About Paul Leongas
Axis Development Group LLC
Paul Leongas is the principal of Axis Development Group LLC, a commercial real estate development and construction management company in Park Ridge, Illinois. His work centers on property acquisition, adaptive reuse, and ground-up commercial buildouts across Chicago’s North Shore and northwest neighborhoods, where he develops and manages a portfolio of commercial holdings.
Through Axis, Paul self-performs construction rather than outsourcing it, which gives him direct control over project schedules, costs, and build quality. That hands-on model runs through acquisition, tenant improvements, and repositioning, and it shapes how he judges whether a property will perform before he commits to it.
Paul came to development from the restaurant and hospitality business, where he and his family built and ran The Curragh Traditional Irish Pub at locations across the Chicago area. Operating those venues taught him how buildings actually get used, an instinct he now brings to commercial work. He graduated from Michigan State University and grew up in Park Ridge, where he attended Maine South High School and stays active in the local community and youth athletics.
Development Focus
Axis Development Group operates across Chicago’s North Shore and northwest neighborhoods, with a focus on commercial property acquisition, adaptive reuse of older buildings, and ground-up construction. Paul works in markets he knows directly, which means his decisions are grounded in firsthand knowledge of how specific streets and blocks perform.
Self-Performing Construction
By self-performing construction through Axis, Paul eliminates the markup and friction of a general contractor and keeps direct control over costs, quality, and schedule. This model lets him price work accurately before he commits to a deal and solve problems on site as they arise — not after a change order arrives.
Background in Hospitality
Before founding Axis, Paul built and operated The Curragh Traditional Irish Pub across multiple Chicago-area locations. Running those venues gave him a ground-level understanding of how commercial spaces actually get used — an instinct he now applies to every property he considers acquiring or building.