James (Jay) Koster Ii Email & Phone Number

James L. Koster II (Jay) is the Co-Founder and Co-Managing Partner of JLK Benton Holdings, LLC, a family-run private investment organization focused on scaling innovative, purpose-driven business enterprises.

Chicago, Illinois, Us

Jay served as the Group Head, Capital Markets & Investor Services for Jones Lang LaSalle, where he led more than 5,000 people in its Agency Leasing, Capital Markets and Property Management businesses in the Americas. Following the 2008 merger of JLL and The Staubach Company, Jay assumed the role of President, Americas Capital Markets, driving its revenue growth from $26 million (2009) to $1.1 billion (2019). Jay expanded the firm’s service offering to include GSE lending, loan servicing, loan sales and equity fund raising, and its sector focus on multi family, industrial, office, and retail brokerage and financing. In 2014, Mr. Koster assumed additional responsibilities for the Americas Property Management and Agency Leasing businesses, leading strategic and operational growth efforts that tripled the revenue contribution of those businesses to $650 million (2022). As part of these growth efforts, Jay was responsible for several of JLL’s most strategic corporate acquisitions including HFF ($2 billion), Oak Grove Capital ($300 million) and a joint venture with Sterling Bay in 2021. As a key innovation leader across JLL, Jay led a global Salesforce deployment across 2,000 employees, strategy development for the early exploration of AI/ML, business process redesign and automation across the Property Management business (spanning 1 billion square feet and $10 billion of financial transactions annually), and the integration of emerging PropTech across JLL’s operating businesses. Jay also oversaw the firm’s Investor Accounts Team, responsible for managing relationships with the world’s top real estate investors (client AUM exceeded $1.5 trillion), and as a founding member of its Global Capital Markets board, shared responsibility for the strategic direction, growth and client activities of JLL’s $2 billion global capital markets business.

Chicago, Illinois, Us

As the leader of JLL's Americas Capital Markets, I focus on strategic direction, new product and business development, and client relationship management.During the market downturn, I guided the business through a substantive restructure and drove revenue growth exceeding 600% from 2010 through 2013. I directed the expansion of the firm’s Capital Markets service offering, adding new capabilities in loan servicing, loan sales, GSE lending, equity fund raising, and credit tenant lease financing, and broadly expanding the firm’s product coverage in the America’s to include multifamily, industrial, office, and retail brokerage and financing.I was also responsible for the integration of the Capital Markets groups of JLL and The Staubach Company following the 2008 merger of the two firms.

Us

As the Head of The Staubach Company's Capital Markets Group, I guided the firm’s expansion of our Capital Markets investment and services platform. I also served on the firm’s management committee helping direct and guide the overall growth of The Staubach Company.

Us

I directed the acquisition, financing and planning of premier office and industrial and industrial real estate development projects in the Northern New Jersey marketplace.

Newark, Nj, Us

I was a founding member of Prudential's property management and agency leasing subsidiary, Premisys Real Estate Services. I held various roles in investment management, lending, and development with Prudential's general account real estate group