Teamwork is the cornerstone of Tri-Land’s business philosophy.
The team is astute at researching, selecting properties with potential, and executing the business plan. A comprehensive business plan detailing goals, strategies and implementation is developed for each selected site. Timely, accurate reports keep Tri-Land’s financial partners abreast of each project’s progress and performance. It’s all part of an ongoing commitment to build real estate for Tri-Land tenants, partners and retail communities.

 

Richard F. Dube


President

Mr. Dube has over 45 years of experience in the commercial real estate and grocery store industries. He is founder, president and owner of Westchester, Illinois-based Tri-Land Properties, Inc., a full service real estate company recognized nationally for its ability to conceive and execute successful, high-quality, value-add retail redevelopments, founded in 1978.

Mr. Dube’s successes span every segment of the development spectrum, from acquisition, capital investments and construction, to development, leasing, operations and public/private partnerships.  Mr. Dube and his company have developed, leased and managed more than 7.0 million square feet of retail space in 41 properties, located in eight states.  Tri-Land currently owns and manages more than 1.7 million square feet of retail in 6 shopping centers ranging in size from 110,000 to 400,000 square feet.

His expertise in identifying and repositioning underutilized and underperforming retail properties has become a defining element in Tri-Land’s identity and a hallmark of its success.  Unafraid to buck conventional wisdom and pursue innovation beyond raw demographics, Tri-Land’s passion for seeking out opportunities that others have overlooked, has proven to be a strategic advantage for its retailers, investors and the communities in which it operates.

Prior to forming Tri-Land Properties, Mr. Dube served as vice president of real estate and construction for Loblaw Ltd., a large Toronto, Canada-based supermarket chain that operated more than 150 stores.  While serving in that capacity, he and his team were responsible for opening 20 new stores and completing 15 remodels.  Mr. Dube’s career began at Jewel Food Stores, the leading supermarket chain in Chicago, where he became Chicago store location manager at the age of 23. In that position, Mr. Dube was principally responsible for identifying, assembling and developing all supermarket sites for Jewel within the City of Chicago, including six inner-city stores, two of which were built on former industrial sites.

Mr. Dube, who is a 1972 graduate of Western Michigan University, earned his Master’s Degree from Cornell University in 1976.  He serves on the Cancer Leadership Committee of Rush University Medical Center; the Board of the Graduate Program in Real Estate for Cornell University; and is a Emeritus Member of the Board of the Dyson School of Business Program for Cornell University.

Hugh D. Robinson


Emeritus

Hugh Robinson has over 40 years of experience in commercial real estate concentrating on acquisitions, securing economic development incentives and anchor tenant leasing. He is executive vice president-acquisitions and a shareholder of Tri-Land Holdings, the company that owns Tri-Land Properties, Inc. and its affiliates.

Since 1979, Mr. Robinson has been responsible for acquiring 32 shopping centers totaling $233,500,000 and 5,403,000 square feet. He has significant background and expertise in securing government entitlements, including $45,000,000 for 12 shopping centers Tri-Land has or is in the process of repositioning. In addition, Mr. Robinson has negotiated new leases, lease modifications or land sales with national and regional retail chains such as: Price Chopper (New York), Price Chopper (Kansas City), Kroger (Indianapolis and Atlanta), Marsh (Indianapolis), Cub Foods (Minneapolis), Dominick’s (Chicago), Target (St. Louis), Kohl’s (Indianapolis), Walgreens (Overland Park, KS) and Burlington Coat Factory (Merrillville, IN) with respect to stores totaling approximately 1.3 million square feet.

Prior to joining Tri-Land Properties, Inc., Mr. Robinson’s career included positions as a seven-state regional real estate manager for Walgreens Drug Stores and a store location manager with both Loblaw Food Stores (Toronto) and National Supermarkets, a subsidiary of Loblaw Ltd., Toronto, Ontario, Canada.  During Mr. Robinson’s National Supermarket tenure, he was promoted in the real estate development department to store location manager.  In that capacity, he evaluated entire markets such as New Orleans, Denver, Buffalo, Indianapolis, Milwaukee and Chicago; and identified and evaluated individual locations in those markets to assist National Supermarkets with its expansion plans.  As store location manager at Loblaw Companies, Mr. Robinson was responsible for new store locations and store repositioning in the City of Toronto.

Mr. Robinson has a Bachelor of Science degree in Real Estate from the University of Illinois and is a licensed real estate broker in Illinois and Indiana.

Mike Slifka


Director of Construction

Mike Slifka, Director of Construction and Operations, leads shopping center development commencing with due diligence process through design and construction to ensure execution of the business plan.  Mr. Slifka’s most recent project experience includes the renovations of:

  • Devonshire Village in Olathe, KS
  • Cherokee South Plaza in Overland Park, KS
  • Brywood Centre in Kansas City, MO
  • Ten Quivira Plaza in Shawnee, KS
  • The Crossings in Smyrna, GA
  • Fridley Market in Fridley, MN
  • Oak Park Plaza in Blaine, MN

Mr. Slifka also manages all Tri-Land Properties’ tenant build out projects.

Mr. Slifka’s previous experience includes Construction Manager for Allied Domecq in the Quick Service Restaurant division (i.e., Dunkin Donuts, Baskin Robbins and Togo’s), and as Director, Real Estate & Construction, for Domino’s Pizza LLC of Ann Arbor, MI.  At Domino’s, Mr. Slifka focused primarily on developing the company’s network of food production and distribution centers in support of the retail stores.  His efforts encompassed programming, space planning, site analysis and selection, design, developer / contractor selection, bidding, construction, furnishings and equipment.  In addition to facilities throughout North America (including Canada and Mexico), he also contributed to the development of international markets, including projects in Europe, Africa and the Middle East.

Mr. Slifka has a Bachelor of Architecture Degree from the Illinois Institute of Technology, a Master’s Degree in Urban Planning and a Master’s of Science Degree in Gerontology, both from the University of Southern California.

RJ Johnson


Vice President of Business Development

RJ Johnson has over 16 years experience in building processes, assembling teams and scaling companies resulting in bottom line growth. He serves as the Vice President of Business Development for Tri-Land.

Mr. Johnson brings an entrepreneurial background and has experience working for both private and public companies in the banking sector.

In the public sector, he was responsible for building a consumer direct sales channel from the ground up, which pushed retail sales growth from 2011 – 2016, resulting in market share growth from 0.3% to 9.76%.  He also over saw the marketing channel which supported the sales growth in which he oversaw a $8MM annual marketing budget.  Along with building and overseeing these two channels, which accounted for approximately 220 employees, he was part of the due diligence committee which completed two separate acquisitions totaling approximately $150MM in acquisitions.

In the private sector, Mr. Johnson developed a Private Placement’s, raised private capital for a startup company, and was the Chief Executive Officer of The Kent Group, a full-service mortgage company. His strengths lie in leveraging technology to maximize business growth and development, and the deployment of strategic initiatives which results in bottom line growth.

Mr. Johnson is a graduate from Indiana University with a Bachelor of Science degree in Education. He is also a licensed Real Estate Broker in IL and IN.

 

Denise Mlotek, SPHR


Director of Human Resources

Denise Mlotek, SPHR, brings more than 25 years of technical and strategic experience to her role as Director of Human Resources for Tri-Land.  She has held senior level leadership positions that include the design, development, implementation and administration of a human resources department.  In addition, she has been involved in the specific functions of human resources including organizational development, staffing and recruiting, university relations, training and development and generalist responsibilities.  She has worked in a variety of industries including a medium-sized privately held advertising agency, a large publicly held consumer packaged goods company before partnering with Tri-Land Properties.

Ms. Mlotek earned a Bachelor of Science degree from University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign, and a Master’s degree in Management and Organizational Behavior from Benedictine University, Lisle, IL.  She has been awarded the Senior Professional in Human Resources (SPHR) credential demonstrating mastery of the strategic and policy aspects of human resources.  She is a member of the Society of Human Resource Professionals, and serves as a Board Member for Crossroads Community Counseling Center, a not-for-profit organization.

Matt Etter


Director of Finance and Accounting

Matt Etter, CPA, Director of Accounting and Finance leads the Accounting and Finance Department and oversees all aspects of financial reporting to ensure accurate and timely records of all financial matters across the business. Mr. Etter has over 10 years of experience in real estate accounting with commercial real estate development entities and real estate investment companies within a variety of real estate assets, including multi-family housing, retail shopping centers, governmental housing, and mixed-use developments. As Tri-Land’s Director of Accounting and Finance, Mr. Etter works closely with Tri-Land’s president, Richard F. Dube to align the Company’s financial approach and processes with the overall strategy of the organization.

Mr. Etter began his career with the public accounting professional services firm Plante and Moran where he managed audit, review and compilation engagements for residential and commercial real estate development entities, real estate investment companies and governmental and housing community service organizations. Prior to joining Tri-Land Properties, he also worked as an Accounting Manager with a privately held multi-family luxury real estate development company with a portfolio of mixed-use multi-family rental and retail properties where he managed the accounting and financial analysis for all projects.

Mr. Etter earned his Bachelor of Science in Accountancy and Master of Accounting Science from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign with honors and is a Certified Public Accountant.

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