SM 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 Joliet Junior College,” 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 baseball 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 golf 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.