Wilson says Aries has been on his short list of companies at which he'd be interested in working, for the caliber of its business and people, with whom he's been familiar with for some time. "I'm excited about the opportunity to work with them and be here because this is a great organization they've built," Wilson tells GlobeSt.com. "Aries is a great place to work in this economy because they are nimble, smart and able to move to market. This is a next step I've wanted to take for a while and it's something I'm jumping into with two feet."

In Wilson's time at GGP, he negotiated the $7 million sale of 10 acres to Target in Bakersfield, CA; led a $32 million development in Chico, CA; and created a mixed-use underwriting model for a $485 million redevelopment of the Glendale Galleria in Glendale, CA. Wilson holds his masters in business administration with a concentration in real estate finance and investment from DePaul University, a certificate in finance and economics from the University of Chicago, and his bachelor of arts in political science from Miami University in Oxford, OH. He's an active members of the Urban Land Institute, the Real Estate Investment Association, the International Council of Shopping Centers and Young Real Estate Professionals.

"General Growth Properties is going to emerge from bankruptcy a stronger and leaner company, however they have a lot they need to work through," Wilson says. "General Growth made a lot of financing decisions in the boom that they couldn't get out of when things slowed down a little. The opportunity at Aries opened up and it was time to move on."