VERMILION DEVELOPMENT - Key Persons
Job Titles:
- Accounting Clerk
- CEO
- Executive Assistant to the President
Alison McCarthy joined Vermilion Development in October 2022. With over 25 years of experience and a diverse background in law administration and accounting in development, Alison has an extensive understanding of financial operations. She is dedicated to supporting the financial team and contributing to the success of Vermilion Development.
Job Titles:
- Director, Acquisitions and Development
- Managing Director, Construction
Drew joined Vermilion Development in January 2023. He assists Vermilion in the sourcing, analysis, and execution of new investment opportunities.
Prior to Vermilion, he worked at Equus Capital Partners, where he led the firm's successful entrance into the Dallas and Houston multifamily markets. Before Equus, Drew was a financial analyst for Zeller Realty Group. At Zeller, Drew helped the firm with various acquisition, asset management, and disposition initiatives.
Drew graduated from the University of Notre Dame with a Bachelor of Arts in History. He later earned his M.B.A. from the Kellogg School of Management. He was awarded the Chartered Financial Analyst designation in 2018.
Kerry Dickson joined Vermilion Development in March of 2014. His past work experience includes the completion of over 35 successful developments creating almost 3,000 homes ranging from luxury condominiums to affordable housing.
Over his 24 year career in real estate development, Kerry has focused on complex residential and mixed-use properties requiring unique solutions. He is experienced in all facets of the development process with special emphasis on land entitlement, sustainability, historic rehabilitation and accessibility. He has successfully negotiated several large planned development ordinances with the City of Chicago, and worked with the State of Illinois Historic Preservation Office to utilize financial incentives to rehabilitate over 18 properties. Kerry holds accreditation as a LEED BD+C with the United States Green Building Council, and was instrumental in the development of the first residential high-rise in the Midwest to achieve LEED certification. He served on the City of Chicago Mayor's Task Force on Accessibility and is currently a member of the Mayor's Office for People with Disabilities Technical Committee re-writing Chapter 11 of the Chicago Building Code.
Kerry graduated with Highest Honors from the University of Illinois with a Bachelor of Science degree in Architecture. He also holds Master of Business Administration and Master of Architecture degrees from the University of Illinois. Kerry serves on the Board of Directors of Wesley Child Care and is active with the Boy Scouts of America as an Assistant Scoutmaster and Outdoor Activities Chair for Troop 156 in Glenview, Illinois.
Job Titles:
- CEO
- Executive Assistant to the President
Lorie Herrera joined Vermilion Development in February 2022 as the Executive Assistant to the President and CEO.
Lorie has over fifteen years' experience as an Executive Assistant and Trial Paralegal exclusively supporting C-Suite Executives. Her experience has largely been focused in the healthcare, financial, and real estate industries as well as attending trial as a senior trial paralegal.
Lorie holds a Bachelor of Arts in Sociology and is an ABA-certified Paralegal.
Naila Towne joined Vermilion Development in July 2023. She is a Certified Public Accountant with a master's degree in accounting and financial management and 20+ years of diverse accounting experience. Before joining the Vermilion team, Naila spent more than ten years in accounting in the development and financing fields of an affordable housing development consulting firm.
Naila serves on the Board of Directors of the Tea Rose Educational Foundation and is an active member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Incorporated®. She is also a life member of Girl Scouts of the USA and has served as a troop leader in Oak Park, Illinois for more than 13 years.
Job Titles:
- Managing Director
- Managing Director for Construction
Patrick Sise joined Vermilion Development in December of 2023 as the Managing Director for Construction. His past work experiences include the completion of nearly 2,900 residential units in the senior housing, affordable housing, condominium and market-rate rentals.
Pat began his career in the general contracting role where he spent 17 years managing complex ground-up construction projects. He has overseen work in roles starting as an intern through project executive, with a dedication to safety and quality construction practices. Taking pride in, and ownership of, his role as a leader, he has guided challenging projects while managing teams of contractors, project managers, consultants, and owners to achieve success for all stakeholders.
Pat's interest in green building technology and energy efficiency lead to a 3 year turn as the Manager of Construction for the Chicago office of a national energy performance contractor. During this time, his role included site audits, estimating, development of scopes of work for both "green" and traditional renovation of existing buildings as well as renewable energy implementation.
A passion for large-scale multifamily development led Pat back to working with development firms for a variety of multifamily project types in Chicago and other markets across the country. On the development side of the industry, he has participated in all phases of design development, preconstruction, bid management, estimating, design team selection, contractor selection and oversight of all construction aspects through final disposition.
Pat graduated with a degree in Civil and Environmental Engineering from the University of Illinois focused on transportation structures and construction management. Thanks to the advice of his Father, who was a legal professional in the development field, he went directly into construction management and found his purpose being a part of a team and assuming leadership roles that resulted in benefitting communities with job creation, living accommodations, energy conservation and other needed built environments.
A lifelong Chicagoan, Pat, along with his dedicated wife, has raised a family and been active in various roles in the community including volunteering at his Church, coaching multiple teams for his children over the years and volunteering as an Election Judge for Cook County.
Job Titles:
- Development Director
- Director, Acquisitions and Development
- in 2023 As Development Director
Richard joined Vermilion Development in 2023 as Development Director. Prior to this, his successful contributions in development, construction, and design with several nationwide developers has delivered over 140 communities. These contributions gained Richard broad experience with multiple project types that include single-family (BFR and for-sale), multifamily, mixed use, and hospitality developments, along with affordable tax credit projects through IHDA and WHEDA.
Richard's career covers all facets of development, serving in roles as Development Director, Director of Design, Senior Construction Project Manager, and Controller, all of which reinforce his primary skillsets of scaling business models through efficient building design and holistically executing complex initiatives that balance performance with P&L objectives.
Richard is an NCARB-certified, licensed architect as well as an accredited LEED BD+C professional with USGBC. He holds both an MBA and Master of Architecture degree from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign and was the recipient of the Robert F. Hastings Fellowship from the University of Illinois, where he also earned his Bachelor of Science in Architectural Studies.