Jim Letchinger founded JDL Development in 1993 and to date, has developed more than 1,200 residential units with another 1,500 currently preparing to be in construction. 

He launched his development career with a conversion of a 1940’s Benjamin Marshall building at 210 E. Walton St. in Chicago where he transformed 21 apartments into five unique residential condominiums. Mr. Letchinger quickly became known as one of Chicago’s most creative and respected residential developers, specializing in urban development where his expertise in entitlement and infill design provides a significant competitive advantage. Mr. Letchinger is intimately involved in all aspects of JDL’s projects, from inception to completion. His hands-on approach has helped JDL survive a number of real estate cycles.

Mr. Letchinger is a graduate of the University of Michigan. A life long resident of the City of Chicago, Mr. Letchinger is married with two grown children.

Robert Stone has been with JDL Development since 2002, overseeing all financial and administrative functions of the company. Robert works closely with a variety of banks, equity partners and many other service providers to create the right financial structures for JDL's projects. Prior to joining JDL, Robert was a consultant in private investment and business turnaround/workout consulting.

For more then 10 years, Robert was 50% Owner, Chairman and COO of United Model Distributors, Inc, the largest wholesale hobby products distributors in the US. For 4 years, Robert worked as a consultant in the real estate, oil and gas and industrial ventures and was Vice President of The Jupiter Corporation for 5 years prior to his consulting work.

Robert began his career in private practice of law with a specialty in real estate development, hotels and security. Robert holds a BA from Miami University and a JD from University of Michigan.

Yale Dieckmann joined JDL Development in 2013. In his role as EVP and CIO, he is responsible for the financing and project management of JDL’s development portfolio. He is actively involved in all stages of JDL’s projects, from entitlement and design to financing, construction, operation and disposition.

Prior to joining JDL, Yale spent nearly seven years in the real estate investments division of Northwestern Mutual Life [NML], most recently as Director of Production. While at NML, he originated more than $530MM in development equity and mortgage loans throughout the upper Midwest.

Prior to NML, Yale held various operating positions for Blackboard, a leader in e-learning software, and was a management consultant with The Parthenon Group in Boston.

Yale holds a B.A. in Economics from Dartmouth College and an MBA from the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University. He is an active member of ULI and serves on the board of the Kellogg Real Estate Alumni Club. He lives in Lakeview with his wife, daughter and Cocker Spaniel.

Scott joined JDL in 2013, managing the design and construction process of all residential building projects. 

Prior to joining JDL, Scott was Vice President of Hines for fourteen years. At Hines, he managed the design and construction projects such as 191 North Wacker, One South Dearborn, 300 North LaSalle, 1225 Old Town and Wolf Point. Prior to Hines, Scott also worked as Project Director for Hardin Construction Group, and Vice President/Senior Project Manager for A. Epstein and Sons.

Scott began his career with Skidmore, Owings and Merrill with the responsibility of managing architectural/engineering teams and the financial performance of projects in the US, London, Korea, China and Hong Kong.

Scott has a Bachelor of Science in Architectural Studies from University of Illinois/Urbana and a Masters of Architecture/Structures Option from the University of Illinois/Urbana.

Marek has been with JDL for over 18 years. He oversees construction of all of JDL’s custom single family homes as well as their smaller town home projects. Marek is responsible for overseeing the daily management of all subcontractors and their specific duties as well as the project design. He works closely with JDL’s clients to ensure the projects are a complete success.

Shawn Ingall has worked with JDL Development since 2004. She is responsible for all marketing collateral, brochures, press releases and websites. She was also a consultant for Edelman Public Relations from 2004–2008. Prior to 2004, Shawn worked for General Growth Properties as a Senior Communications Manager where she executed media and marketing campaigns for major development projects. 

For several years, Shawn worked for the City of Chicago where she was the Public Information Officer for the Department of Purchases, Contracts and Supplies. Prior to this position, she was the Publicity Coordinator for the City's Department of Cultural Affairs. 

She has a B.A. from the University of Massachusetts/Amherst and a Masters Degree in Communications from Northwestern University.

Heather is the director of interior design at JDL, working closely with our clients to insure that their spaces are tailored exactly to their needs. She has over 10 years of experience working in luxury residential development. 

Prior to JDL, Heather was Interior Construction Coordinator for Lincoln Park 2550, where she managed all aspects of the interiors in collaboration with designer Darcy Bonner.

Prior to Lincoln Park 2550, Heather worked as Senior Design Manager for Centrum Properties, where she managed more than $24M of interior selections across seven major residential properties including The Montgomery and The Fairbanks. She collaborated with multiple architects and designers to maintain quality across all aspects of the project, from unit finishes to lobbies, common areas, and exteriors.

Prior to Centrum, Heather lead interior selections for the Rezmar Corporation and was Design Center Coordinator with Invesco Group Limited.

Ryan Shannahan
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Courtney Clauer-Bates
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Chris Ryan
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John Plunkett
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Doug Metzger
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