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Combining Business Sense MICHAEL HANSEN and Political Savvy in Joliet

by Keith D. Picher

JOLIE T— Although large real estate Connections to Joliet enjoyed significant construction, Hansen says. developments have slowed to a trickle in Joliet Until eighth grade, Hansen lived in Fairfield, The area has suffered relapses that appear and Will County lately, the law firm of Michael Iowa, about 25 miles east of Ottumwa. It was a to be greater than other parts of greater W Hansen P.C. still bustles. Perhaps through great place to grow up, but Hansen enjoyed the Chicago. Because the Joliet region enjoyed an word of mouth, new businesses and real opportunities and challenges of the Joliet area unbelievable upward plane of commercial and estate clients continue to find Hansen. His after his father was promoted to run the local residential development, its real estate work record of owning and working for high-profile radio station. Hansen attended Joliet Catholic has fallen off more quickly and steeply than companies is no fluke. He gets things done. High School before heading to Notre Dame. elsewhere, Hansen believes. Hansen, 60, was there at the founding of Although Hansen considered law school “We had CenterPoint, Silver Cross Hospital, Joliet’s Empress Casino. From 1994 to 1999, in South Bend, he decided to return to there was a fire at the Empress Casino, and we he served as vice president, secretary, and Iowa to attend Drake University. He had had ,” he recalls from the chief legal officer of Empress Entertainment maternal relatives living in Des Moines. After not-too-distant past. “Now, I’m at a loss to tell Inc., Empress Casino Joliet Corporation, and developing excellent fundamentals and a yo u— other than CenterPoint, the downtown Empress Casino Hammond. sound background there, Hansen practiced Joliet Junior College project, and the When Horseshoe Gaming acquired the law in Will County. downtown train station project with Knight casinos in 1999, Hansen and the investors “It came down to wanting to be my parents’ Engineerin g— what mid to major construction started a casino-related company for two years son in Joliet rather than practice law in Des projects are active.” before he decided to begin a law practice in Moines,” he explains. On the morning of this interview, Hansen Joliet. For good measure, he soon became a Hansen had the good fortune to join the Joliet had closed on the sale of a large piece of founding director of First Community Bank of law firm of Herschbach, Tracy, Johnson, Bertani commercial property. That left him for the Joliet. He also took on an ownership interest in & Wilson. He describes the practice as having moment with only one other active commercial the Joliet JackHammers minor league eight older professionals who were tremendous real estate matter. He has never fallen below team, which was sold in December 20 10. attorneys, people, leaders, and mentors. two or three projects before. “It’s just not there “I’ve been really fortunate and lucky and “Wayne Johnson, who was the head right now,” he says. blessed to be involved in varying ways in three corporate lawyer, is probably the one guy I give of the biggest businesses in Joliet that have thanks to for where I am today,” Hansen says. Believes in Big Community Projects come across in the last 30 years,” Hansen Johnson opened the door for him to work at In recent years, Hansen has represented a says with a sense of pride. He says the casino, the casino, which in turn multiplied the variety of businesses with their real estate and the bank, and the baseball team have all been avenues of his career. development needs. Notably among these is community assets that he and his partners Today, Hansen represents a variety of the CenterPoint Intermodal Center, a 3,000- developed. They were never just profit-making businesses from ma and pa companies to acre development south of Joliet that is the ventures. LLCs and corporations that employ several largest master-planned inland port in North Robert J. Bingle, the managing partner of hundred workers. He focuses mostly on America. He was co-counsel for the Corboy & Demetrio, has known Hansen since organizing businesses, sales and acquisitions, annexation agreement in July 2008 when no the two were classmates at the University of litigation, and other business-related concerns one knew the economy was about to tank. Notre Dame. They have referred matters to including estate planning and wealth protection Union Pacific bought 800 acres at the each other through the years. Bingle describes for owners. center and is currently expanding. The project Hansen as a very efficient lawyer. With the current real estate market, Hansen will be a boon for new jobs and tax revenues “You can call him up and he will find out spends only about a third of his time on real in the area, Hansen says, and other spinoff whom to get to know if he doesn’t know estate and development work. He has a long effects will be tremendous. them,” he says. history of representing companies that hope to The site, which has heavy truck traffic, is One of Hansen’s strongest attributes is his start local projects in the city of Joliet and in perfectly placed in an area where few people intensity. “I’ve never seen him allow it to other Will County municipalities. live. The center also benefits from the location control him in a negative way, including on the “In Joliet and Will County, we really had a of Joliet and Will County, a transportation hub course,” says Bingle. “[It’s always used] to fantastic run in the 1990s and up until 2008 situated near the junction of I-80 and I-55. benefit his clients or to benefit some charity or when it stopped for everyone,” Hansen says. “Every week, something new comes out of project that he’s working on.” Even through the end of 20 10, Will County that project, whether someone is buying SM

property or leasing property,” says Hansen. work and all of its local work. a split-off sale with many title and easement The list is long: condemnation actions, matters “We were thrilled to have Mike on the team,” concerns and additional work with the village. involving various municipalities, real estate tax, says Timothy W. O’Donnell, a Vedder Price tax He handled the sale of a day care center, a enterprise zones. lawyer who was one of four visionaries behind travel agency, and some team units at Autobahn “If the city of Joliet and Will County didn’t the Autobahn concept, an idea that had not Country Club. In another matter, he represented have that development, we’d be practically been tested before in the Midwest. a chiropractor wanting to purchase a practice. dead right now,” Hansen adds. O’Donnell says Hansen has very high moral Hansen’s desire to help meet the needs of A 350-acre piece of land in the middle of the standards, and he always acts as a good everyday local businesses drove him and three CenterPoint property also has provided work citizen. “His connections and the inroads he others in 2002 to study the feasibility of for Hansen since 2003. The Autobahn Country knows within the city and in the county really creating the First Community Bank of Joliet. Club includes a short go-kart track and a gave our project and the Autobahn team The team sensed a void after a major Chicago configurable main track comprising a 1.5-mile instant credibility,” O’Donnell says. bank bought one of the area’s leading banks, north track and a 2. 1-mile south track. which had been locally owned and managed The private raceway complex came before Serving the Needs of Smaller Clients for 150 years. CenterPoint. Hansen says Autobahn was Hansen serves various clients, large and Admittedly, it was a different time then, fortunate to get CenterPoint as neighbors: No small, needing help with a broad range of Hansen says. Within reason, people could residents are nearby to complain about race transactions. walk into a bank, sign on the dotted line, and car noise or other specific use of the land. For instance, he represented a local church leave with a loan. CenterPoint also has generously addressed that bought a piece of property to develop a From nothing, First Community Bank of Joliet infrastructure concerns, improvements, and new church. A Chicago developer agreed to reached nearly $ 1 billion in assets. It formed other property issues that affect Autobahn. buy the church’s former property with the branches in Homer Glen, Plainfield, Burr Developing the club was an intricate task. assistance of a TIF district, a development Ridge, Channahon, and elsewhere. All was The Army Corps of Engineers raised a variety agreement, and representation before the city well until the end of 2008, when the banking of issues. There were easements to consider, of Joliet and other bodies. industry changed. Even then, two years pipeline concerns, and countless matters to He represented a client who intends to bring passed before a significant number of address with the city of Joliet. Even though the a trucking terminal to Joliet. And he represented unsuccessful loans began to pop up. property was annexed to Joliet, the surrounding a business that wanted to move from Will Banking isn’t the friendly, hometown roads belonged to the county, so Hansen County to buy a building in Gardner, a village business it once was, now that regulators run needed to negotiate with them as well. He has in Grundy County. The transaction involved 7 the industry. The new model has caused the performed much of the project’s significant acres of property and four buildings; it required bank to experience a few growth pains.

This article originally appeared in Leading Lawyers Network Magazin e—Real Estate, Construction and Environmental Edition for 20 12 and has been reprinted with permission. © 20 12 Law Bulletin Publishing Co. SM

“When issues come up today, I go to the incredible number of binders of agreements that Mike put his blood, sweat and tears into from 1992 to 1996 when we opened and just try to figure out answers based on his work,” he says. Lambert routinely sends real estate and corporate matters to Hansen. “Everybody comes back with just glowing feedback, and they’re always thankful I sent them to him,” he says. Lambert describes Hansen as the best lawyer in the area, in no small measure because of his work ethic, his energy level, and his professional integrity. Hansen calls the Joliet and Hammond The Hansen family enjoys a vacation last August. From left: Son Andrew; daughter Mary Catherine; Hansen; his wife, ventures two unbelievably big, grand slam Elizabeth; and sons Kevin and Eric. home runs that will never be duplicated by any investment group in any business. “Notwithstanding the issues that we’re Hansen became more involved with real estate “People look back and say, ‘Oh, that was facing,” he says, “we’re still very bullish on the issues elsewhere. easy,’ because they made an awful lot of bank, we’re still well capitalized, and we’re still The Hammond project required an money. But it was a big risk, and they all doing fine. We’d like to be doing better, but agreement with the Hammond Port Authority ended up putting in $2 million to $3 million of we’re going to be around for the long haul.” that was essentially a rental license with a their own hard-earned net worth and wealth to Hansen has an innovative way of encouraging his clients to do business with First Community Bank. Clients who are members of the bank’s loyalty club receive a 10 percent reduction on the attorney fee portion of each month’s bill.

His Record: Impressive at Empress Much of Hansen’s success in private practice grew from his experiences with the Empress Casino. He had worked at the Herschbach firm for some of the eventual investors in the venture, including the late Tom Lambrecht, a second-generation owner of T.J. Lambrecht Construction. Hansen recalls the night when Lambrecht approached him at dinner and described his fantastic idea of starting a casino. Setting one up back in the early 1990s was such a strange idea with such uncertain financial risks that most people would react: “You want to start a what?” At the Joliet Country Club Hole-in-One event in 2008. From left: Roger Claar; James Shanahan; Hansen; and James Roolf The Joliet casino had no reservations the day before it opened in June 1992, but the series of tangential real estate concerns. There this project, not knowing what would happen.” floors were flooded with people the next day. were multiple real estate transactions and land When the investors agreed to sell Empress Hansen began working for Empress primarily acquisitions. Bridges had to be constructed so to Horseshoe Gaming in 1999, Hansen and to help expand to venues besides Joliet. patrons could access the casino without the investors formed Empress Financial Group “I can’t tell you how many other locations I disrupting traffic. When investigating other to see if they could duplicate their success. visited throughout the country, or people I was potential sites for Empress, Hansen also had Their huge nest eggs and a lawsuit by a involved with, looking into, on behalf of the to view the spots through his real estate and dissident owner eventually squelched the owners, whether or not we wanted to go there environmental law lenses. group’s enthusiasm. and get a gaming license,” says Hansen. Tim Lambert, the vice president for legal Nothing came to fruition except in Hammond, affairs for the central division at Caesars Private Practice, Baseball, Community Ind., where Empress secured a license in 1994 Entertainment, worked at the Herschbach firm At age 50, Hansen started his law practice before opening in 1996. as a law student when Hansen was a partner. in October 200 1. He planned to work for a Although the Joliet casino had the biggest, Hansen recruited Lambert, a Joliet native, as decade. “Here I am 10 years later still doing it longest, and most heavily negotiated an assistant in-house counsel at Empress and probably intending to for a while longer,” annexation agreement to date in the area, when the business was expanding in 1995. he jokes. SM

Though his bank work continues, the casino but also for behind-the-scenes work involving and baseball team are just memories now. real estate finance, joint ventures, strategy, or Hansen dreamed up the idea of the Joliet transaction structuring. He nominated her for JackHammers when Empress Financial Group institute membership. was looking for investments and Joliet “Seeing Mike in action there, I really see how determined that a minor league baseball he’s not just hiding under a mushroom in Joliet,” stadium could improve its quality of life. Mayor she says. “He’s out there staying on top of his Art Schultz had long wanted a team, and the game, being involved as a legislative liaison, city manager wished for a vibrant downtown. and remaining very plugged in politically.” The two married their interests and were happy Hansen has many other interests and causes. to talk with Hansen and his local partners. He is a member of the boards of advisers After discussing the business with the for and the University of St. general manager of Schaumburg’s minor Francis. He has ties to , league team, the owners decided to join the where he once served as board president. He Northern League. The JackHammers were a has been on the board of the Franciscan hit from 2002 until the team’s general manager Learning Center, a small preschool. He has left in 2006 to start his own team. So the helped the Crisis Line of Will County and the majority owner took over baseball operations Red Cross. and four years later the investors sold. Thirty-two years ago, Hansen married his Under new ownership, the wife, Beth, who is a speech pathologist at the joined the and won the 20 11 Troy School District. They have four children: championship. Kevin, 30, a theology teacher at Mount Carmel High School in Chicago; Eric, 28, who is in sales Hansen remains active in a dizzying number at City Beverage in Markham; Andrew, 26, a TV of professional and community organizations. reporter in Springfield for WICS, the Channel For a year and a half, he chaired the Will 20 ABC affiliate; and Mary Catherine, 19, a County Center for Economic Development, sophomore at the University of St. Thomas in the county’s leading pro-business group. Its Houston, who plays on the team. executive director and large board help the How does Hansen do it? He points to the 300-member center attract new businesses to good fortune of having an excellent group of the county and retain current businesses. assistants including Cind y— an office manager Managing what Hansen calls the area’s and assistant who has been with him for 20 “hospital wars” was his biggest challenge a year s— and his three other assistants, Barb, few years ago when he was chair. Joliet’s Carol and Karen. Silver Cross Hospital wanted a certificate to Joliet City Manager Tom Thanas has known build a replacement hospital in New Lenox. Hansen for 30 years, including through four Also, St. Joseph Medical Center opposed a months of daily contact when Thanas was plan by Edward Hospital of Naperville to put a Joliet’s city attorney and Hansen negotiated hospital in Plainfield. Part of Hansen’s role was for Empress. Nowadays, when they have to coordinate, organize, and direct individual business, they have highly organized meetings opinions. at 6:30 a.m. Currently, Hansen is vice chairman of the “I drive by his office to go to work,” says Silver Cross Foundation, which raises private Thanas, “and I always know Mike is at his funds to assist the hospital. Silver Cross opens office before I can get to mine.” in early 20 12 at I-355 and Route 6 in New Lenox. Thanas thinks Hansen does an excellent job Hansen is also vice chairman of the Institute representing clients in real estate and other of Business Law, the state’s group of transactions. Hansen excels at handling the leading corporate practitioners. The group business deal first to be certain it makes good allows lawyers to discuss their areas of business sense. Only then, Thanas says, will professional concentration, to review Hansen focus on the political deal to ensure that legislation, and to suggest how Illinois the city staff is fully engaged and supports what corporate and business law can better attract his client wants to do. Hansen always avoids and retain businesses. The institute is affiliated surprises and makes sure council members with Chicago-Kent College of Law. have the details they need before a meeting. Suzanne L. Saxman, chair of the mergers “Mike is a Joliet resident,” says Thanas, and acquisitions group at Seyfarth Shaw, says “and he’s not going to represent a client and Hansen stays on top of legal developments far advocate anything that would hurt Joliet.” I beyond his day-to-day practice so he can suggest alternatives to clients. Hansen has called upon Saxman since the early 1990s, sometimes as outside counsel

This article originally appeared in Leading Lawyers Network Magazin e—Real Estate, Construction and Environmental Edition for 20 12 and has been reprinted with permission. © 20 12 Law Bulletin Publishing Co.