What to Expect for the Queen City in 2024

Ben Tario serves as the Deputy Commissioner- CFO, Business & Administration for the ACC. Tario joined the ACC in 2007 and has wide experience with the Conference, including legal affairs, multimedia, football operations, and technology. In his current role as Deputy Commissioner, Tario leads financial and business affairs for the conference, and serves as a primary liaison to conference media rights partners. In addition to business and finance, Tario oversees human resources, IT, and facility operations. Prior to arriving in Greensboro, Tario worked in football administration with the BIG EAST Conference and in athletic operations and communications at Nova Southeastern University and Florida State University, in addition to working with the Miami Dolphins. A native of Pleasanton, California, Tario attended high school in Englewood, Florida and went on to earn a bachelor's degree in sports management from Florida State University in 2002, a master's degree in sports administration from FSU in 2003, a JD from Nova Southeastern University (member of the Florida Bar) in 2006, and an MBA from Elon University in 2012. Tario earned an executive certificate from the Sports Management Institute in 2011. Tario was honored as a Sports Business Journal Forty Under 40 in 2020 and was the recipient of the 2011 NCAA HPERD North Carolina Sports Management Professional of the Year for his work with developing students through internship programs. Tario is active in the community and has served on various boards such as the Greensboro Sports Council and the Greensboro Cerebral Palsy Association, and has volunteered for Habitat for Humanity, Big Brothers Big Sisters, and Backpack Beginnings. Ben and his wife, Marissa, reside in Charlotte with their two children.

Erin handles investment strategy and leasing oversight for Beacon’s 1 million square foot office portfolio as well as working on future office developments and acquisitions. Erin spent 15 years at Meritage Properties, a boutique owner/operator of office and mixed-use properties based in New York. Erin is a Commissioner on the Charlotte Mecklenburg Planning Commission. She also sits on the Urban Land Institute's Small Scale Development Council - Gold Flight at the national level. She's involved in the Charlotte Region Commercial Board of Realtors' (CRCBR) as a member of both the Advisory Board and the New Member Committee. Erin sits on the Board of Ambassadors for Levine Children’s Hospital as well as being a member of its Dreamcatcher Society. She has held several committee positions as a volunteer at Dilworth Elementary and also served as a semester-long mentor for the Project Destined internship program.

Danny Chavez joined the Charlotte Regional Business Alliance (CLTA) in November 2021 as the Chief Business Recruitment Officer. He serves as the executive lead for the business development team at CLTA. He formerly represented the Dallas-Fort Worth (McKinney) and San Antonio regions in executive roles. As an economic development executive, Danny has worked domestically & internationally, with corporate executives, site selectors, capital partners and real estate developers to close projects and investments of all sizes. He has served in multiple capacities where he has focused on commercial & mixed-use developments and working with startups. Mostly in the cybersecurity and SaaS sectors. Danny’s innovative approach to economic development and related business interests, have created new means to close corporate investments and identifying growth opportunities. He is the creator and chief architect of a first-of-a-kind, web-based incentive fund, called the Innovation Fund. In 2021, he was named a Finalist for D CEO Magazine’s Innovation Advocate of the Year award, for his work on the Innovation Fund. Danny was also featured in D CEO Magazine’s 2022 edition of The Dallas 500, the publication’s premier feature of the most powerful executives in North Texas. Danny has managed teams and individually worked on and closed many economic development projects. Ranging from Fortune 500 and headquarter operations to startup relocations. The teams he has managed have yielded over $1.2B in capital investment and created over 7,200 jobs. His individual efforts have yielded over $845M in capital investment and created over 5,700 jobs for the regions he’s represented. He has spent much of his career focusing on innovating incentives and fundraising for startups. Teams he has managed have garnered more than $56M in funds for their projects. Danny was the Co-Founder of an exited mobile software company, Epux and is the Founder of a management consulting firm, Iconimi. He continues to serve in consultancy or advisory roles for several startups. Danny holds a bachelor’s degree in Political Science from Angelo State University. In 2017, he was selected to the Forbes Young Entrepreneur Council (YEC) and in 2021, he was named by Consultant Connect as one of North America’s Top 50 Economic Developers. His approach to leadership is authenticity above all else.

Peet Poillon serves as Senior Advisor for NFP’s Property & Casualty group where he is responsible for managing client relationships throughout the southeast. His clients are primarily in the Commercial Real Estate, Construction, and Manufacturing industries. NFP has a large focus in the Commercial Real Estate landscape with a national practice that services owners, developers, and property management companies globally. In addition to Property and Casualty, NFP’s services include benefits, retirement, and wealth management. Prior to his career in the insurance industry, Peet coached collegiate lacrosse and played professionally. He currently volunteers with multiple lacrosse organizations in Charlotte and recently joined the board of the Greater Enrichment Program, centered around after school activities for at-risk elementary school aged kids. Peet graduated from UMBC in 2010. He resides in Huntersville, NC with his wife and two children.

Sara Downing, FSMPS, CPSM is Director of Project Development for Clancy & Theys Construction Company’s Charlotte Division. She is a detail-oriented, results-driven professional services business developer and marketer who has been cultivating relationships in Charlotte since 2003. Sara has been a member of the Society for Marketing Professional Services since 2003, earned her CPSM in 2009 and has served on the SMPS Charlotte board in numerous roles, including President in 2012. In addition, Sara is on the board of Construction Professionals Network (CPN), past chair of the ULI NEXT committee, chair of the ABC Carolinas Explorers Club, and on the board of the Charlotte ToolBank. She is a graduate of Leadership Charlotte Class 42. In 2020, she was named as one of the 50 Most Influential Women in Mecklenburg County by The Mecklenburg Times. Sara has a Bachelor of Art in Corporate Communication from Elon University and is currently pursuing her Master in Business Administration from The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Kenan-Flagler Business School. When she is not working or studying, she is enjoying time with her husband, son and their two crazy rescue pups.

Erik is a co-founder of White Point Partners with over 15 years of real estate experience. He focuses on asset management, underwriting, equity and debt structuring, and investor relations. Erik previously served as SVP of Finance for a publicly-traded student housing REIT where he was responsible for capital markets strategies, underwriting, asset management, and managing the joint venture and investor relations programs. Prior to his tenure at the REIT, he worked in J.P. Morgan’s Real Estate & Lodging Investment Banking Group where he advised clients on M&A transactions and raised over $6.5 billion of debt and equity capital. Erik began his career at Wells Fargo, where he provided large real estate firms with acquisition and development financing. Erik received a Master of Business Administration from The University of Texas at Austin and Bachelor of Science in Business Administration from The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. He is a member of the Urban Land Institute and serves on the Advisory Board of the McCombs School of Business Real Estate Investment Fund at The University of Texas at Austin.

Paul Cleary is President and Chief Operating Officer of Red Oak Capital Holdings, where he oversees the firm’s finances, business partnerships and funding opportunities. The Charlotte, North Carolina-based executive is also charged with overseeing and measuring the success of business and employee initiatives for the national commercial real estate finance company. In addition to his role with Red Oak, Paul serves as Managing Partner and President of Oak Real Estate Partners (OREP), a national fund manager focused on the institutional investment sector. Paul has over 25 years of national commercial real estate lending experience involving small-balance originations, construction loans and federally chartered credit union portfolios. He has significant expertise in creating and managing lending policies and guidelines, as well as the development of operational tools and information systems to support financing operations. Before Red Oak, Paul was a Senior Loan Originator with Parkview Financial, and served as Chief Operating Officer for Money360, Inc. Paul is an alumnus of the University of California, Santa Barbara, where he earned a bachelor’s degree in political science. He also holds a master’s degree in business administration from the University of California, Irvine, as well as a Juris Doctor degree from the University of San Diego School of Law.

Michael Cohen founded Brighton Capital Advisors to assist Borrowers through the complexities of CMBS, Bank and Life Company commercial mortgage servicing. Mr. Cohen has over 25 years of experience and leadership in commercial real estate lending, property investments, debt sourcing, advisory/workout/restructuring, and equity sourcing from the private sector. Mr. Cohen’s has participated in multiple real estate cycles which provides him with an in-depth understanding operational issues perspective from both debt and equity empowering him the knowledge to successfully structure complex transactions involving direct Borrower, lending, and broker relationships. His longstanding relationships with lenders, servicers, attorneys and other market specialists gains the access to efficiently obtain beneficial outcomes for his clients. Mr. Cohen’s success in commercial real estate stems from an in-depth understanding of local markets, persistence, strong teams and partners, analytical and customer-centric problem-solving, and ability to define and execute a strategy – all of those core strengths make a difference. Michael Cohen has an undergraduate BS and MBA from Boston University. Career Track: Mr. Cohen is a pioneer in the CMBS Industry and has experiences spanning all facets of CMBS underwriting, loan closing, rating and securitizing, and originations. Prior to launching BCA, Michael Cohen held Senior Executive Commercial Real Estate roles with proven success for top tier investment banks in the Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern region including: Citigroup, UBS, Deutsche Bank, WMFG, First Union and Column Financial (DLJ). Over the course of his career, Mr. Cohen has been responsible for financing and securitizing in excess of $10 billion in all major real estate asset classes.

Arren concentrates his practice in commercial real estate financing transactions. Arren is heavily involved with distressed asset situations. He has worked on many loan workouts and restructurings. He is co-lead of Seyfarth’s Distressed Situations team. Arren also represents lenders, developers, owners, and investors in a variety of complex real estate financing transactions. Additionally, Arren represents loan servicers in connection with a wide array of loan servicing matters, including transfer of ownership matters (such as non-permitted equity transfers and loan assumptions), property substitutions, and leasing-related matters. Throughout his career, Arren has closed numerous acquisition, permanent, interim/bridge, construction, and mezzanine loans. He also has led teams that have closed over $1 billion in mortgage loans, secured by various properties around the country, many for securitization in the capital markets, and has worked on syndicated and participated loan transactions. The pro bono chair of the firm’s Charlotte office and a member of the firm’s Pro Bono Committee, Arren has represented various nonprofit organizations in connection with leasing and other real estate matters, including a children’s museum, a ballet company, a dance organization, an organization that provides support services to children in need, and a group that encourages corporate philanthropy.

For more than 20 years, he has dedicated his professional and personal life to supporting others on their road to success through his “Leaders Go First” approach. This ranges from coaching C-suite executives as they build a culture focused on retention, career development, and fun to helping high school Offenses score points as a Wide Receivers Coach and Offensive Coordinator. Creating a connection with people and fostering a culture of psychological safety is the secret behind it all. He’s ready to share that secret with you and your team through his system, Leadership. Clegg’s experience includes technology, finance, engineering, automotive, and consulting across continents and industries. While working in Corporate America, he was honored as Leader of the Year for multiple years. He is certified to administer and lead key workplace assessments, including The Six Types of Working Genius and PDP Global. Currently, he serves as the CEO and Managing Partner of Q Works Group based in Charlotte, North Carolina. Through keynote speaking, team workshops, and small group instruction, Clegg is ready to inspire and support leaders as they take their organizations to the next level.