Melissa arranges financing for all of GK Real Estate’s acquisitions and developments. She procures first mortgage debt, mezzanine debt and preferred equity for GK Real Estate’s portfolio. This includes construction loans, bridge loans and permanent loans. She is also responsible for ongoing communication with lenders on all GK-owned assets.

Before joining the GK team, Melissa was a Principal and Executive Vice President of finance for 26 years with HSA Commercial. There she was responsible for financing the development and acquisition of over 67 million square feet of real estate with a market value of over $2.5 billion. This included industrial, retail, office, medical office, senior living, hotels and vacant land.

During her tenure at HSA, Melissa oversaw communication with lenders for all ongoing needs related to HSA Commercial’s 16 million square feet of owned assets, including negotiating various loan restructures to benefit ownership. She also arranged financing for various third-party borrowers, including all of GK's acquisitions and developments.

Melissa attended the University of Wisconsin, studying real estate and marketing. She is a member of the International Council of Shopping Centers (ICSC) and is licensed as a real estate broker in the state of Illinois.