Houston's Multifamily Madness Event

Derrek is a graduate of Texas A&M University with a BS in Construction Science. He also has a Master of Business Administration from The Bauer College of Business at The University of Houston. Prior to the recession, Derrek managed the construction of multiple projects with The Hanover Company. After the recession, he managed the construction of multiple projects for Trammell Crow Residential, and went on to develop three properties with Trammell Crow Residential.

Jacob Sudhoff, CEO of Douglas Elliman Texas, took the helm in September 2019 when his decade-old firm Sudhoff Companies joined forces with one of the nation’s largest independent residential real estate brokerages by sales volume, expanding its presence into the state of Texas for the first time. As CEO of the Texas Region, Jacob is responsible for rolling out the Douglas Elliman brand around the state, with offices located in Houston, Austin, and Dallas. In his executive leadership role, he oversees the company’s complete suite of services which includes development marketing, builder marketing, traditional real estate sales, relocation, and commercial real estate. Sophisticated research and analysis are conducted under his tutelage, providing pertinent market data and information to Douglas Elliman’s clients across the nation. With over 20 years of industry experience and an integrated approach to real estate sales and marketing, Jacob is a real estate veteran whose vision and entrepreneurship contributed to the transformation of Houston’s residential landscape. Jacob is a former top-producing agent with sales in the billions, which is a rare but beneficial trait for the person at the helm. His extensive real estate expertise includes both residential and commercial sales, capital markets, planning, design, and procurement for residential projects, which allowed him to create a niche in luxury high-density residential development. An entrepreneur at heart, Jacob is involved in multiple businesses which intersect with real estate: CASA, a luxury interior design showroom featuring refined Italian brands, and Vernon G. Henry & Associates, Inc., an urban planning and development consulting firm. Always dedicated to giving back to the community in which he serves, Jacob has chaired the AIDS Foundation Gala and is a supporter of Preservation Houston, Covenant House, and the Houston Community Foundation. He also invests his time and resources to foster the next generation of real estate leaders through the facilitation of an ongoing and robust mentorship and internship program.

Cyrus Bahrami oversees development, investment and construction operations for the Houston office. He brings more than 12 years of real estate investment, development and finance experience. Prior to joining Alliance, Mr. Bahrami served as Vice President of Investments and Development for M-M Properties, where he participated in the acquisition, development and asset management of multifamily and commercial-office properties in excess of $600MM. Mr. Bahrami also held previous positions with PriceWaterhouseCoopers LLP and Equastone Real Estate Investment Advisors. Mr. Bahrami graduated summa cum laude from the Mays School of Business at Texas A&M University, where he earned a Bachelor of Business Administration in Accounting and Master of Science in Finance. He is a licensed CPA in the state of Texas.

A Real Estate Development professional with over 15 years of experience in residential and mixed-use development. Mr. Conn encompasses a firm understanding of the complete multi-family developmental lifecycle from project origination, entitlement, design, construction management, stabilization, to asset disposition. Specializations include developmental analysis, design profile, contract negotiations, and project execution. Mr. Conn has a proven record of establishing and fostering strong relationships with organizational investment partners, local brokers and officials, is a highly focused, hands-on, problem solver with a demonstrated ability to select, and lead, in the execution and management of a variety of real estate platforms. Mr. Conn graduated from Florida International University with a Master of Science in Construction Management after obtaining a Bachelor of Art from the University of Florida. He also holds both a Florida Certified General Contractor (CGC) and a Florida Underground Utility & Excavation Contractor (CUC) licenses.

As Executive Vice President and Managing Director, Bryant Nail oversees all mixed-use, high-density urban development projects for Madison Marquette. Prior to the June 2018 merger of PMRG and Madison Marquette, Mr. Nail served as Executive Vice President and Managing Director of Multi-family Development for PMRG. Mr. Nail brings more than 20 years of experience in real estate development, not only in high-density urban development but also in retail, office and the hospitality industry. Prior to joining PMRG, Mr. Nail served as Partner and Vice President of Development for Amicus Partners, Ltd. where he was responsible for all aspects of mid to high-rise residential development projects in Addison Circle, Dallas, Houston, and Plano. Among the notable projects he worked on is the Eastside Village development, a four-story wood frame project adjacent to the Downtown Plano DART Station. Before Amicus Partners, Ltd., Mr. Nail worked for Post Properties, a publicly-traded REIT based in Atlanta, as Vice President of Development in the Western region, encompassing all aspects of real estate development, including land acquisitions, financing, political interface, design and construction, property development, as well as leasing and marketing. He was responsible for development projects in Jackson, Mississippi, Dallas, Addison, and Denver, Colorado; including the highly received and awarded new mixed-use community, Addison Circle Phases I and II, in Addison, Texas, and the St. Luke's hospital site development in Denver. Both prospects were public private partnerships where the municipalities contributed over $20 million for infrastructure to support the developments. Mr. Nail is a member of the Urban Land Institute (ULI) and its Urban Revitalization Council, The Real Estate Council (TREC) of Dallas and serves on the board of directors for the Addison Business Association.

Stacy has been with Greystar and its predecessor firm since 1982 and is currently responsible for national client relations and new business pursuit for the company’s 670,000 unit domestic management operation. Since joining Greystar, Mr. Hunt has helped build the firm’s management portfolio through the opening of regional offices in Arizona, Florida and additional offices in Texas. Stacy is a member of the National Apartment Association, the National Multi Housing Council joint legislative committee, the board of directors of the Houston Apartment Association and the Westchase District, Treasurer of the Better Government Fund of the Houston Apartment Association and is a licensed Texas broker. He also served as president of the Houston Apartment Association in 1992 and the Texas Apartment Association in 1998. In 1973 Stacy earned a bachelor’s degree in finance from the University of Texas. Mr. Hunt has witnessed the firm’s growth from 2,000 units to its current ranking as the largest apartment manager in the United States, with more than 670,000 units in 43 states. Greystar also manages approximately 24,650 units in China, France, Germany, Ireland, Mexico, the Netherlands, Spain and the United Kingdom. The company’s owned portfolio consists of over 51,000 units including 87 properties under construction and 31 stabilized properties in markets across the US. Mr. Hunt is based in Houston, Texas, and the Greystar corporate office is located in Charleston, South Carolina.

Margaret Wallace Brown is the Interim Director of the City of Houston’s Planning & Development Department. As such, she is Houston’s top planning and development official. The position includes oversight of the City’s primary property subdivision regulatory functions and neighborhood character preservation programs, including historic preservation. Wallace Brown also leads much of the Houston’s transportation and community planning efforts, including the Mayor’s signature Complete Communities Initiative. The position also includes oversight of many of the City’s geographic mapping efforts. Acting Director Wallace Brown serves as a non-voting member of the City’s Planning Commission and the Houston Archaeological and Historical Commission. During her thirty-two year tenure in the City’s Planning Department, Wallace Brown has participated in a diverse array of projects that have had a profound effect on Houston. In the 1990s she oversaw the creation of Houston’s first visioning process, Imagine Houston. In 2010, she managed the City’s U. S. Census Complete Count effort that brought additional Federal funding and representation into the city. In 2011 she led the city’s landmark redistricting process that increased the number of City Council members from 9 to 11. In 2015, she provided leadership to the creation of Houston’s first General Plan, Plan Houston. In addition, she has overseen numerous city limit expansions and annexations through utilizing Strategic Partnership Agreements, a program that taps into a revenue source that now equals seven percent of all City sales tax collections. While most of her City tenure is policy-related, Wallace Brown began her career as an interiors architect for Interfin Corporation after obtaining a Bachelor of Science degree in Architecture from the University of Houston. She also holds a Charrette System Certification from the National Charrette Institute, holds accreditation from the Congress for New Urbanism and is a Certified Public Manager from Sam Houston State University Continuing Education. In addition, she has held leadership positions with the American Institute of Architects, Houston; the American Planning Association; the Bellaire Nature Discovery Center; West University Elementary and St. Pius X High Schools; Chi Omega Fraternity; and the Junior League of Houston.

Sonder master-leases and manages over $1.8 billion of outstanding, commercially-zoned buildings or blocks of floors. Backed by over $200 million in venture capital and debt funding, Sonder provides guaranteed income and peace of mind for multifamily investment. As the Head of Real Estate for Sonder Houston, Chris is responsible for sourcing and negotiating the real estate Sonder leases in the Houston area. Houston is Sonder’s fastest growing market to date with over 250 units signed and a multimillion-dollar revenue run rate within 6 months. Chris graduated from Northeastern University with honors and worked with IBM and John Hancock while in school. Prior to joining Sonder Chris represented buyers and sellers of over $15mm in New York City residential real estate.

Sandra Paige is recognized as one of the industry’s most accomplished professionals. With vast experience in underwriting large, multi-site, multi-state commercial transactions, she oversees the escrow team that handles some of Veritas Title Partners’ most complicated transactions. Paige began her professional career with the law firm of Streich, Lang in Phoenix, Arizona. In 1984, she launched her title insurance career when she opened the offices of Heritage Title Company in Austin, Texas. In 1990, she returned to her hometown of Boston to join the national division of Old Republic National Title Insurance Company, where she quickly established a reputation for sound underwriting practices. She also worked with Lawyers Title and Fidelity National Title of New York before returning to Texas and joining Partners Title Company in Houston. In 1999, Paige joined her current partners at Veritas, Bob Sheldon and Michael Knudsen, at First American Title Insurance. The three brought their team to the commercial division of Fidelity National Title Insurance Company in 2002. In January 2005, she and her partners formed their own company, Veritas Title Partners. Throughout her title insurance career, Paige has handled high profile transactions. These include TD Banknorth Garden (the new Boston Garden) and numerous portfolio securitizations. Most recently, she has worked on many high-profile transactions in Houston, including a $2 billion multi-family portfolio. Paige has authored numerous articles for the Boston Business Journal. She has served as an adjunct teacher at St. Edward’s University and frequently speaks or lectures for professional associations and continuing education programs. She has served as an officer of several professional organizations, including the Texas Land Title Association. She is a past president of the Travis County Land Title Insurance Association, past board member of the Real Estate Finance Association of Boston and alumna of NEWIRE and CREW Houston., With a degree in English literature, Paige pursued graduate studies at Arizona State University and Suffolk University., She is presently studying piano at Rice University’s The Shepherd School of Music Preparatory Program.