Influential real estate executive receives UF’s highest alumni honor

Kelley A. Bergstrom, namesake of the Warrington College of Business’s Kelley A. Bergstrom Center for Real Estate Studies, received the University of Florida’s Distinguished Alumnus Award on Friday during the College’s annual Business Advisory Council meeting.

UF’s Distinguished Alumnus Award is the most prestigious honor UF can bestow on its alumni.  The Award signifies a graduate’s contributions in his or her chosen field or outstanding service to UF.

Bergstrom (MBA ’68) is the President of Bergstrom Investment Management, a private investment management services provider in Kenilworth, Ill.  Previously, he served as President and Chief Executive Officer of JMP Properties Company, the property management and leasing affiliate of Chicago-based JMB Realty Corporation, from 1972 to 1994.

Bergstrom’s service and philanthropy toward the College and UF have been exceptional. In 2006, Bergstrom established a major endowment at the College’s real estate research center, which was renamed in his honor. He spearheaded the Center’s recent $500,000 renovation project matching the funds raised by fellow alumni and supporters, and has served on the Center’s Advisory Board since 1988, including as its Chairman. Additionally, Bergstrom served as Chair of the UF Foundation Board of Directors, and continues to serve on Warrington’s Business Advisory Council, where he has been a member since 2001.

Bergstrom’s dedication to UF was recognized in 2015 when he received the Academy of Golden Gators Lifetime Volunteer Award, given to a select group of UF alumni whose generosity and vision is inspirational, and reflects the attributes that embody the best of the UF family.

Active in national real estate organizations, Bergstrom was one of the original directors and served as Chairman of the National Multi-Housing Council (NMHC) from 1990 to 1992. In addition to being involved with multi-family investments, he oversees a portfolio of retail and office properties. Bergstrom is a Certified Property Manager (CPM) of the Institute of Real Estate Management (IREM) and a member of the International Council of Shopping Centers (ICSC).

A former captain in the U.S. Army, Bergstrom received his undergraduate business degree from Iowa State University.