ITRA Chicago, Illinois

Managing Principal Contact:

Ronald R. Pollina, PhD
Principal, Pollina Corporate Real Estate, Inc.

Phone: +1 847.685.9000 or

Dr. Ronald R. Pollina is the President and founder of Chicago-based Pollina Corporate Real Estate, Inc. Since 1981, Pollina Corporate has represented clients nationally and internationally with their real estate needs including strategic planning and location analysis. Dr. Pollina's industry peers and corporate clients recognize him as an expert in corporate location analysis and geoeconomic trends.

Prior to forming the company, Dr. Pollina was Real Estate Economist for one of the nation's largest real estate firms. During the mid-1970’s, he served in a similar capacity with Continental Illinois National Bank.  Dr. Pollina has represented numerous Fortune 500 companies as real estate broker and consultant, including Xerox, E.I. du Pont, 3Com, Time Magazine, Bosch, Caterpillar, State Farm Insurance, and Prudential Insurance. He has represented his clients in every major metropolitan area of the country, as well as foreign locations, with many of these transactions being the building or acquiring of corporate headquarters and major manufacturing and distribution facilities.

Dr. Pollina has authored over 70 published articles on the subjects of geoeconomics, corporate relocation, lease and contract negotiations, and national and state economic development. His opinions on geoeconomics and real estate have been quoted in The Wall Street Journal, Financial Times, Financial Times of London, Business Week, Forbes Magazine, Chicago Tribune, and the New York Times. Dr. Pollina is the author of the nationally recognized Pollina Corporate Top 10 Pro-Business States study that is published annually and has received coverage by CBS, NBC, ABC, CNN and NPR. He is a principal author of the Lease Negotiation Handbook, a publication of the American Bar Association.  His latest highly-acclaimed book, Selling Out a Superpower: Where the U.S. Economy Went Wrong and How We Can Turn It Around (www.sellingoutasuperpower.com) is scheduled for release September 2010. 

In addition to being interviewed on television and radio, Dr. Pollina, has made scores of presentations before groups such as the National Council for Urban Economic Development, International Economic Development Council, Building Owners and Managers Association International, International Development Research Council, National Association of Realtors, the International Association of Attorneys and Executives in Corporate Real Estate, Business Roundtable, and several state legislatures.

Dr. Pollina is a member of the American Real Estate and Urban Economics Association, American Real Estate Society, International Economic Development Council, Lambda Alpha ( and honorary professional Land Economics Fraternity), and The German American Chamber of Commerce.  He served on the International Development Research Council's Board of Directors and was granted its highest level of achievement, Master Professional, which is reserved for less than five percent of the association's membership. Dr. Pollina has served as Chairman of the Board of Directors of the International Association of Attorneys and Executives in Corporate Real Estate (AECRE).  He is past Chairman of the Board of Directors of ITRA, having been designated Chair Emeritus in January, 2010.

As an educator, he has served on the faculties of the University of Illinois and DePaul University. Dr. Pollina has also conducted seminars for many Fortune 500 companies, including State Farm Insurance, Motorola, Hewlett Packard and IBM.

Dr. Pollina received his M.A. and Ph.D. degrees from the University of Illinois in 1970 and 1974, respectively.  His primary areas of specialization were in Geoeconomics, Urban and Regional Planning, and Corporate Real Estate Location.