Baltimore Retail & Restaurant Revolution

P. David Bramble dedicates his time to sourcing transactions, financial structuring and overseeing project underwriting & execution. A corporate and real estate attorney by training, David brings a deep knowledge of all aspects of the real estate cycle. Prior to MCB, David served as the Director of commercial lending for a regionally based full-service lending firm, which he co-founded in 2000. Prior to devoting all his time to commercial real estate investment, David practiced law in the transactions group of a D.C.-based international law firm, where he provided corporate and real estate advisory services. His practice focused on complex workouts, primarily in the real estate and financial products space. David currently serves on the advisory board to the Brown School of Business and Leadership at Stevenson University and the Foundation Board of the Mt. Washington Pediatric Hospital. David has also served on the Board of Directors of a federally chartered bank, served as a Commissioner on the Maryland racing commission as well as on the Boards of multiple real estate and non-real estate related charitable organizations. David received his J.D. from the University of Pennsylvania, and an A.B. from Princeton University.

Glenn Ulick is a managing director with Newmark Grubb Knight Frank Retail representing national, regional and select local retailers and landlords in Maryland, Washington, DC, and Northern Virginia. Mr. Ulick joined Newmark Grubb Knight Frank in 2007 to focus on advising national and regional clients on several multi-unit site searches, lease negotiations and purchase negotiations in the greater Baltimore and Washington markets. Mr. Ulick represents a number of retailers and retail landlords on property valuation, leasing and disposition. He has won listings from prominent retail landlords Kimco Realty and Regency Centers. While his primary clients are retailers, his knowledge of the subtleties of various submarkets and demographic patterns also helps him service a fast-growing assisted living developer. Mr. Ulick began his real estate career in 2005 with the boutique firm of Corridor Reznick. Prior to his career in real estate, he spent 12 years at MBNA America Bank, where he was a vice president managing sales, operations, collections and quality assurance while earning his Master in Business Administration degree. While earning his undergraduate degree, Mr. Ulick worked in retail automotive finance and was associated with a national dealer consultant, turning around unprofitable stores. He also worked as the general manager and director of promotions and marketing for a two-unit franchise of The Improv Comedy Club. Mr. Ulick's sales, operations management and consulting experience, combined with his experience as a retailer, gives him unique insight into retailers' needs that helps him to solve his clients' problems and achieve their objectives. Mr. Ulick has completed leasing transactions totaling over 400,000 square feet in the past three years and over $10 million in land acquisitions. A few of Mr. Ulick's accomplishments include: helping Goodwill of Greater Washington greatly expand its network of donation centers in areas with strong donor profiles to improve the quality of goods, leading directly to a dramatic increase in year-over-year sales growth; managing a national team of brokers across several states on behalf of a national cosmetology school chain; helping Menchie's Frozen Yogurt complete over a dozen new deals in 18 months in a very tight market; and assisting national clients such as CVS, Office Depot, Staples and Toys "R" Us with valuation and disposition of excess real estate.

Davon Barbour is Vice President of Economic Development for the Downtown Partnership of Baltimore. He possesses nearly 20 years of progressive leadership in economic development and community planning. His portfolio includes business recruitment, retention, expansion; transportation planning; research, retail and real estate/business technical assistance. Davon has worked for private sector, public sector, and non-profit organizations revitalizing urban communities across the nation. Prior to returning to his native Baltimore in 2015, Davon served in leadership roles as Director of the Department of Community & Economic Development for the City of Hollywood, FL; Assistant Director of the City of Orlando Downtown Development Board/Community Redevelopment Agency and Manager of Economic Development for the Miami Downtown Development Authority. Additionally, he has contributed to multiple redevelopment plans and served on ULI Technical Advisory Panels. Under then-Mayor Martin O’Malley, Davon facilitated the development of a master plan and urban renewal legislation for the Sciences & Technology Park at Johns Hopkins in East Baltimore. Davon loves city life and is passionate about urban retail and placemaking. He currently serves on the International Downtown Association (IDA) Board of Directors and is the International Council of Shopping (ICSC) P3 Public Chair for the Maryland, DC and Northern Virginia territory. He is also a past faculty member of the ICSC University of Shopping Centers. Davon has authored works for ULI, ICSC, and IDA.

Tom serves as Executive Vice President and Principal of MacKenzie Commercial Real Estate Services, LLC with 38 active associates, and Executive Vice President and Principal of MacKenzie Retail, LLC, where he oversees a department of ten. Tom has been with the company’s Lutherville office since December 1996. Tom specializes in commercial leasing, development and advisory services, and has been involved in some of the area’s most prestigious projects. During his tenure with MacKenzie, Tom has sold or leased more than 2.4 million square feet of real estate, working with such clients as Upper Chesapeake Health, Hill Management Services, Inc., The Mills Corporation and Smith & Hawken. To date, Tom has participated in real estate transactions totaling over $1 billion in market value. Prior to joining MacKenzie, Tom was employed with Kiddie Academy International, Inc., a Maryland based franchisor of accredited child care learning centers. His responsibilities included the complete oversight of the company’s real estate department with a staff of 10 professionals operating in 41 states.

As Senior Vice President of Operations and one of the three Principals of KBE Building Corporation, Eric is responsible the day-to-day operations of KBE’s Mid-Atlantic operations. Eric sets divisional strategy, oversees Operations and Estimating functions and is responsible the financial results of the firm. Specific responsibilities in addition to the firm’s Mid-Atlantic operations include the Special Projects Division and board member of Elite Construction Services. Eric graduated with a B.S. in Accounting from Babson College and has 30 years of construction and business experience. (Joined KBE in 1991, acquired the firm in 2007).

Real Estate Director, Mid-Atlantic Region which comprises approximately 610 stores throughout Washington DC, Northern Virginia, Maryland, Delaware, Philadelphia Metro Area and New Jersey. Leads a team of store development, construction, design, and legal professionals that implement a strategic plan for new store openings, relocations, and renovations. John is a certified Coffee Master and passionate about delivering world class coffee stores that enhance the Starbucks customer experience. Prior to joining Starbucks John was principal owner of Waypoint Properties, a shopping center development and brokerage company based in Hinsdale, Illinois. John’s career has spanned a wide range of development experience including single tenant projects, multi-tenant strip centers, neighborhood, community and regional big box shopping centers. He was Director of Development for Ryan Companies in Chicago, Senior VP Retail Brokerage for NAI Hiffman in Chicago and Senior VP Retail Properties with Draper & Kramer in Chicago. John holds a BA from DePaul University and MBA from Northwestern University’s Kellogg Graduate School of Business. He is a Certified Retail Property Executive CRX and Senior Certified Leasing Specialist SCLS. He served on ICSC’s CLS Committee from 1996 -2002 which was instrumental in developing the CLS criteria and exam questions. He is also is a Licensed Real Estate Broker in the State of Illinois.

A pioneer of the South Florida culinary movement, Haas comes to Montauk Yacht Club after 30 years of excellent reviews including being named a Best New Chef by Food & Wine Magazine in 1994 and several invitations to cook at The James Beard House in New York. He has worked with hospitality giants Four Seasons, Turnberry Isle Resort, Noble House Hotels and China Grill Management as well as noted independent restaurants including his own. Prior to consulting for the Montauk Yacht Club, Haas opened two of his own restaurants in Antigua, Guatemala: Bistro Cinq (www.bistrotcinq.com), a French restaurant serving Caribbean delicacies; and Nokiate (www.nokiate.com), a contemporary sushi, sake and seviche restaurant rooted in Japanese-Latino style. In Coral Gables during 2003, he opened Chispa, a contemporary Latin restaurant and bar inspired by the history and traditions of the Hispanic culture. He also consults on restaurant and hotel projects. Among these are a Mediterranean seafood concept, La Marea (http://www.tidessouthbeach.com/dining/index.html), part of The Tides Hotel's $14 million renovation in South Beach, Florida; Phillips Seafood (www.phillipsseafood.com) in Baltimore, Maryland; and the Bistro at Crowne Point (http://www.crownepointe.com/restaurant/) in Provincetown, Massachusetts. Haas is known for his love of tropical flavor and fusions but also his creative use of local fare cooked honestly. He is expert with a range of international cuisines having honed his culinary talents in travels across the Southeast Asia, Russia, Finland, Continental Europe, the Mediterranean and the Americas.

Nancy has helmed some of the fastest-growing and well-respected restaurants in both New York City and the Washington, DC area. Before designing Gunther & Co. from a raw space, she was the General Manager/Managing Partner of Silver Spring’s 8407 kitchen bar where she was responsible for not only the build-out of the restaurant in the construction phase, but also day-to-day operations, staffing, marketing and bar program. Beginning her career as a chef, including Executive Chef at the Lincoln Center, Nancy became heavily interested in front-of-house operations and has since overseen numerous restaurant launches and expansions from start to finish including Eli Zabar’s Vinegar Factory in Manhattan. She is a member of Les Dames d’Escoffier and served as Treasurer of the DC Chapter from 2013-2015 and is also a member of Women Chefs and Restaurateurs. Nancy credits her grandmother for sparking her sense of style and vision and is the reason she fell in love with the restaurant and event industries. Ahead of her time, Nancy’s grandmother ran an engraved invitation and event design company in Baltimore County where Nancy would spend countless hours watching her put together the elements for these elaborate events.

Unabashedly obsessed with breakfast, Kyle Algaze has worked just about every job in the restaurant business. And the South Floridian and father of two decided that the world needed a bolder, more exciting option when it came to the age-old question: "Where should we go for breakfast?" His answer was Iron Rooster, a tribute to the early riser. In addition to having a unique culinary point of view, Kyle founded Iron Rooster with a dedication to something often forgotten in the restaurant business: HOSPITALITY. His commitment to hospitality, both in the restaurant and in the community is what sets him apart. Algaze prides himself in giving for the greater good and leading his staff to places they never thought possible. No stranger to the bright lights of television, Algaze has been recognized for his achievements and successes. Since October 2014, Algaze has opened three restaurants (Annapolis, Canton, Hunt Valley) and is opening a fourth location of Iron Rooster in the Summer of 2017. Iron Rooster started with 35 staff members in 2014 and will exceed 300 by the end of 2017. Iron Rooster offers a creative array of breakfast items including fried chicken and waffles and homemade pop tarts, benedicts, omelets, pancakes, waffles and French toast that is available all day. Traditional lunch and dinner entrées include sandwiches such as pulled pork, as well as country fried meatloaf, chicken pot pie and shrimp and grits. Iron Rooster has been named by the reservation website Open Table as one of the Top 100 Brunch Restaurants in the Country, and was also included in a list compiled by The Baltimore Sun for the Top 10 Brunches in Baltimore.

James Obletz serves as vice president of corporate development at Delaware North, a global food service and hospitality company headquartered in Buffalo, New York. The company operates in the food service, restaurant, lodging, sporting, airport, gaming and entertainment industries. The company employs over 65,000 people worldwide and has over $3.0 billion in annual revenues. In his role, Obletz develops and implements strategies for corporate business expansion – including mergers and acquisitions, portfolio acquisitions and divestitures, business development, corporate development and organic growth. Obletz’s leadership experience includes mergers and acquisitions, finance and investment banking. Obletz joined Delaware North in 2016 – bringing nearly 15 years of experience in banking and corporate finance. Most recently, he worked in New York City as an executive director in the real estate, lodging and gaming investment banking group at J.P. Morgan. He began his career in 2003 with M&T Bank in Buffalo as a banking officer and part of its highly regarded Management Development Program A Buffalo native, Obletz graduated with honors and a degree in economics from Boston College. He later earned an MBA from Columbia Business School, where he studied corporate finance and real estate.

Andrea M. Mattei is an accomplished commercial and corporate finance attorney, with a practice focus on hospitality assets, resort transactions, and mixed-use properties. Ms. Mattei’s wide-ranging experience and first-hand hospitality industry knowledge enable her to advise investors, owners, lenders, and developers on transactional, financial, and operational matters in the hospitality industry. She advises on portfolio assembly and target asset acquisition, disposition, construction, renovation, site management, procurement, design, repositioning, and day-to-day hospitality operations. Her industry knowledge is balanced by substantial experience in corporate finance, governance, mergers and acquisitions, and transactional accounting for public and private companies. Ms. Mattei has structured and negotiated documents for ground-up development of resort locations, including construction and permanent financing and credit enhancements. She has experience in the preparation and negotiation of the full range of hospitality-related agreements, including management, franchise, and service agreements, with particular experience managing vendor contracts and relationships. Additionally, she has completed a number of asset-repositioning transactions involving underperforming properties. Prior to re-entering private practice, Ms. Mattei was Group Vice President-Legal for Strategic Development, Strategic Sourcing, and Corporate Real Estate at Wyndham Worldwide Corporation. Previously, she served as Senior Vice President and Associate General Counsel, Finance, Corporate Governance and Mergers and Acquisitions at Marriott International, Inc., and General Counsel and Associate General Counsel to Ocwen Financial Corporation, one of the nation’s largest mortgage servicing and asset management companies. Ms. Mattei's private practice experience includes AmLaw50 firms in New York, Baltimore, and Washington, D.C.