Tony Chereso

Chief Executive Officer, Inland Real Estate Group

Chereso took over during a time of upheaval for his longstanding company. Now, he’s leading the next generation of one of Chicago’s most influential commercial real estate investment firms.

He ascended into the CEO of the Inland family of companies, known collectively as Inland Real Estate Group, in early 2024 after the death of its former CEO and co-founder Daniel Goodwin.

The Inland family of companies is one of the country’s largest real estate investment firms with $125 billion in transactions since its founding in 1968. It currently employs over 1,200 people and operates in 49 states. Subsidiaries of the company span a variety of disciplines including tax-deferred investments, REITs and private equity. 

A month prior to Goodwin’s death, Joseph Cosenza, co-founder and former CEO of Inland’s acquisitions arm, died as well. He was succeeded by his son Mark Cosenza and longtime Inland executive Matthew Tice.

The company’s financial services arm has also undergone four leadership changes since 2024. As Inland transitions to the next generation, Chereso will play an instrumental role in maintaining Inland’s relevance in the commercial real estate landscape.

Major players still see the value in Inland’s influence on the industry. New York-based DRA Advisors acquired a huge Inland business line in 2016 when it assumed the firm’s 132-property, $2.3 billion real estate portfolio concentrated on Midwest shopping centers, which operated under the IRC Retail Centers banner.

DRA over the last few years has shed a notable portion of the Midwest portfolio, worth an estimated $540 million.

— Emma Whalen