CHICAGO - (July 01, 2025)
Draper and Kramer, Incorporated, a national full-service real estate firm, is pleased to announce Kathryn Jorgensen, vice president, investment management, was selected as a Connect CRE 2025 Next Gen Award recipient in the Chicago & Midwest region.
Given out annually by Connect Media, the Next Gen Award highlights commercial real estate’s most talented young professionals from across the country and from a range of CRE disciplines including development, finance, ownership, proptech and brokerage. Jorgensen, who was one of 12 individuals honored from the Chicago & Midwest region, was nominated based on her work maximizing the performance of Draper and Kramer’s multifamily portfolio; enhancing the firm’s approach to asset management to better serve non-local properties; and strengthening retail assets through repositioning and strategic lease negotiations.
“Since joining Draper and Kramer in 2020, Kathryn has been instrumental in ensuring our portfolio performs optimally and aligns with the goals of our long-term strategic plan,” said Blas Puzon, chief investment officer with Draper and Kramer. “While she came to our firm with tremendous experience in not only management and operations across real estate sectors but also CRE investment, it is her work ethic, hands-on approach to complex challenges and ability to dive into the details to develop a well-structured, strategic action plan that have made her a standout at our company. Kathryn truly represents the next generation of leadership in this industry and we’re incredibly proud to see her honored among her peers with this award.”
During her five-year tenure with Draper and Kramer, Jorgensen’s primary focus has been on the firm’s Texas portfolio as well as retail assets across markets. In addition to acquisition and disposition functions, she is responsible for improving and monitoring performance through each asset’s life cycle, including managing large-scale renovations, retail leasing and new service rollouts. Her leadership and operational influence have been significant contributors to the high caliber of resident experience at the assets under her oversight, resulting in numerous industry awards and accolades for property performance and resident satisfaction.
Jorgensen is actively involved with the Near South Planning Board, a non-profit group whose mission is to plan, guide and encourage a program of development for the near south area of Chicago bordered by Jackson Boulevard to the north and 35th Street to the south, including the South Loop. Additionally, she is a member of the Chicago chapter of the Real Estate Finance Forum (REFF). A graduate of Wheaton College in Illinois, she also holds an MBA from the University of Virginia’s Darden School of Business.
About Draper and Kramer, Incorporated
Founded in 1893, Draper and Kramer, Incorporated is a trusted financial and property services provider with a deep commitment to people, excellence, service and integrity spanning more than 130 years. Family-owned and one of the leading privately held real estate services firms in the U.S., Draper and Kramer is headquartered in Chicago with a national reach and broad offering of services. The company’s decades-long heritage has evolved over the years and today spans expertise in residential and commercial development, acquisition, property management and leasing; and debt and equity financing for commercial properties. Draper and Kramer provides a single source of real estate-related counsel to a diverse group of real estate investors across the U.S., including corporations; private and institutional owners and users of real estate; government agencies; and foundations. For more information, visit www.draperandkramer.com.
# # #
Editors:
For more information, contact Sarah Lyons, [email protected], (312) 267-4520.
