Adaptive Reuse & Placemaking in Detroit

Abir was born and raised in Detroit. She left for Toronto and eventually landed in Chicago, where she worked as an architect in affordable housing. She returned to Detroit in 2011, moving her design practice and family to the city while applying her skillset to the foundation world. “I came back to Detroit because it was always a magnet no matter where else I lived.” Abir has grown her career across architecture, furniture design, grantmaking, and now real estate development. Her interest is in architecture’s alignment with development and what we physically endow to a neighborhood and its people. “How is what we design and develop relevant? Is it going to be memorable or forgettable generations later?” Abir lives in a more than 100-year old home in Detroit’s Boston Edison.

Anika Goss is the CEO of the Detroit Future City (DFC) Implementation Office. In this role, Anika leads a dynamic team of experts to implement the DFC Strategic Framework, the guide to decision-making and investment in Detroit. She also directs all partnerships, project initiatives, investments and funding opportunities for the DFC Implementation Office. Anika joined the DFC Implementation Office after nearly 20 years of leadership in national and local roles in community development and non-profit management. Anika worked at the Local Initiatives Support Corporation (LISC) for 15 years. In her most recent post as Vice President of the Midwest Region, Anika provided strategic and technical support for seven LISC offices in cities across the Midwest that are engaged in resident-led, comprehensive community development. Her role included forging new partnerships, fund development support, program design and administrative leadership for LISC nationally. Prior to this, Anika served as LISC’s Vice President of Sustainable Communities, where she supported 16 local offices’ efforts to implement comprehensive community development strategies as part of its Building Sustainable Communities program. Anika’s experience in Detroit began with LISC as well, where she served as the organization’s Detroit program director. She was noted for several major achievements while in this position, including managing a $40 million community development campaign, and designing and leading the campaign for the city’s first Land Bank Authority. Anika also worked with the City of Detroit as its Director of Philanthropic Affairs and Executive Director of Next Detroit Neighborhood Initiative, leading an effort to transform six Detroit neighborhoods by improving city services and incorporating redevelopment strategies through public-private partnerships. Anika has been an active participant and contributor to the Brookings Institution – Older Industrial Cities Working Group and European Weak Market Cities Working Group as well as the Regional Equity Working Groups led by PolicyLink and the Enterprise Foundation. She also serves on the board of Hatch Detroit, which supports independent retail businesses in Detroit through funding, exposure and mentoring. Anika has a Master of Social Work in Community Organizing degree from the University of Michigan and a Bachelor of Sociology and African American Studies degree from Purdue University.

John A. Latessa, Jr. is President, Midwest Division with CBRE, Inc., and provides executive oversight for 11 offices, including the region’s flagship operations in Chicago. Prior to his promotion to this position in January 2017, Mr. Latessa directly managed the company’s Michigan operations and oversaw its operations in several markets including Columbus, Cleveland, Cincinnati, Indianapolis, Louisville, St. Louis and Kansas City. Mr. Latessa has extensive experience in real estate acquisitions, leasing, construction, financing, dispositions and building operations management. Prior to joining CBRE, Mr. Latessa was a Principal/Managing Director of JFK Investment Company, L.L.C. and a Project Manager/Director of Marketing with Hines Interest Limited Partnership (“Hines”). His past responsibilities include office, retail, hotel and strategic land and building acquisitions, development, leasing and new business procurement for the region. Preceding Hines, Mr. Latessa was the manager of corporate real estate for Kelly Services, Inc. and was responsible for a portfolio in excess of six million square feet. Additionally, Mr. Latessa worked as a broker for Grubb & Ellis specializing in the acquisition, disposition and leasing of office and industrial properties.

Maurice Cox is the planning director for the city of Detroit. He most recently served as associate dean for community engagement at Tulane University’s School of Architecture and director of the Tulane City Center, a university-affiliated practice operating at the intersection of design, urban research and civic engagement throughout New Orleans. Cox previously taught at Syracuse University, the University of Virginia and Harvard University’s Graduate School of Design. He also served as design director of the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) from 2007-2010, where he led the NEA’s Your Town Rural Institute, the Governors’ Institute on Community Design, the Mayors’ Institute on City Design, and oversaw grants to the design community across the United States. He was named one of “20 Masters of Design” in 2004 by Fast Company magazine for his experience merging architecture, politics and design education. In 2013, Cox was named one of the “Most Admired Design Educators in America” in the annual ranking of Design Intelligence.

Dan Kinkead brings nearly 20 years of experience in urban design to SmithGroupJJR. As an architect and urban designer, Dan’s intuitive creativity and expertise allow him to integrate broader perspectives of sustainability with compelling designs for buildings and urban developments. Dan welcomes big, seemingly intractable challenges that require broader socio-cultural, economic, and ecological thinking. His career has encompassed transformative projects for the City of Detroit, as well as urban district design in Europe and China. He is a contributing author for numerous publications as well as Visiting Architect in Residence at the Cranbrook Academy of Art, and advisory member for the U.S. State Department. Dan lives in Detroit with his family.

Jay Norris, Co-founder, and CEO of Guesst®, has over 15 years in developing experiential marketing concepts. Jay started in the music industry developing multi-city tours and venues for top recording artists for Clive Davis’ Arista Record and others. In 1997, Jay started Tastemakers Media, which published a cutting-edge magazine throughout the US featuring the best retail & lifestyle offerings domestically and abroad. In 2005, Jay brought his expertise in lifestyle and experiential marketing to the commercial real estate tenant brokerage industry. Jay is a small to medium-size business growth executive at heart, continually looking to maximize resources, build relationships and identify growth opportunities. Jay has been effectuating Retail-Matchmaking in the analog space for a number of years, which has led to the founding of Guesst - A Retail-Sharing Community.

Susan T. Mosey has been the Executive Director of Midtown Detroit, Inc. (MDI) in Detroit, Michigan for twenty nine years. This non-profit organization is responsible for community development, marketing, real estate, small business development and arts programming within Detroit’s University Cultural Center and New Center districts – an area now known as Midtown. MDI also manages public space maintenance and security initiatives for the district. Projects that have been undertaken by the organization under her direction include public improvements such as new streetscapes and park development, greenway planning and construction, and residential and commercial real estate development and management. MDI’s newest initiative is the Live Midtown Residential Incentive Program that encourages employees of the anchors to move to Midtown. The organization also produces a number of signature arts events, including Art X Detroit, DLECTRICITY and Noel Night.

J. Michael Kirk, AIA is a Principal at Neumann/Smith and leader of the firm’s preservation studio in Downtown Detroit, and a certified historic preservation architect. He is an Executive Board member of the Michigan Historic Preservation Network, and Vice President of the Old Tiger Stadium Conservancy. He has been active in downtown Detroit development since the mid-70’s and applauds the tremendous momentum of the last 5 years in creating a vibrant downtown vibe that needs to be nurtured!

Vittoria is the Executive Director of Hatch Detroit. She has spent the majority of her career and personal life working on positive projects in the City of the Detroit. Using a combination of her background in Marketing and Urban Planning she has been able to provide unique ways to move the city forward through the creation of targeted neighborhood marketing efforts, and creation of area specific events. She is a resident of the City of Detroit, and believes the City to be one of the best places to live and raise a family. She resides in West Village with her husband, son and three dogs. She is a runner, a rower with the Detroit Boat Club Crew, and cures her own meats.

Jared Friedman is the Manager of Acquisitions & Opportunities for Friedman. Prior to joining Friedman, Jared served as Senior Associate at Origin Investments in Chicago where he was responsible for underwriting, due diligence and closing of commercial real estate investments located in Denver, Dallas, Charlotte and Chicago. Prior to joining Origin, Jared worked as a Financial Analyst at Equity Office Properties where he prepared property valuation models for over six million square feet of office space and maintained investment-level performance models relating to $21B in office investments made by Blackstone. Prior to Equity Office, Jared served as a summer analyst at BMO Capital Markets in their Real Estate Investment Banking Group.

Chaben is a senior vice president of Marcus & Millichap Real Estate Investment Services. He also serves as the Midwestern regional director of the firm’s Special Assets Services (SAS) division and oversees the company’s Midwest offices. In addition, he is the Eastern U.S. director of the firm’s National Office and Industrial Properties Group. Mr. Chaben joined the firm in 1997 as a regional manager and was charged with establishing the Detroit office and sales force. Since the establishment of the Detroit office, Mr. Chaben has overseen more than 1,100 transactions valued at $5.1 billion. He was named vice president of the firm in 2000, became first vice president in 2004 and was elected as a managing director in 2009. Mr. Chaben is a graduate of Wayne State University and received a juris doctor degree from the Detroit College of Law.

As the founder of Sachse Construction, Todd Sachse has developed a loyal clientele of high-end customers who require detailed expertise in design and construction. He also undertakes construction projects that include the renovation of vintage buildings, office buildings, hotels, schools, shopping centers, medical office and general office build-outs, build-to-suits, retail centers, restaurants, airports and the development and construction of multi-family projects. Todd earned his Bachelor of Science degree from the University of Michigan in 1985 and upon graduation, founded and operated several businesses related to property operations and maintenance. He is a licensed builder in multiple states, in addition to being an actively involved board member for several non-profit organizations. Todd currently resides in Huntington Woods, Michigan with his wife and three children.

Dennis Bernard is the founder and President of Bernard Financial Group (“BFG”) and Bernard Financial Servicing Group (“BFSG”). Founded in 1991, BFG has grown into the largest commercial mortgage banking firm in Michigan financing on average over $1 billion each year of Michigan Commercial Real Estate. BFG became a member of the Strategic Alliance Mortgage (SAM) network in 2003 (www.samalliance.com). SAM is a national network of the largest independently owned commercial mortgage banking firm and the third largest lending platform in the country. Mr. Bernard is its current national President. Mr. Bernard specializes in both debt and equity placement with commercial lenders and institutional joint venture participants. Bernard Financial Group has also been involved in commercial mortgage servicing on construction and permanent loan portfolios. Mr. Bernard has been involved with over 1,200 commercial real estate financial transactions totaling over $18,600,000,000. Mr. Bernard has been engaged as both a consultant and a correspondent by over twenty five national lenders. Bernard Financial Group’s client list reads like Michigan’s Who’s Who of owners and developers. These transactions have included multi and single tenant office, industrial, hi-tech, retail, multi-family, manufactured housing communities, self-storage, hotel and senior housing. Bernard Financial Group has closed over $16,100,000,000 in financing since its inception. These included forward commitments and immediate fundings on multi-family, retail, industrial and high-tech properties. The lenders were Life Companies, pension funds, structured lenders, securitized lenders and quasi-government agencies. Bernard Financial Servicing Group currently provides full cashiering servicing for over $3,800,000,000 for Life Companies and CMBS Lenders. Bernard Financial Servicing Group is now actively sub Special Servicing for many national firms. Mr. Bernard's educational background includes a Bachelor's Degree in Finance from Miami University along with a MBA specializing in Finance and Strategic Planning from Case Western Reserve University. Mr. Bernard has been a lecturer on real estate finance at the University of Michigan's Graduate School of Business. Mr. Bernard has also appeared as an expert witness on real estate interest rates and financings in Michigan, New York and Texas. Mr. Bernard has been an editorial contributor to The Wall Street Journal, Commercial, Inc., Crain’s Detroit Business, Michigan Real Estate Journal, Midwest Real Estate News, National Real Estate Investors, Heartland Properties, Real Estate Forum, among others. Mr. Bernard has received numerous awards for his community and business involvements. Most recently, he was elected to the Mortgage Bankers Association (MBA) CRE Board of Governors. Additionally, he has been recognized by Crain’s Detroit Business as a “40 under 40”, by Midwest Real Estate News as a “40 over 40” Most Influential Real Estate Professional and Midwest CRE Hall of Fame, and by Commercial Inc. as an Elite Eight winner. He has been bestowed the honor of the 2006 Governors Service Award for Volunteering and Community Leadership. He has also received Crain’s Detroit Business, University of Michigan and ULI’s “Real Estate Excellence” award. Mr. Bernard was recently honored by being awarded the International Association of Jewish Vocational Services Greenberg Leadership Award. He has also received the Jewish Federation of Metropolitan Detroit’s Young Leadership Award, the Jewish Community Council Activist of the Year Award, the American Jewish Committee “Outstanding Humanitarian Award”, and was deemed “Home Town Hero” for Oakland County for his activities and involvements on behalf of local charities. Mr. Bernard currently sits on nine different charitable organizations Board of Trustees. Mr. Bernard has been the Vice Chair of Michigan’s Venture Michigan Fund and currently serves as gubernatorial appointments to two other State of Michigan Boards or Task Forces. Mr. Bernard enjoys his mentoring in the Detroit Public Schools. Most importantly, Mr. Bernard goes home for dinner every night and spends the weekends with his family.

Andrew Leber is Bedrock's first VP of Hospitality, leading the development of the Shinola Hotel project slated to open within a series of historic buildings on Detroit's Woodward Avenue in 2018. He brings more than 15 years of hospitality consulting, operations and asset management experience, as he builds Bedrock's hospitality strategy from the ground up. In addition, Andrew oversees Bedrock’s hospitality assets, food service partnerships, the team member amenities. He has subject matter expertise in the planning and execution of major-scale renovations, as well as implementing strategic operational initiatives for enhancing value. He also is a licensed appraiser with extensive major U.S. market knowledge and experience.

Marc G. Nassif, MAI, LEED AP, MRICS is a Senior Managing Director with BBG, Inc. His expertise is in real estate valuation and advisory services. Mr. Nassif is responsible for management, client liaison, business development, appraisal production, and training. His practice consists of clients and assets nationwide. Named one of Crain’s Detroit Business 40 Under 40 for 2017, Mr. Nassif’s experience encompasses a wide range of commercial real estate engagements for local and national clients for a variety of purposes, including asset valuation for pension funds, financing, estate taxation, proposed developments, ad valorem taxation, purchase price allocation, fresh start accounting, property insurance placement, and litigation. He has appraised numerous property types, including office, industrial, retail, vacant land, residential, automobile dealerships, and special purpose facilities such as parking garages. Mr. Nassif has completed assignments throughout the United States and Europe, and has experience managing large portfolio assignments. Mr. Nassif has also completed feasibility analyses, market analyses, market rental rate determinations, and impact studies. His ] experience ranges from high-density CBD developments to low-density agricultural land uses. He is licensed as a certified general real estate appraiser in multiple states. Additionally, Mr. Nassif is a member of the Appraisal Institute and the Urban Land Institute. Mr. Nassif is a LEED Accredited Professional through the U. S. Green Building Council. Mr. Nassif is also a Member of the Royal Institute of Chartered Surveyors. Prior to joining BBG, he was a Vice President with First Place Bank where he was responsible for site inspections and appraisal reviews. He was also employed at SRR, and was previously employed by National City Bank where he worked with the Investment Real Estate loan group.