DTLA: The Future of Urban Retail

Carol Schatz, president and CEO of the Downtown Center BID, is known as DTLA’s biggest champion. Before she landed in DTLA, she was an SVP at the California League of Savings Institutions and then deputy regional director for the Federal Savings and Loan Insurance Corp, where she oversaw the liquidation of billions of dollars in assets of failed savings institutions in the 12 western states. The most rewarding part of her job these days is touting the success of DTLA’s transformation. “Being a pivotal player in Downtown’s complete transformation has given me the greatest satisfaction,” she says. The possibilities are endless in DTLA, according to Carol. She sees construction costs and land prices as challenges developers face as a result of the progress that has been made. “We’ve become a victim of our own success,” she says. Carol also has concerns about the “misguided” anti-development legislation now being tossed around. She advises women and others getting started in the industry to “trust your instincts, and don’t take no for an answer." Away from the office, she enjoys the opera and theater as well as traveling, hiking and swimming.

As the Downtown Los Angeles Alliance's Executive Director, Nicholas ‘Nick’ Griffin spearheads the organization’s efforts to attract new businesses, retailers, investors and residents to what has grown to become one of the nation’s most dynamic urban centers. Hailed the “next great American City,” by GQ Magazine, Downtown LA has experienced unprecedented growth over the past 16-years, in large part due to the efforts of the DTLA Alliance's economic development team. Prior to the DTLA Alliance, Nick spent more than 25 years in business development in the real estate, media/entertainment and technology industries. For the previous 10 years, Nick was a leading commercial leasing and sales broker in New York City, where he was responsible for more than $100M in transactions. Prior to his rise in real estate, Nick spent a decade as a marketing and sales executive in the creative media and technology industries. Nick is a graduate of UCLA and holds an MBA from Ohio State University.

As founder of Studio One Eleven, Alan Pullman, AIA, leads design teams on mixed-use, urban infill and adaptive reuse projects. With over 20 years of experience in architecture and urban design, he has led project teams on a number of award-winning developments and is committed enhancing communities through incremental urbanism – the development of modest projects that emphasize placemaking. Pullman is a registered architect in California and an active member of the American Institute of Architects and the Urban Land Institute, where he serves on the Inner-City Council. He is also a board member for the Long Beach Conservation Corps and a partner in East Village Partners, a community focused infill developer. Pullman received his Bachelor of Architecture degree from Syracuse University.

The Yellin Co president Adele Yellin oversees Grand Central Square, including historic Grand Central Market. Adele is committed to her late husband’s deeply rooted belief in the sanctity of rebuilding downtown cities. Restoring vitality to the heart of a great city is the most rewarding part of her job, and Grand Central Market is a key player in downtown LA’s revival. The Market is a gathering place that fosters community, in a city infamous for having no center, she says. Grand Central Market is the gold standard for food halls in the US and people visit from all over the world, according to Adele. The Market remains current by bringing customers today what they will want tomorrow. Adele sees challenges as opportunities to lead and to deviate from conventional industry thinking.

Robert Cohen has 32 years of retail real estate experience. He specializes in owner and tenant representation in major urban retail markets throughout the US with a special concentration in Manhattan and Los Angeles. In 2007, Robert led RKF’s expansion into Southern California. Robert recently secured space for Under Armour on Fifth Avenue in New York; Topshop at The Americana at Brand in Glendale, CA; John Varvatos at Copley Place in Boston and in Bal Harbour, FL; Oliver Peoples in Union Square in San Francisco, Greenwich, CT, and Prudential Center in Boston; and Sam Edelman at Westfield World Trade Center in New York, NorthPark Center in Dallas and Forum Shops at Caesars in Las Vegas. He also secured numerous locations for H&M, several locations for Ralph Lauren and its brands, and sites for retailers including Marmot and drybar. Robert’s recent notable transactions include the leasing of flagship spaces for Dylan’s Candy Bar in Los Angeles, Miami and New York; Charlotte Olympia in Costa Mesa, CA and Bal Harbor, FL; stores for Johnny Was throughout the country; two locations for J.Crew’s Madewell in Pasadena and Santa Monica; Mitchell Gold + Bob Williams in Beverly Hills; and The Elder Statesman in West Hollywood. Robert began his career in Manhattan and, while now based in Los Angeles, he continues to play an active role in shaping the New York City and national retail landscape. Some of his more high profile transactions have included securing all three Manhattan Old Navy locations; stores for John Varvatos in SoHo and the Bowery; three retail locations and the U.S. headquarters for Adidas; securing Diesel’s largest flagship store on Fifth Avenue; six locations for Swarovski; multiple locations for Ralph Lauren and its Club Monaco and RRL brands; and a Nordstrom concept store in SoHo. He was also responsible for leasing 25,000 SF to Prada for its SoHo flagship. Nationally he has executed the expansion strategies for numerous retailers including Charlotte Olympia, CH Carolina Herrera, Oliver Peoples, Sam Edelman, Johnny Was, Swarovski, John Varvatos and Chrome Hearts. He has also secured national locations for many other internationally recognized retailers including Giorgio Armani, Dooney & Bourke, Tourbillon, agnès b., Montblanc, YSL, Pleats Please Issey Miyake, Oakley, Stussy and Gap Inc. Robert also represents an impressive list of landlord clients, including Waterbridge Capital, Pearlmark Real Estate Partners, Grosvenor, Regency Centers, CIM Group, Glimcher, Kalimian Brothers, Related Companies, West Coast Investors and The Sherry-Netherland. In addition to several high-profile projects in the Los Angeles market, Robert is a member of the RKF team working to reposition and lease Block Thirty Seven in Chicago for CIM Group. Prior to joining the firm, Robert was a managing director at Garrick-Aug Associates. Previously, he worked at Edward S. Gordon and Helmsley-Spear. Robert earned a Bachelor of Science Degree in Finance from the University of Miami. He is a member of the International Council of Shopping Centers, the Real Estate Board of New York, Urban Land Institute and The Beverly Hills Chamber of Commerce.

Samuel A. Brownell has been involved at the transaction level in the institutional commercial real estate business since 2001, when he started his career at Colliers International in San Francisco as a leasing broker for the #1 ranked landlord representation team South of Market Street (SOMA). Sam earned International Rookie of the Year honors and was a Top 10 producer in the San Francisco office by his third year in the business. While at Colliers, Sam was involved in the exclusive representation of over 2,000,000 square feet of Class A Creative Office Space, the exclusive representation of over 100,000 square feet of creative tenant requirements, and in the sale of over $150,000,000 of investment properties. In 2005, Sam joined Blatteis & Schnur as Director of Acquisitions, subsequently Chief Acquisitions Officer, and was directly involved in the sourcing, fundraising, and development of approximately $150,000,000 in High Street retail properties in the United States leading urban retail markets. In addition, Sam’s responsibilities included overseeing the successful re-development of 200 Powell Street and 800 Market. At the time, 200 Powell (Skechers) and 800 Market (Diesel), established high water marks of over $400 psf respectively for ground floor retail space in San Francisco. 200 Powell won numerous awards for the restoration of a historic 80 year old Art Deco building. Following a one year sabbatical, in 2009 Sam began work as a Director in the Institutional Sales Group at Holliday Fenoglio Fowler (HFF) in San Francisco, becoming the offices’ first retail hire. While at HFF, Sam was directly involved in the sale of over $300,000,000 of Urban Real Estate and over $100,000,000 in commercial real estate debt transactions. In May of 2013, Sam returned home to Blatteis & Schnur to help drive the growth and further expansion of the firm. Over the past year, Sam has spearheaded the firm’s acquisition business, sourcing over $200,000,000 of prime High Street retail properties including on Boston’s Newbury Street, Philadelphia’s Walnut Street and Los Angeles Arts District. In addition to Sam’s day-to-day involvement in the Arts District development, Sam has been tasked with expanding and establishing Blatteis & Schnur’s principal business in Miami, Washington DC and New York. Sam is an avid reader, exercise enthusiast, world traveler, and sports fan. Sam attended UCLA where he was a Walk-On Pitcher on the Bruin’s 1997 College World Series qualifier.

Elizabeth began her foray into Downtown Los Angeles in the Old Bank District, now a bustling community developed by Tom Gilmore. Gilmore, whom she had met in Hollywood while refurbishing the Equitable building, brought her on to help secure the entitlements for a collection of three buildings and an anchor restaurant, Pete’s Café, while simultaneously entitling the The Standard, Downtown LA. Since then, Elizabeth’s client roster at EPG has swelled to include the KOR Group, CIM Group, Kennedy Wilson, Palisades Development, as well as such iconic projects as The Edison, Wiltern Theater, Chateau Marmont, and The Standard, Hollywood. In addition to her land use expertise, Elizabeth is also an experienced lobbyist and hospitality professional. Her career in the hospitality industry spans from booking agent to club manager to restaurant and bar owner. Her experience as an operator and owner provides her with deep insight into the challenges faced by owners/operators and provides her with a unique advantage as she moves to solve challenging entitlement and permitting issues. Passionate about community development in historic and urban neighborhoods, Elizabeth is devoted to creating positive live/work/play environments by returning historic buildings to their full vitality and reactivating street life through captivating hospitality, retail, and commercial development. She has consulted internationally on the economic and social benefits of responsible nightlife and has helped cities Toronto, Norfolk, VA, Seattle, Philadelphia, and San Jose, CA transform their urban cores into vibrant centers of community entertainment and economic vitality. Elizabeth is the LA chair for RADD, a non-profit organization offering designated driver programs, a member of The Friends of Park 101, founder and chair of the Northeast Hospitality Alliance, a leader of the Downtown Hospitality Forum in Los Angeles, and a vocal supporter of local Community Police Activity Boards.

Bert Dezzutti holds the position of Executive Vice President, Western Region for Brookfield Office Properties in the U.S. Brookfield Office Properties is a commercial real estate corporation that owns, manages, and develops premier assets in the world’s most dynamic markets domestically and internationally. Dezzutti’s primary responsibilities include the strategic acquisition, development and management of Brookfield’s Western Region Portfolio, which currently comprises more than 10 million square feet of premier Class-A assets. Brookfield Office Properties’ signature assets in the Western Region are strategically located in the heart of downtown Los Angeles, San Francisco and Seattle – gateway cities to the Pacific Rim. Dezzutti is responsible for the region’s overall financial performance including leasing, operations, management, legal, construction and development. Dezzutti has more than twenty-nine years of commercial real estate experience, including a comprehensive background working with market-leading firms such as Equity Office Properties, Cushman and Wakefield, Koll Development and CB Commercial. Dezzutti is a graduate of the University of Southern California, and serves on the Boards of the Central City Association, USC Lusk Center for Real Estate, BOMA of Greater Los Angeles and Orange Counties. He is actively involved in the Urban Land Institute, International Council of Shopping Centers, and the Los Angeles Commercial Real Estate Association.