WILLIAM LICHWALLA:
 
WILLIAM LICHWALLA




 
 
 
 
 
President and Chief Executive Officer of Plante & Moran CRESA, LLC in Southfield. Plante & Moran CRESA is a joint venture between Plante & Moran, PLLC, a nationally ranked accounting firm with offices throughout the Great Lakes region, and CRESAPartners. Plante & Moran CRESA provides real estate tenant/user representation and consulting to private and institutional clients. Under his leadership, the firm has reported compounded annual growth of 20 percent in the past five years and expects to reach $10 million in revenue. Lichwalla's efforts have resulted in real estate capital expenditures and transaction values exceeding $1 billion, ranging in size from 2,000-square-foot leases to entire build-to-suit campuses for Fortune 100 companies. Clients include domestic and international manufacturing, financial, life science, not-for-profit, and institutional organizations, such as Toyota, the Detroit Medical Center, Carhartt, and Navistar. The University of Michigan/Urban Land Institute (UM/ULI) Real Estate Forum presented the firm with its 2010 Development/Redevelopment of the Year award in metro Detroit for work with defense contractor BAE Systems. Lichwalla is consistently recognized as a leader in real estate consulting with significant experience in real estate strategic planning, build-to-suit projects, national site selection/municipal incentives, transaction management, property due diligence, sale-leasebacks, design and construction owner representation, and development agreements. He was named a "40 under 40" by Crain's Detroit Business. He is a trustee for the Judson Center in Royal Oak. He received his bachelor's degree in accounting from Michigan State University, is a CPA, and holds a Michigan real estate broker's license.


WHERE BORN: “New York, N.Y. I moved to Michigan at the age of 10.”

MOST INFLUENTIAL PERSONS: “My grandfather taught me the importance of balancing work, family, and friends in your life. He worked for G.E. his whole career and had five children.”

LAST BOOK READ: “Click by Bill Tancer.”

WORDS THAT DESCRIBE ME: “Passionate, love a challenge.”

WHERE MY FIELD/INDUSTRY IS HEADED: “Businesses are recognizing a good real estate strategy is more than what's the best rate. How efficient is your space? What incentives are available? Who pays the operating expenses? And how do you minimize construction costs? Most companies don't have in-house expertise and are looking for someone to help them in that arena. In addition, businesses are demanding greater specialized expertise from real estate service providers.”

FAVORITE TECHNOLOGICAL GADGET: “My BlackBerry. It helps manage work and life, such as attending my kid's basketball games while still being in touch with the office and potential business opportunities.”

FAVORITE PLACE: “Daufuskie Island, South Carolina. It's a great escape.”

FAVORITE HOBBIES: “Golf is a great opportunity to spend time outside and recharge.”

FAVORITE FOOD: “Seafood, I particularly enjoy BlackFinn in Royal Oak.”

MY HIDDEN TALENT: “My illegible handwriting. Only I can read my notes.”

HOW I WANT TO BE REMEMBERED: “As a guy who cared about making a difference in people's lives.”


Grant Thornton Website At the annual awards reception in April 2014, one Leader & Innovator from the previous 12 months will be selected as the Grant Thornton Leader & Innovator of the Year.