Daniel Goodwin, chairman and CEO of Inland Real Estate Group, died on Jan. 19, following respiratory issues which led to pneumonia. He was 80 years old.

Raised on the North Side of Chicago, Goodwin began his career as a public school science teacher. In 1968, he pivoted to commercial real estate, co-founding Inland with fellow teachers Robert H. Baum, G. Joseph Cosenza and Robert D. Parks.

Leading the company for the last 50-plus years, Goodwin grew Inland into an empire: one of the largest commercial real estate, investment and finance groups in the United States. Over the decades, Inland has conducted more than $80 billion in commercial real estate transactions and, in 2022 alone, the company earned $3.15 billion in revenue.

Through it all, the firm has remained headquartered in Oak Brook, and all four co-founders stayed close. “I lost a very, very, good friend for over 60 years,” co-founder and vice-chairman Cosenza told Chicago Agent.

In the wake of Goodwin’s passing, the company CFO Anthony Chereso to become CEO, while co-founder Baum was named interim chairman.