including:

• Opportunistic investment in projects experiencing market stress
• Recapitalization of distressed real estate projects
• Mezzanine debt financing for mixed use and residential developments

The company’s team consists of real estate and finance professionals with expertise in mezzanine lending, real estate development, construction, brokerage, zoning and entitlement, engineering and finance.

Prior to 2004, Mr. Fowler was the President of a Chicago development company that focused on urban residential properties. Mr. Fowler was also a corporate attorney at Winston & Strawn focused on private equity and mergers and acquisitions. Mr. Fowler graduated from Indiana University with honors, receiving his B.S. in Finance in 1992. He received a J.D., magna cum laude, from Indiana University Law School in 1994, where he was an associate editor of the Law Review and a member of the Order of the Coif.

Mr. Fowler serves as a real estate industry delegate on the Chicago Federal Reserve Industrial Roundtable (“CFRIR”). The CFRIR provides vital input to the Federal Reserve’s economic Beige Book. Mr. Fowler is President and a member of the Board of Directors of the Home Builders Association of Greater Chicago (“HBAGC”), the local chapter of the National Homebuilders Association (“NAHB”). Mr. Fowler previously chaired HBAGC’s influential Government Affairs Committee.

 

<< Back to Board of Directors