CHICAGO—Chicago has become one of the nation's top tech hubs, but some question whether the local commercial real estate industry puts this great resource of analytic power to use.

“There is a big disconnect between the entrepreneurial tech community and the real estate industry,” Anthony Katsivalis, marketing director at Transwestern, tells GlobeSt.com. In some ways, the two live in different worlds. “We in the industry always have problems that need to be solved, but frequently we try to do it internally.”

Transwestern plans to build bridges between the two groups this weekend, when it hosts “CREforge,” a first-of-its-kind “hackathon” for the industry. The three-day brainstorming session will pair four companies with dozens of developers and programmers who will come up with solutions for each business.

The event, which runs from today to Sunday at Transwestern's Midwest headquarters at 200 W. Madison St., will also include social events; live product demonstrations that showcase the latest in virtual reality, 3D printing, software and more; and presentations by industry experts.

“A lot of tech start-ups are very relevant to our industry,” Katsivalis adds. So far, not many have been brought on to actually work on specific projects, “but they have the solutions that a lot of brokers and others need, especially when it comes to analytics, or how to turn real estate data into visual maps.”

The CRE industry participants include Heitman Architects, an Itasca-based architecture firm that wants to develop a platform that facilitates crowdsourced design. The company hopes to allow employees of a company – including the decision-makers who will ultimately sign off on plans for a buildout or redesign – to tour a virtual model and provide immediate feedback on everything from paint colors to furniture.

Other participants include: ConneXion, a Buffalo Grove-based electrical and energy solution provider; and Leopardo Cos., a Hoffman Estates-based construction firm. Speakers from the tech world include Bob Gillespie, executive director, Elmspring; Matt Chapdelaine, chief executive officer, CartoFront Inc;; Carter Kennedy, chief executive officer, ‎SoloInsight Inc.; Nic Zito, chief executive officer, Rev3 Innovation Center; and Chris Sawicki II, co-founder, reTXT.

The goal for the weekend, or for any hackathon, is not to completely solve whatever problems get presented. Katsivalis points out that Facebook used a hackathon to generate the idea for a “like” button, although it then took more time to come up with the necessary coding details.

With the challenges proposed today, the groups will map out ideas over the weekend and take a few steps forward. “It's going to be very preliminary,” Katsivalis says, but hopefully the real estate and tech communities will begin to forge more long-term bonds.

CHICAGO—Chicago has become one of the nation's top tech hubs, but some question whether the local commercial real estate industry puts this great resource of analytic power to use.

Instant Insights /

Transwestern to Host First-Of-Its-Kind CRE Hackathon

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