The Retail & Restaurant Roundup

George is a twenty–year retail real estate veteran and a graduate of the University of Virginia. With an extensive food + beverage and entertainment background, he has been involved as a principal and consultant in the development and operation of a number of notable destination retail projects in his career, including the Atlanta Dairies and award–winning Krog Street Market.

A founding partner of Fifth Group Restaurants, Robby Kukler oversees restaurant concept initiatives, marketing and overall operations of the company. Under his leadership, the company proudly received the Georgia Restaurant Association’s Crystal of Excellence Award (GRACE) for Restaurateur of the Year in 2007. A hospitality professional for over 25 years, Kukler is a member and active supporter of both professional and philanthropic Atlanta organizations. He currently serves on the Board of Directors for the Atlanta Community Food Bank and once sat on the Georgia Restaurant Association’s Board of Directors. Kukler was also active in the former Atlanta Restaurant Marketing Association and is a graduate of the Midtown Alliance Leadership program. Additional committee and sponsorship commitments include: the High Museum of Art Wine Auction, Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta “Taste of the Highlands” fundraiser and numerous Atlanta Community Food Bank initiatives. With a degree in Food Systems, Economics and Management from Michigan State University, he gained additional hospitality training at the École Hôtelière de Lausanne – the first official institution of the Swiss Hotel Association. An invited presenter at the Restaurant Business Magazine’s “Trendsetters” Conference, Kukler has spoken in numerous industry and educational forums about marketing, management and careers in hospitality.

A graduate of the Cornell University School of Hotel Administration, Alan LeBlanc moved to Atlanta in 1985 and established a real estate development company specializing in the development of service enhanced retirement communities. After developing the $15 million Atrium at Georgetown Park in Dunwoody, Georgia, his interests took him to Eastern Europe, where he became General Director of Perestroika Joint Venture (PJV). Perestroika Joint Venture was the first Soviet/American Joint Venture in real estate development in the former Soviet Union. With developments in Moscow, Russia, Tallinn, Estonia and Bucharest, Romania, Perestroika Joint Venture developed over $100 million of real estate in the early 1990’s. After leaving Russia, he returned to the hospitality industry and formed Brewed to Serve Restaurant Group, Inc. with his wife Cindy LeBlanc and nephew John Roberts. As President of Brewed to Serve Restaurant Group, Inc., Mr. LeBlanc is the driving force behind the company’s concept development process and operational systems. These concepts include, Max Lager’s Wood-Fired Grill & Brewery, established in 1998, White Oak Kitchen & Cocktails, established in 2012, and most recently Richards’ Southern Fried, opened in July of 2016. Mr. LeBlanc is a founder and past president of the Georgia Restaurant Association, a former Board Member of Central Atlanta Progress, and is currently on the Regional Advisory Board of the National Kidney Foundation and is a member of the Alumni Executive Committee of Deerfield Academy. Mr. LeBlanc has also contributed time to the Gateway Center and is active at The Cathedral of Christ the King in Atlanta.

Trey Edwards grew up in construction, spending his summers with his father working on jobsites and gaining extensive experience in both running a business and successfully building projects. After graduating from Auburn University’s Building Science program in 2009, Trey, with his father Phil Edwards, and his uncle, Cary Edwards, decided to use this experience to start their own company, PSG Construction. As President of PSG, Trey has since overseen the evolution of PSG into one of the fastest growing companies in Atlanta. His focused effort on building new relationships, while working tirelessly to maintain repeat clients is directly related to PSG’s success. Working closely with leading restaurant group owners, developers, and chefs, Trey has assisted in the construction of over 40 restaurants from site selection to grand opening. Trey’s passion and driving force centers around working closely with clients to deliver the space they envision, and his ultimate goal is to grow a company that builds wealth by delivering value too, not extracting value from, projects and clients.

Tom Catherall has been one of the defining and influential forces of the Atlanta restaurant scene for nearly three decades. A certified master chef, Catherall’s Here to Serve Restaurants group was the successful hospitality umbrella for 12 unique restaurant concepts, from steak, seafood and sushi to Spanish tapas, with 15 locations in the Atlanta area until he sold the group in October 2014. After a brief retirement, Catherall opened his latest restaurant in February 2016 calling it TomTom-his childhood nickname and the name of his first solo endeavor- in the Virginia- Highland neighborhood where he first introduced Atlanta to the small plates/tapas idea of eating.

Stephanie O’Rourk, CPA, is a partner at CohnReznick who leads the Emerging Concept efforts of the Firm’s Hospitality Industry Practice. Based in the Atlanta office, she has more than 20 years of public accounting experience in both audit and tax, advising her clients on best practices and tax efficient strategies. Her clients consider her a trusted business advisor and value her experienced insights and business acumen. Having worked with several of the nation’s leading growth concepts, Stephanie oversees the Firm’s nationwide initiative on emerging concept companies. She has helped implement best practices and industry standard reporting and financial controls for numerous hospitality companies. She leverages her knowledge of the various technologies available to the industry to help clients achieve their goals. Her experiences have helped her develop an in-depth understanding of the tax code and the challenges and opportunities that exist in the hospitality industry. Working closely with other leaders in the Hospitality Industry Practice, she has assisted clients in restructuring their businesses in an efficient manner in order to best maximize tax benefits, implement incentive compensation programs, obtain financing, and negotiate lending terms, as well as position their companies for liquidity events. Stephanie has helped developed our profit enhancement programs and cash flow management systems, which allow companies to run efficiently and to maximize their profitability. Used properly, these programs provide operators with a road map for their financial success and forecast their cash needs as their companies continue to grow. In 2011, Stephanie was selected as one of the Top 50 Women in Business and was featured among Long Island’s Who’s Who of Women in Professional Services by Long Island Business News. Education: B.S., Accounting - State University of New York Binghamton.

Jack Halpern serves as Chairman of Halpern Enterprises, Inc., where he has been employed since 1978. Jack is a native of Atlanta and a graduate of Westminster High School, Harvard College, and the University of Georgia Law School. He has served on the Boards of The American Jewish Committee, the Anti-Defamation League and the Marcus Jewish Community Center of Atlanta; as President of The Board of Trustees of The Epstein School, and as Campaign Chairman and President of The Jewish Federation of Greater Atlanta. He currently serves as Chairman of the Doraville Downtown Development Authority.

Ron Pfohl brings twenty-six years of experience in the shopping center leasing and development business to North American Properties. He has played a key role in more than six million square feet of power center, specialty center, and mixed use developments throughout the U.S. Ron co-founded Forum Development Group, LLC an award-winning developer of specialty retail and mixed use “places”. Prior to co-founding Forum Ron was Senior Vice President of Development with Cousins MarketCenters where he was responsible for site selection and major tenant leasing for power center and lifestyle center developments. He was instrumental in the initial development of the company’s lifestyle center concept, “The Avenue.” Ron holds earned a B.B.A. in Marketing and a B.S. in Psychology from Southern Methodist University

Robert C. (Robin) Loudermilk, Jr., is currently the President and Chief Executive Officer of The Loudermilk Companies, LLC. An asset based real estate management company based in Atlanta, Georgia, a post he has held since December of 2011 and a Partner in Loudermilk Bell. Loudermilk Bell, LLC (“LB”) was formed in 2007 as a real estate joint venture between Robin Loudermilk, President of the Loudermilk Companies, and Dwight Bell, President of Cannon Equities.

Monetha Cobb, Senior Vice President for Franklin Street Real Estate Services, specializes in retail tenant services throughout the Southeast. As the frontrunner for Franklin Street’s Retail Tenant Services Group, she has led the team to more than $261 million in closed lease deals since 2010. She has more than 15 years of experience in tenant representation for nationally-recognized retailers, focusing on leasing and land brokerage. Mrs. Cobb is a trusted advisor for top-of-class retailers who have depended on her expertise and relationships to guide strategy and execution of their retail rollout including; PNC Bank, Dollar Tree Stores, Bealls Outlet, Cabela’s, and Planet Fitness. By focusing on retailers’ entire real estate life cycle – from strategy development to store opening – she has ensured success for both building relationships and multiple objectives for her clients. Consistently one of Atlanta’s top retail producers, Mrs. Cobb has received Franklin Street’s Sales Achievement Award the last six years in a row. She was recognized with the 2013 and 2015 Leadership Award for her outstanding leadership skills. She earned the 2017, 2014 and 2011 Top Earner award, the 2011 Largest Leasing Fee award and was one of Franklin Street’s first qualifiers for its company-wide rewards trip. She has been recognized with several other honors including being named Who’s Who in Commercial Real Estate in 2016 and 2017, and a 2014 Up & Comer by the Atlanta Business Chronicle, Bisnow’s 2014 Atlanta Power Woman in Commercial Real Estate, Real Estate Forum’s Woman of Influence in 2013 and 2015, and CoStar’s Power Broker Award in 2011, 2013 and 2016. She is a prominent member of the International Council of Shopping Centers (ICSC) and served on the board as the 2017 President for Commercial Real Estate Women (CREW) Atlanta. She is a graduate of the CREW Leadership Class of 2008. In addition to her role as Managing Director, Mrs. Cobb is a member of Franklin Street’s Board of Directors. She also serves her community supporting several local groups including Camp Twin Lakes and the Atlanta Women’s Foundation. In 1999, Mrs. Cobb graduated with her Bachelor of Business Administration in Banking and Finance from the University of Georgia. PROFESSIONAL AFFILIATIONS International Council of Shopping Centers (ICSC) Commercial Real Estate Women (CREW) Atlanta ACCOLADES Franklin Street Sales Achievement Award, 2010 - 2017 Franklin Street Leadership Award, 2013, 2015 Franklin Street Top Earner 2017, 2014, 2011 Atlanta Business Chronicle - Who’s Who in Commercial Real Estate, 2016, 2017 Up & Comer, Atlanta Business Chronicle, 2014 Bisnow Atlanta Power Woman in Commercial Real Estate, 2014 Real Estate Forum’s Woman of Influence, 2013, 2015, CoStar Power Broker, 2011, 2013, 2016; EDUCATION: University of Georgia, B.S. Finance