Faris Lee Investments hired Gene Ventura as senior managing director for the company’s new Chicago office. Ventura is an office and retail developer, as well as a long-time Faris Lee client, and he brings three decades of commercial real estate experience to the new role.

Ventura comes to Faris Lee from Kirkwood Partners Ltd., a commercial development, management and leasing company he launched in the late 1990s, and continues to operate. Ventura also operated as vice president at Chicago-based Development Resources Inc., where he worked with partners including Oaktree Capital Management and Walton Street Capital to build or redevelop 1.5 million square feet of office space in the Chicago area.

Faris Lee’s Chicago office is at 200 W. Madison Ave., Suite 2100.