Part One — The Opportunity

In 2024 Reverb, the world's largest online marketplace for musical instruments, was seeking Chicago headquarters space that could authentically reflect its brand identity and community orientation. The Salt Shed, a former Morton Salt facility reimagined as a premier live music venue, offered a rare combination of industrial heritage, cultural significance, and community presence. The challenge was identifying a tenant whose identity aligned with the venue's character and negotiating a lease structure that worked for both parties.

Part Two — The Role

As the tenant representative working with local Chicago brokers, I identified Reverb as an anchor tenant candidate, introduced the opportunity to Reverb's leadership, toured the space with their staff to assess cultural and operational fit, and led the lease negotiation through execution in collaboration with the on-market brokerage team.

Part Three — The Outcome

The 25,000 square foot lease was executed in 2024. The resulting space, designed by Gensler, integrates Reverb's musical identity throughout, from guitars mounted in conference rooms to brand elements woven into the architecture. Reverb's Workplace Manager and Gensler's Design Director and Associate Interior Designer describe the outcome in their own words: