Scott Kaplan

1963 - 2018

August 10, 1963 - February 2, 2018
Scott Kaplan of Claremont, CA passed away in his home due to complications with heart failure on February 2, 2018. He was 54 years old. Scott is survived by his soul mate and wife Kelly (née Moore); cherished father of Brett, Blake, Bradley; beloved stepfather of Alex, Austin; treasured son of Judy Sherwin (née Ringel), Stanley Kaplan (Raelie); loving stepson of Maxine Elkun (née Siegel); dear brother of Kimberlee Axelrod (Joseph), Sean Kaplan, Kari Kaplan; buddy and brother-in-law of Ron Moore (Michelle); former spouse of Karen Kaplan (née Kowalski); a loving uncle, cousin and nephew. He was a most loyal (and to his family, unacceptable) fan of the Miami Dolphins, Pittsburgh Pirates, Iowa Hawkeyes and New York Rangers. As a transformative leader, Scott cherished his roles as mentor, colleague, partner and friend. He was an inspiration to many and held a deep love and admiration for his community at Jones Lang Lasalle (JLL) and CB Richard Ellis (CBRE). Scott was born on August 10, 1963 in Chicago. He graduated from Glenbrook South High School in 1981 on the Dean's List, member of the National Honors Society and catcher for the Titans varsity baseball team. At the University of Iowa, Scott graduated Summa Cum Laude/Phi Beta Kappa with a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology, and was a fraternity member of Alpha Epsilon Pi. He went on to be accepted to the University of Iowa College of Law but instead returned to Chicagoland to partner with his uncle, co-owning a chain of Hallmark stores. He was the first President of Crown Mac, Hallmark's internal financing division for its Gold Crown Store Network. He served on Hallmark's first Gold Crown Advisory Board as the voice of the Midwest. He went on to create a two-decade, distinguished career in commercial retail based in Southern California. Throughout his career, Scott has been involved in the sale and development of land along with the leasing of more than 25 million square feet of retail space nationwide for more than $4 billion in total real estate value. Scott developed a stellar reputation and track record helping to take major retail projects from a vision to reality. Scott held several leadership positions within CBRE, including Senior Managing Director of Retail Services, Western Region and Senior Managing Director of the Inland Empire Region. He received the Larry Perrish "The Power of We" Award, the highest honor bestowed within the company's retail line of business. As Executive Vice President, Retail Brokerage for JLL, Scott collaborated to create a best-in-class team with Erik Westedt, Blake Kaplan, and Holly Cauthron. Scott's most recent visionary work was dreaming about the creation of future company wide programs that would focus on the mentorship of early career, all-star brokers, exploring partnership with a focus on vision, communication, gratitude and integrity. His family suggests donations be made in his name to the University of Iowa Center for Advancement, One West Park Road, Iowa City, IA 52242, to support a mentorship fund in Scott's name at the University of Iowa John Pappajohn Entrepreneurial Center.
Please join friends and family in a Celebration of Scott's life: Sunday, February 11th, 3-6 PM at Nico Osteria, 1015 N. Rush St., Chicago, IL 60611 and Thursday, February 15th, 2-5 PM at the Balboa Yacht Club, 1801 Bayside Drive, Corona Del Mar, CA 92625.