CHICAGO - Miami-based United Trust Fund (UTF) and National Real Estate Investor will team up this fall to co-sponsor an industry conference titled, "Capitalizing on Corporate Sale-Leasebacks."

The conference - which aims to attract commercial real estate brokers - will be held in Chicago on Tuesday, Oct. 24, at the Fairmont Hotel, 200 N. Columbus Drive.

"We have a broad range of speakers, which the audience will find educational and interesting," says Paul Domb, vice president/asset manager of UTF. "We think the conference will be a benefit to anyone working in the sale-leaseback business."

Five panelists will address conference attendees. Among the featured speakers are:

* Sidney Domb, president of UTF, will address the broker's role in finding the right sale-leaseback opportunity;

* J. Patrick Dowdall, CEO of the Atlantic Exchange Co., Boston, will speak on the tax-free exchange, a driving force in the market;

* Tom Bloodworth, managing partner of Piper, Marbury, Rudnick & Wolfe, Dallas, will address the legal beat with an insider's look at problem-solving between buyer and seller in a sale-leaseback transaction;

* Scott Nathan, director of client management services for ATC Associates Inc., Woburn, Mass., will address due diligence and the environmental outlook; and

* Jim Nolan, executive vice president and CFO of UTF, will discuss the current and future state of the market.

In January, UTF and NREI co-sponsored a similar event at the Ritz-Carlton Buckhead in Atlanta, which attracted more than 180 attendees, including brokers, lenders, lawyers, developers and corporate executives. At that conference, Fred Berliner, senior vice president and director of acquisitions at UTF, said that real estate represents 37% of all assets of Corporate America, creating major opportunities in the sale-leaseback arena.

For more information concerning the upcoming commercial sale-leaseback conference in the Windy City, please contact UTF at 305-702-6581.