R^2 brings new name,
same vision to Goose Island

PRESS RELEASE | March 5, 2015

MARCH 4, 2015, Chicago -- West Loop development dynamo South Street Capital, a privately held, fully integrated real estate investment firm, announced this week that it has officially changed its name to R2 Companies. Still led by Managing Principal Matt Garrison, the firm's new name is loosely based on the coefficient of determination, a mathematical formula for determining how well data fits a statistical model. (R2 is also a personal reference to Garrison’s daughters.)

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“We have grown to a national owner and operator of multiple asset types with a fully integrated, end-to-end operations platform and expansive network of relationships in many markets,” says Garrison. “Our new name and brand reflects our data-driven approach to investment, as well as our growth and aspirations for the future."

R2 currently owns and operates more than 1.5-million-sf of commercial real estate in Chicago and Minneapolis, and also operates a discretionary mid-market yield fund, R2 Yield Plus. The R2 team is a group of knowledgeable and motivated principals with experience in acquisitions, capital markets, development, leasing, asset, property and construction management. This array of core competencies allows R2 to control directly the success variables in any given investment.

“Our new name and brand reflects our data-driven approach to investment, as well as our growth and aspirations for the future.”

— Matt Garrison

BuiltWorlds and R2 share the same address at 1130 West Monroe, and this month, the companies are teaming on two upcoming events. This weekend, when BuiltWorlds hosts Chicago's first AEC Hackathon, Garrison is serving as a member of its Host Welcoming Committee. Then on March 16, BuiltWorlds will launch its Project Innovation Series, which will kick off with Goose Island 2.0, an event sponsored by CBRE and presented by R2's Garrison and CBRE's Dan Lynne.

What will Chicago’s Goose Island look like in five years?

Much more than a beer company, Goose Island is one of Chicago’s most historical, yet underappreciated neighborhoods. The 120-acre, man-made island that stretches from Chicago Avenue to North Avenue is surrounded by some of the best real estate in the city, including the Clybourn Corridor, River North, River West, Wicker Park, and Fulton Market. With the expansion of commercial markets in Chicago joined by the national trend toward urbanizing industrial neighborhoods, R2 believes Goose Island has suddenly become one of the city’s most intriguing opportunities for commercial development.

For more information on the Goose Island 2.0 event, contact josh.simons@builtworlds.com. For a preview of Garrison's part of the evening, watch the video below...