OAK BROOK, ILL. — G. Joseph Cosenza, the co-founder, director and vice chairman of The Inland Real Estate Group of Cos., has passed away at the age of 81. He also served as president of Inland Real Estate Acquisitions LLC. In accordance with Inland’s succession plan, Inland’s acquisition operations are currently being jointly led by Matthew Tice and Mark Cosenza.
A native Chicagoan, Cosenza received his BA from Northeastern Illinois University and his MS from Northern Illinois University. From 1967 to 1968, Cosenza taught at the LaGrange School District, and from 1968 to 1972, he served as assistant principal and teacher in the Wheeling School District. While at Northeastern, he met the late Daniel Goodwin, who, along with Cosenza and fellow school-teachers Robert Parks and Robert Baum, formed Inland in 1968. As head of acquisitions for Inland, Cosenza oversaw and consulted or negotiated the purchase of more than $55 billion of commercial real estate.
A licensed real estate broker since Inland’s founding, Cosenza was an active member of various national and local real estate associations. He was also very active in banking and financial circles. He served as past chairman of the board of American National Bank of DuPage and part owner of American National Bank of DuPage and Burbank State Bank, and he served on the board of directors of Continental Bank. He was a past chairman and a director of Inland Bank & Trust and a director on the board of Inland Bancorp Inc.
Commercial real estate and finance group Inland is based in Oak Brook.