The Future of Downtown Austin, Competing CBD's & CRE Tech

Brad Stein leads Intracorp’s Texas region, operating out of Austin, Texas. With Brad’s experience, he is responsible for building and leading a multi-functional local team and overseeing Intracorp’s growth in Texas. Brad is well versed in real estate deal making and joint venture partnerships. Prior to joining Intracorp, as a VP with Forestar Group Inc. Brad managed Forestar’s real estate assets through investment and development of mixed use communities in Texas and other markets. Previously, Brad practiced as a real estate attorney in private practice and as in-house counsel for publicly traded companies, Forestar and Temple-Inland.

Jennifer Wiebrand is Director of Development for Gables Residential overseeing new construction and investment activities in Austin. She has over a decade of experience in the field, the most recent 8 years with Gables. In her time with Gables, she has delivered over a thousand apartments and over 50,000sf of retail consisting of over $300M in market capitalization. Additionally, Jennifer is on the Board of Directors for the Downtown Austin Alliance, a partnership devoted to preserving and enhancing the value and vitality of downtown Austin.

Mr. Shadowen joined Brandywine in 1999 and currently serves as Vice President of Development for the Austin and Richmond regions, where he plays a lead role in acquisitions and development. Prior to joining Brandywine, Mr. Shadowen served as a project partner with Childress Klein Properties. He currently serves on the Board and Executive Committee of the Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU) Real Estate Foundation. He is a 2006 graduate of Leadership Metro Richmond, and is a member of the Executive Committee (past President) of the VCU Real Estate Circle of Excellence, the Real Estate Council of Austin (RECA), a Board member of Downtown Alliance Austin, ULI, and the Greater Richmond Association for Commercial Real Estate (Founding Member). Mr. Shadowen is a Certified Commercial Investment Member (CCIM), a licensed real estate broker in the Commonwealth of Virginia, and a licensed attorney in the Commonwealths of Kentucky and Virginia. He earned law degrees from New York University and the University of Kentucky and his undergraduate degree in Accounting from the University of Kentucky.

For 25 years, Molly Alexander has enjoyed a successful career focused on downtown revitalization and economic development, including enterprises in both the public and private sectors. As the Downtown Austin Alliance’s Executive Vice President of Economic Development, Molly leads the organization's Economic Development Corporation, as well as oversees the research, mobility, and downtown transportation management programs for the organization. She orchestrates a full range of services that help vitalize the Austin business sector and create a sense of place. Molly received her bachelor’s degree in urban studies and history from Trinity University. Along with founding her own start-up company, her past positions have included Director of the Georgetown Chamber of Commerce, Director of the Georgetown Convention & Visitors Bureau, and Economic and Community Development Director for the City of Elgin. Molly’s favorite place downtown is her “second office” at Royal Blue Grocery on Congress Avenue.

In his current role, Joshua’s primary responsibility to is to further develop and enhance the Landlord Representation platform in Central Texas. Mr. LaFico currently leads the leasing efforts on approximately half a million rentable square feet of Class A, medical office and mixed- use product in the Austin metro, on behalf of institutional and private investors. Mr. LaFico has negotiated with such premier tenants as General Motors, Progressive Casualty Insurance, Samsung, Waste Management, Wells Fargo, Surveying and Ariel Mapping, Spiceworks, and INC Research. Prior to his role as director Joshua was as a senior property manager. Mr. LaFico was responsible for all third-party, non-fully reimbursed projects in Central Texas, which includes flex/industrial, office, medical office and retail centers located in both Austin and San Antonio, Texas. During his tenure with property management Mr. LaFico was actively involved in the negotiation and acquisition of contracted property management service for 12 properties comprising over 1.0 million square feet. His portfolio stretched from San Antonio to Austin via the Interstate 35 corridor. Mr. LaFico joined Newmark Grubb Knight Frank in 2012. He previously worked at Grubb & Ellis Management Services, where he was an assistant property manager from 2008 to 2011 and a property manager from 2011 to 2012. He began his career in 2007 as a real estate assistant with NAI REOC Partners (now REOC San Antonio). Professional Affiliations  LEED Green Associate  Certified Commercial Investment Member (CCIM)  Young Leaders Program, Urban Land Institute (ULI)  Member, Commercial Brokers Association  Member, Real Estate Council of Austin Education Mr. LaFico earned a Bachelor of Science degree in business administration and finance from Trinity University. He was a 3 year letterman on the football team and amassed a 35-7 record, while winning 3 Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference championships.

Mike Celkis is a partner with the Firm’s tax practice. Based in the Austin office, Mike is responsible for providing domestic tax, financial accounting, and tax consulting services to individuals, corporations, and partnerships in many different industries. He is also responsible for planning and tax compliance reviews for partnerships and corporations with a focus on low-income housing tax credit projects and real estate developers. Mike has broad knowledge of, and experience in, international tax, energy tax credit services, multifamily and commercial real estate, and carryover allocations and is the firm expert on the Texas Franchise Tax and Section 199 (domestic manufacturing deduction). His clients include not-for-profit housing organizations and experienced developers across the United States. His duties include the planning, supervision and review of tax compliance matters for a substantial number of the Austin office's individual, partnership and corporate tax clients.

Mr. Dillard oversees all of Cielo’s development activity from site selection and entitlements through completion. He is also responsible for deal sourcing and co-heads the firm’s Investment Committee. Prior to forming Cielo, he was a vice president and head of the Austin office for Direct Development, a leading commercial real estate company specializing in retail development. At Direct he participated in the development and acquisition of approximately 15 projects that totaled 3.2 million square feet. Mr. Dillard obtained both his MBA and BA from the University of Texas and is an active member of the Associate Council for REFIC. Mr. Dillard also serves as Alderman for City of Rollingwood.

Eric brings 20+ years of financial experience as an advisor, investor, and operator in the energy sector. Eric received a BBA in Finance from the University of Texas at Austin and an MBA from Southern Methodist University. Away from the world of business plans and financial models, Eric is passionate about spending time with his wife and two young children, playing tennis, watching the Premier League and plotting his next ski trip.

Sam Tenenbaum is a Market Economist specializing in market research and economics for CoStar (NASDAQ: CSGP), the world’s largest commercial real estate data and analytics company. Based in Austin, he leads research for Central Texas where he focuses on predictive analytics, risk assessment and multi-sector market research for institutional, family office and private investor clients. He has been quoted in news publications such as the Washington Post and the Austin American-Statesman. He's often asked to speak at events by groups such as CCIM and the Texas Apartment Association, as well as regularly keeping CoStar's broker, investor, and lender clients up-to-date on the latest trends in the markets across Texas. He previously directed Latin America market research and risk assessment for GID Investment Advisors. He is a member of the Downtown Austin Alliance research group and the Urban Land Institute. Sam graduated from McGill University in Montreal with a degree in International Development.

Andrea is a Project Executive at DPR Construction, with over 19-years of construction industry expertise providing a balance of private and public sector residential, hospitality and commercial developments. In this role, Andrea delivers projects successfully by combining strategy, direction and highly-motivated leadership with experience, organization, passion and dedication. She oversees commercial and corporate office projects, and guides ongoing preconstruction process and strategic client partnerships. This scope of work encompasses supporting regional growth strategies and administering business development best practices. Andrea has spent her career in the professional services industry, specifically in engineering and construction. Prior to joining DPR Construction in 2014, Andrea served as Project Director for Webcor Builders, where she led the preconstruction efforts on the $400 million Moscone Convention Center Expansion project in San Francisco, CA. She also delivered the following corporate office projects, SFPUC Headquarters in San Francisco and Western Asset Plaza in Pasadena, CA.  Andrea is active in a number of industry and community organizations including RECA and Girlstart. She holds a Bachelor of Science in Construction Engineering Management from Oregon State University. For more information about DPR Construction, please visit www.dpr.com.

Matt Geller is the Co-Founder and CEO of the Southern California Mobile Food Vendors Association and the Founding President of the National Food Truck Association. The SoCal MFVA is a non-profit organization that represents upwards of 130 mobile vendors in Southern California. Under Geller’s leadership, the SoCal MFVA has successfully expanded rights and business opportunities for mobile vendors in over 30 jurisdictions in Southern California, while working cooperatively with Health Departments to promote balanced regulations and effective enforcement mechanisms. Geller’s “Association” model has become the national standard for food truck advocacy, with Geller having assisted over twenty cities, including New York, Washington DC, Philadelphia, and Seattle, to establish similar associations. At the request of these regional associations, Geller founded the National Food Truck Association to provide information, strategic partnerships, and a collective voice on interstate issues. Geller is also an entrepreneur. He is a founding partner and executive of Best Food Trucks, Inc. -- the developer of a revolutionary software platform that connects food trucks with office park, events, and consumers. After almost a decade in the restaurant industry, Geller obtained his juris doctorate from UCLA School of Law in 2008. His recent publications include The New Food Truck Advocacy: Social Media, Mobile Food Vending Associations, Truck Lots, & Litigation in California & Beyond, published in the Chapman Nexus Law Journal, and the forward to David Weber's The Food Truck Handbook

Ben Waltzer currently leads Google Fiber's National Real Estate partnerships team bringing next generation broadband and connected home capabilities to some of the largest multifamily owners, operators and developers across the U.S. He is a 10 year Google/Alphabet veteran who joined Google through it's $3 billion acquisition of DoubleClick in 2008. Ben has held various roles within Google/Alphabet helping to build sales and partnership teams across both it's advertising and Google Fiber business units.