Neighborhood Series: Evolution of Downtown LA and Cocktail Schmooze

Mr. Robert Sonnenblick, Principal of Sonnenblick, LLC, is a graduate of the Wharton School of Finance of the University of Pennsylvania with more than 30 years of experience in various aspects of real estate and real estate finance. From 1981 to 1991 Mr. Sonnenblick was the driving force and power behind Sonnenblick-Goldman Corporation of California. Mr. Sonnenblick completed over $1.5 Billion of commercial real estate transactions on the West Coast and as a result is regarded as one of the West Coast’s leaders in the field of commercial real estate. Among the more notable projects for which Mr. Sonnenblick personally structured the financing for are The Beaudry Center, Los Angeles, California ($197 million), the Ritz Carlton Hotel, Pasadena, California ($97 million), One Waterfront Plaza, Honolulu, Hawaii ($100 million), and the Los Angeles World Trade Center, Los Angeles, California ($55 million). In 1991 Mr. Sonnenblick was appointed Director of Development for the New Jersey and L.A. MetroMalls, with the responsibility for oversight and direction of the design, financing and leasing programs for two proposed $250 million enclosed regional malls totaling 1.2 million Sq. Ft. each. Mr. Sonnenblick personally oversaw more than 1 million Sq. Ft. of leases in connection with this position as well as arranging the necessary debt and equity financing. The New Jersey project opened to one of the strongest starts in the history of the United States mall industry. In addition, Mr. Sonnenblick was an original development partner of the Loews Santa Monica Beach Hotel. This 360-room, $90 million hotel was recently sold for $125 million. Prior to forming Sonnenblick Development, LLC, Mr. Sonnenblick was the senior partner in a Los Angeles-based real estate development firm (Sonnenblick Del Rio Development) which specialized in public-private partnerships, specifically the development of four major government-leased office buildings throughout the Los Angeles basin. During this tenure, Mr. Sonnenblick successfully developed nearly 1 million square feet of government leased buildings, occupied by such tenants as U.S. Department of Homeland Security, Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department, Los Angeles County Department of Public Social Services and Los Angeles County Department of Children and Family Services. Mr. Sonnenblick is a frequent speaker at various real estate-related functions, such as those hosted by Deloitte Touche, ICSC, Value Retail News, Crittenden, USC, UCLA Real Estate Program, IMN Real Estate Conferences and the Institute for International Research, The Opal Group, iGlobal Forum Group, Globe Street/Realshare Conferences and Bloomberg Conferences. Mr. Sonnenblick is a member of the Advisory Board of the Golf Development Institute, a member of the Board of Real Estate Council of the Century City Chamber of Commerce and is a published author on subjects ranging from architecture to general real estate market conditions. In addition to Mr. Sonnenblick’s expertise in development, finance, joint ventures and equity structuring, Mr. Sonnenblick has also been certified as an expert in the area of real estate bankruptcy/foreclosure. Mr. Sonnenblick is a qualified expert witness in the area of Commercial Real Estate Finance and Interest Rates for the United States Federal Court System in numerous jurisdictions.

As a Regional Manager for Polaris Pacific, Mike leads the firms’ efforts in Southern California, Arizona, and Hawaii to support strategic growth and provide exemplary service to industry leading development clients. His extensive consulting, project management, and sales experience spans the complete arc of the development process from pre-planning to sell out. By keeping abreast of constantly changing market and demographic trends, he has gained a reputation for being an essential resource in his clients’ efforts to maximize value, overcome obstacles, establish successful projects and forge new markets. Mike earned his Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Southern California (USC) and his Juris Doctor with concentrations in real property and corporate law from the Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law. He is licensed in multiple states including CA, NY, MA, and WA and is a member of the Urban Land Institute. He has been quoted in the Wall Street Journal, the NY Times, the NY Post, The Observer, The Real Deal, Real Estate Weekly, and Habitat Magazine and his original writings have been widely published in the trades including a column on Business Insider.

Marc Gittleman oversees 3rd Party Services throughout Rising's 3+ million sq. ft commercial real estate portfolio, business development of integrated verticals, and Rising's energy, sustainability and technology initiatives. Marc has also participated as a GP investor in over $600M of transactions. Marc is also CEO & Co-Founder of 5x5 Telecom, a fiber optic ISP and smart-building platform located in Los Angeles. Prior to becoming a key member of Rising Senior Leadership and culture, Marc spent the past 18 years working with multiple start-ups. He worked closely with Nelson and Christopher Rising over the past decade on real estate projects, including Nelson and Christopher's tenure at Maguire. A noted expert in real estate innovation, Marc's creative leadership in implementing advanced technologies has garnered national attention and drives value for Rising and many of the nation's largest real estate investors. Marc serves as a Director and the Secretary/Treasurer of the Board of Directors for BOMA International's Greater Los Angeles Chapter representing 135 million square feet of office and industrial space, the IP Infrastructure Committee of Innovate Pasadena, Chair of NAIOP's Trends in Real Estate Development forum, and an appointee to the Advisory Board of Cross Campus, where former President Obama recently spoke on technology and innovation Marc attended Drake University and The University of Minnesota.

Justin is a Downtown Los Angeles (DTLA) market expert, with 11 years of experience in commercial real estate leasing and sales. As former Associate Director of Economic Development for the Downtown Center Business Improvement District and Central City Association and currently as Vice President of brokerage at Kennedy Wilson, Justin’s passion for a better DTLA is exemplified in his deep knowledge of the area’s history, strong relationships with local stakeholders, and track record of transactional success.CAREER HISTORYDuring his five-year tenure at the DCBID, Justin successfully recruited hundreds of retailers, developers, hotels, office tenants and residents to DTLA, while playing an active role in laying the political groundwork for DTLA’s renaissance. Notable recruits whose presence led to the explosion of growth seen in DTLA today include: City Target, Bottega Louie, Urth Caffé, and The Ace Hotel.Justin joined Kennedy Wilson in 2014 to spearhead its commercial brokerage platform in Downtown Los Angeles and is currently recognized as one of the area’s leading brokers. In that time, he and his partner, Lee Shapiro, have successfully completed over 590,000 square feet of retail, mixed-use, adaptive reuse, and creative office space transactions in DTLA. Given his boots-on-the-ground market expertise, Justin has also been engaged to represent numerous notable office tenants.In 2019 and 2020, the Los Angeles Business Journal named Justin one of L.A.’s 500 Most Influential People.

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.

Karin Liljegren has dedicated her career to revitalization and the power of adaptive reuse to enrich a community. In 1999, she worked on the very first projects under Los Angeles’s Adaptive Reuse Ordinance, which launched her nuanced understanding of the challenges and opportunities of adaptive reuse. Karin is a thought leader in the community and is active with city and county officials in crafting policies that ease the challenges of working on existing buildings. Her impact created the return of historic downtown Los Angeles as a livable, walkable neighborhood. Karin founded Omgivning in 2009. The firm uncovers potential in underutilized buildings and spaces transforming them into hotels, multifamily housing, offices, restaurants, and bars. Omgivning has grown and expanded having touched more than 500 buildings in Downtown Los Angeles and greater Southern California. In 2014, the firm received a Presidential Honoree award for an Emerging Practice from the AIA Los Angeles. Karin is a Fellow of the American Institute of Architects (FAIA) and a frequent contributor and speaker on architecture, design, and adaptive reuse. She is a member of the Urban Land Institute’s Redevelopment and Reuse Council and a member of the AIA Los Angeles Historic Resources Committee.

Ricardo Pagan is the founder of Claridge Properties, a 100% minority owned real estate investment and development firm. Mr. Pagan brings over 16 years of experience in real estate acquisition and development. Mr. Pagan is an established real estate developer, investor and operator with projects in Los Angeles, the New York City metro area, Detroit, Atlanta and Phoenix. Over the span of his career, Mr. Pagan has completed well over $1 billion in acquisitions and development of assets in his specified markets, encompassing more than 3,500 residential units and 500,000 square feet of office space.

Daniel Neman began his real estate career managing the renovation of apartment and office buildings in Downtown Los Angeles. He then worked for Clark Construction in Washington, D.C. where he managed the construction of over 1-million square feet of office and laboratory space. After Clark, he moved back to his home-town of Los Angeles, where he worked for Legend Real Estate Management as a property and asset manager. Daniel graduated from Emory University with a Bachelor of Business Administration from the Goizueta Business School and a focus in Environmental Studies. Later, he received his Master’s in Real Estate Development from the Sol Price School of Public Policy at the University of Southern California. Daniel is currently a Principal at RYDA, and oversees development and construction for the company.

Michael Pendergrass, AIA, a licensed architect in 3 states, has over 10 years of experience in delivering parking solutions and 15 in the industry. He has worked on a wide variety of parking projects. In addition to delivering projects to satisfied clients, Michael’s projects have received recognition from the Pennsylvania Parking Association and other organizations. As an Associate Principal for Watry Design, Inc., Michael leads the firm's Irvine, CA office and champions the firm's continued growth in Southern California. Michael is an active participant in the Design Build Institute of America, the International Parking Institute and the Community College Facility Coalition.

Carle Pierose is a Partner at Industry Partners. Inspired while cutting his teeth in the ad world at TBWA\Chiat\Day with such brands as Apple and Harman/Kardon, he has been an early champion of the movement towards creative work environments. Carle joined Industry in 2012 to open the firm’s downtown office and has been at the forefront of the city center’s revitalization while continuing to represent distinctive properties throughout the city. He has completed over $2 billion in transactions in his 14+ year career and enjoyed working with some of the brightest innovators in fashion, entertainment, media and design. A Los Angeles native, University of Southern California alumnus and continual student of the city’s unique history and emerging trends, he has an intimate knowledge of his township and is personally invested in its future.

Ryan Neman started his career in New York, where he focused on acquiring distressed and foreclosed properties from regional banks. Subsequently, he worked at IBM as an internal strategy and operations consultant, where he implemented Lean-Six-Sigma process simplification techniques to reduce company inefficiencies. He went on to work for Sweetgreen in Washington, D.C. where he became the Senior Real Estate Manager, opening 15 new locations of the rapidly expanding restaurant chain. Ryan received his Bachelor of Business Administration from the Stephen M. Ross School of Business at the University of Michigan with a focus in Strategy, Operations, and Economics. Ryan is currently a Principal at RYDA, overseeing acquisitions and leasing activities on behalf of the firm.