Robert A. Judelson

Background

Robert A. Judelson was born on March 21, 1939, in Chicago, Illinois, to Hyman Judelson and Reva Epstein Judelson. He grew up in Chicago's Rogers Park neighborhood alongside Judd Malkin and Neil Bluhm, who later became his partners in JMB Realty.

His early life unfolded in Chicago, a major American commercial center whose postwar expansion supported the growth of suburban development, brokerage, and real-estate investment. Judelson entered that business environment after attending Northwestern University and began his professional career in the city's real-estate sector.

Education

Judelson attended Northwestern University and was recorded as a student there in 1961. Northwestern, founded in 1851 in Evanston, Illinois, is a major research university whose Chicago-area setting connected academic training with the region's commercial, legal, and professional institutions.

Career

Judelson began his career as a salesman and broker with Baird & Warner, Inc., in Chicago, working there from 1962 to 1968. Baird & Warner, founded in Chicago in 1855, became one of the region's longstanding real-estate brokerage firms and provided the setting for Judelson's early professional work.

In 1968, Judelson helped establish JMB Realty with Judd Malkin and Neil Bluhm. The firm developed from Chicago real-estate partnerships into a major investment and development enterprise, and Judelson remained a partner until 1973. His association with JMB placed him at an early stage of the expansion of institutional and partnership-based real-estate investment in the United States.

After leaving JMB, Judelson became a partner in Balcor Company and served as its vice chairman from 1973. Balcor, associated with Jerry Reinsdorf, operated in real-estate investment and related financial and entertainment ventures. Judelson was also associated with the ownership and governance of professional sports organizations, serving as a director of the Chicago Bulls and the Chicago White Sox.

In later business activity, Judelson served as chairman of Michigan Avenue Real Estate Group, an Illinois-based real-estate company involved in asset management and the stabilization of real-estate portfolios for financial institutions. He also remained associated with real-estate investment partnerships and continued to be identified with Chicago commercial real estate.

Achievements

• Judelson helped establish JMB Realty in 1968 with Judd Malkin and Neil Bluhm, contributing to the formation of a Chicago real-estate investment firm that later became a major participant in commercial property investment and development.

Religion

Judelson was Jewish. Judaism is a monotheistic religious tradition rooted in the covenantal relationship between God and the Jewish people and expressed through Torah, communal practice, ethical responsibility, and the observance of religious law and festivals.

His documented religious affiliation formed part of the personal background of a Chicago real-estate executive whose professional and civic life developed within the Jewish communal and philanthropic environment of the United States.

Membership

Judelson served as a trustee of Eaglebrook School in Deerfield, Massachusetts, and St. Andrew's School in Boca Raton, Florida, from 1985. He was also a member of Standard Club in Chicago and Boca Rio Golf Club in Boca Raton.

Eaglebrook and St. Andrew's are independent schools serving secondary-school students, while the Standard Club and Boca Rio Golf Club are private membership organizations. His trusteeships connected his business career with educational governance and institutional support.

• Trustee

  Eaglebrook School , United States

  1985

• Trustee

  St. Andrew's School , United States

  1985

• Standard Club , United States

• Boca Rio Golf Club , United States

Personality

Quotes from others about the person

• In a 2003 interview about his investment in the Chicago White Sox, Judelson described the decision as something he made because it seemed enjoyable and potentially profitable, while also noting that sports ownership should not be pursued solely for financial return.

Interests

• Photography, golf, and tennis.

• Sport & Clubs

  Golf and tennis; professional baseball and basketball through his association with the Chicago White Sox and Chicago Bulls.

Connections

Judelson married Joan Silver on September 4, 1965. They had two children, Julie Rose Judelson, later known as Julie Diaz, and Henry Ivan Judelson.

His long professional relationships with Judd Malkin, Neil Bluhm, and Jerry Reinsdorf were central to his documented business associations. Malkin and Bluhm were his partners in establishing JMB Realty, while Reinsdorf was associated with him in Balcor and in the ownership of the Chicago Bulls and Chicago White Sox.

Father:

Hyman Judelson

Mother:

Reva Epstein Judelson

Wife:

Joan Silver

Married Robert A. Judelson on September 4, 1965; died in 2014.

Son:

Henry Ivan Judelson

Daughter:

Julie Rose Judelson

Later known as Julie Diaz.

Collegue :

Judd Malkin

Co-founder and partner with Judelson in JMB Realty.

Collegue :

Neil Bluhm

Co-founder and partner with Judelson in JMB Realty.

Collegue :

Jerry Reinsdorf

Business associate in Balcor Company and in ownership of the Chicago Bulls and Chicago White Sox.

References

• JMB Realty Corporation Documents Judelson's partnership with Judd Malkin and Neil Bluhm and the origins of JMB Realty.
• For the Investor Who Has Everything Profiles Judelson's investment in the Chicago White Sox and his views on the financial and personal aspects of sports ownership.
  2003
• Robert A. Judelson: Positions, Relations and Network Summarizes Judelson's business positions, directorships, JMB Realty association, and educational trusteeships.
• Chicago Office Market | Top Office Sales | West Loop Documents Judelson's participation in a Chicago office-property investment.
  2019
• Michigan Avenue Real Estate Group Launches San Antonio Office Identifies Judelson as chairman of Michigan Avenue Real Estate Group and describes the company's real-estate asset-management activities.
  2011