CHICAGO, IL (June 17th, 2021) – Chicago House AC announced a group of local investors who will support the team financially. They join Primary Team Owner Lindsey Sacks, Managing Partner Peter Wilt and Bruce Merivale-Austin in the club's investor group. Additional investors are expected to join the club later this year and the team is contemplating a fan ownership component to further integrate the club with the community.
“We welcome these leaders in our community who all believe in the Chicago House AC mission and strengthen our foundation,” said Wilt.
Brian Costin, a lifelong resident of Illinois, has worked in public policy and social change for 15 years both inside and outside of government positions. He worked for the people of Illinois as Policy Advisor to the Governor and Deputy Chief of Staff to the first Latina Lieutenant Governor in U.S. history. Brian has won a number of awards for his work including a Government Watchdog Award and an Alumni Public Service Award.
“What's not to love about being a part of the Chicago House Athletic Club? It's a club named after Chicago's best musical invention, in my favorite sport, in my favorite league, in my favorite city,” says Costin. “All the while the club and league are standing up for the sporting values I believe will transform sports in the United States, and being a positive force for good in our community.”
Peter Duveneck was born and raised in Brookfield, WI. After graduating from Saint Louis University he made the bold decision to move to Japan to teach English at Berlitz. This was truly a remarkable experience where Peter developed his interest in international business. He has spent the vast majority of his career in operations at Chase Bank in their Mortgage Banking department. He is currently at Avant as a Manager on the companies’ Technical Program Management team.
“Investing in CHAC is a unique opportunity to be able to impact the growth of the sport as well as the community,” says Duveneck.
Mike Gaynor is a Radio Frequency (RF) electrical engineer at Peregrine Semiconductor and part owner as well as a board member of Raptor Wireless Labs. He has been in the industry for 35 years, and wrote a book on RF System in Package module design. His career expands large, hundreds of watts, base stations; to cellular type phones including the Iridium satellite phone; to many wireless modules; and now semiconductor integrated circuit designs.
“As with the start of any new venture like CHAC, there will be obstacles. There will be doubters. There will be mistakes. But with teamwork, there are no limits,” says Gaynor.
George Magnuson grew up in Evanston, Illinois, just north of Chicago. After graduating from Evanston Township High School in 2012, George enrolled at The University of Illinois in Urbana/Champaign, where he studied Math & Computer Science and took internships at John Deere, Zillow, and Northwestern University. After graduation in 2016, George brought his engineering experience to a role at IMC Trading as a software developer. Five years later, he leads a team of six developers on the Equity Options trading desk. On top of working at IMC, George has served on the executive board for a non-profit: Teachers Supporting Teachers. His responsibilities there include founding and leading an associate board.
“In high school I once substituted for our soccer team in a Summer exhibition match. I ended up missing an uncontested (probably offside) shot from about 12 yards out,” says Magnuson. “I knew at that moment I was unlikely to become a professional soccer player, so this is a cool way for me to get involved anyway.”
Lynnette Mays has spent twenty years in institutional real estate investment management across a variety of functions including capital development, investor relations, investing and advisory services. This experience has brought Mays to her current position as a Director for Hines Capital Markets Group – North America. Originally from Cleveland, OH, she has grown to love Chicago and considers it home.
“The Chicago House family embodies personal interests that I am extremely passionate about – health and fitness within minority communities and celebrating, as well as, finding commonalities among different cultures,” says Mays. “I have always appreciated and enjoyed the cultural diversity of Chicago. Sports is a common language across cultures, and I am excited that the Chicago House’s mission will expand this language in my community.”
Bob Parise is a Managing Director at a locally based financial services firm having more than 25 years of experience within the institutional asset management industry. He currently serves as the Head of Sales and Relationship Management, sits on several leadership councils and boards within the asset management industry. Bob earned his bachelor’s degree in business with an emphasis in finance from Western Illinois University and an MBA from DePaul University.
“I am very excited to be part of the CHAC family and proud to support an organization that at its core believes in, supports growth or and promotes diversity, equity and inclusion within its founding principles.”
Buzz and Geoff Ruttenberg continue the proud real estate tradition of the Ruttenberg Family. Their grand development history spans over eight decades and a plethora of Chicago neighborhoods and communities. From residential developments to commercial projects, small multi-unit renovations to new construction rental options, the Ruttenberg Family helped establish Chicago's burgeoning real estate tradition. Since the 1940's when David C. Ruttenberg jumped into the world of bricks and mortar, the Ruttenberg Family has been adding to Chicago's rich architectural and neighborhood diversity in a variety of locations throughout the Chicagoland area. A few notable developments include: The Esquire Theater, 600 N. Lake Shore Drive, Webster Place Theater, Belden Centre and Belgravia Terrace.
“Peter Wilt and CJ Brown have tremendous track records and have been extremely successful in their respective soccer endeavors,” says Geoff Ruttenberg. “I believe in Peter, I believe in CJ and I believe in the House! As a developer, I recognize a strong foundation is key in sustaining longevity and Lindsey Sacks and Laurence Girard have certainly solidified the foundation of this {Chicago} House.”
Patrick Salvi is the founder and Managing Equity Partner of the Illinois law firm Salvi, Schostok & Pritchard. Under his leadership, the firm has obtained more than $1.5 billion in verdicts and settlements, including more than 270 cases with recoveries of over $1 million. A Notre Dame Law alum, Mr. Salvi has been honored as one of the “Best Lawyers in America” and is routinely named to Illinois Super Lawyers’ and Leading Lawyers’ Top 10 Lists. Outside the courtroom, Mr. Salvi is an avid baseball fan and owner of the Schaumburg Boomers and Gary Southshore Railcats.
“I’m very excited to be part of this terrific new soccer franchise,” says Salvi. “We have a great ownership group, front office and venue. The fans will love Chicago House AC!”
Chris Wittenberg is a strategy and analytics leader and consultant who is assessing opportunities in the sports gaming industry. He most recently served as Director of Business Insights and Analytics at McDonald's, where he led the corporate performance management process and global data governance initiatives. Before McDonald's, Chris led the HR analytics function at Citadel LLC and advised corporate leaders on a range of topics as a consultant with McKinsey and Company.
“For me, being part of the CHAC family is about reinvesting in my hometown and growing a league that has an exciting future in the US sports landscape,” says Wittenberg. “I look forward to attending games with my kids and getting them involved with the club.”
For full biographies on each of Chicago House AC’s ownership group, please visit www.chicagohouseac.com/ownership.
For more information on Chicago House AC’s ownership and investors group, please visit www.chicagohouseac.com/ownership or contact Chicago House AC’s Director of Marketing & Communications, Walter Nolan-Cohn at [email protected].
ABOUT Chicago House Athletic Club
Founded in 2020, Chicago House Athletic Club is a community-based professional soccer team which will begin play in Fall 2021 at the 20,000 capacity SeatGeek Stadium at 71st and Harlem in Bridgeview, Illinois. The team will compete in the National Independent Soccer Association (NISA,) a U.S. Soccer sanctioned third division league. Led by Managing Partner, President & CEO Peter Wilt, Chicago House AC is a Public Benefit Corporation (PBC) committed to transparency and working with its constituents to use its platform for social justice, diversity, equality, inclusion and community improvement. For more information, contact us at [email protected], visit www.chicagohouseac.com and follow on social media @ChicagoHouse_AC. “Our City, Our House.”
ABOUT NISA
The National Independent Soccer Association was founded in 2017 with a mission to bring professional soccer to every city in the United States. A pro league member of U.S. Soccer, NISA focuses on a model based on meritocracy, independent clubs controlling their own league, clubs owning their intellectual property, all without the barrier of territorial rights. Sanctioned by the U.S. Soccer Federation, NISA also runs the mid-summer pro-am Independent Cup tournament, the year-long amateur league NISA Nation, and NISA Media. For more information about NISA visit NISAOfficial.com or contact at [email protected]. Follow NISA on Twitter @NISALeague and on Instagram @nisasoccer.