Los Angeles State of the Market

Ethan is the Founder and Managing Partner, CIO of MREC Management, LLC. He is a recognized pioneer in the fields of real estate and finance with a 35-year career marked by filling voids and responding to unseen or poorly understood opportunities. Most consequently, he is credited with being the primary driver in the creation of the Commercial Mortgage-Backed Securities market while at Nomura Securities, for which he received broad recognition including being named one of the U.S. Real Estate Industry’s 100 icons of the 20th century. In 2011, Real Estate Forum voted him one of the Real Estate Industry’s 65 living legends in their 65th anniversary issue. In 2008, Penner founded and served as President of CBRE Capital Partners, a real estate debt investment platform that successfully raised and managed over $600 million from institutional and high net worth investors. CBRE Capital Partners substantially exited all investments in 2014. Ethan is also committed to improving the lives of others and enhancing awareness and does so in a number of ways including; Teaching – he currently serves as an adjunct professor at Pepperdine University’s Graziadio School of Business and Management, and previously held the same capacity at the University of Southern California’s Marshall School of Business; Writing – he maintains a blog and has had many articles published in a variety of publications including the Wall Street Journal, the Wharton Real Estate Review and the Institutional Real Estate Investor; Public speaking – he is a frequent featured speaker at industry conferences and universities; Philanthropy & Civic involvement – He is a member of the Advisory Board of the A. Alfred Taubman Medical Research Institute, in 1996 he founded the Walt Frazier Youth Foundation which provided internships to teenagers at major U.S. corporations in New York City, and has been on numerous boards including that of The League, which had a competition-based, in-school community service model, KIND, which is dedicated to bringing education and opportunity to woman, and The Simon Wiesenthal Center, which is dedicated to enhancing awareness to combat hate; and Fitness – he is the founder of Fitwall, LLC, a company aimed at revolutionizing the exercise industry through its patented Fitwall product. Ethan is married to Marisol Penner, a former professional athlete and native of Venezuela, and they have five children and reside in Los Angeles.

Former President of Maguire Investments: responsible for the oversight of a 5 million square foot portfolio, primarily located in Southern California. Grew revenue from approximately $100 million to $250 million in 3 years. Former Managing Director at Eastdil Secured: responsible for debt placement and loan sales. Placed over $20 billion of commercial real estate loans, sold more than $3 billion of performing & non-performing mortgages and mezzanine loans, and participated in a variety of M&A and recapitalization transactions. Former Manager in KPMG’s Real Estate Consulting Group: performed a variety of consulting engagements and managed due diligence activities for over $5 billion of commercial real estate transactions.

As the CEO of iBorrow, former real estate lawyer, real estate owner and adept businessman, Brian has a vast array of knowledge in the commercial real estate sector, specifically structuring complex deals. Borrowers and investors alike turn to Brian because of his ability to underwrite deals quickly while adhering to a high standard of ethics and due diligence. Not only is Brian well-positioned in understanding every aspect of the deal process – including what is vital and what isn’t – but he goes beyond the numbers by taking a comprehensive and strategic approach to each deal. Brian first founded Eagle Group, LLC in 2001, as a fully-integrated real estate company that handles all aspects of commercial real estate including finance, loan servicing, management and advisory services. In 2012, Brian branched off to create iBorrow (formerly Eagle Group Finance), a dedicated lender specializing in private loans for commercial properties in the Western U.S. Prior to iBorrow, Brian was a real estate transactional attorney at the law firms of TroyGould and Kulik, Gottesman & Mouton, where he represented real estate investment trusts, publicly traded real estate companies and high-net- worth individuals. He also served as President and Board Member of TenantDirect.com, the developer of the first web-based property management software system for the real estate industry. Brian earned his B.A. from the University of California, Santa Barbara and his J.D. from Loyola Law School. He also has an MBA from Northeastern University’s D’Amore-McKim School of Business. Brian is a licensed California real estate broker and a member of the State Bar of California. He has taught multiple courses at UCLA Extension, and currently serves as Vice President of the Guardians, Board Member of the Southern California Golf Association Foundation and Member of the Real Estate Council of the Federation.

Paul Rahimian is a third generation developer and general contractor that has developed over $350MM in commercial and residential projects throughout Southern California, including retail strip centers, condominium projects, apartment buildings, custom homes, office buildings, horizontal land development, and mixed use projects. Paul has also worked in the capacity of a General Contractor, building major governmental projects, including colleges, schools, police departments, jail houses, community centers, and hospitals. As a construction lender, Paul has the vision of a developer and works with the borrower and contractor as a team to help the project be successful.

Christopher Rising is the CEO of Rising Realty Partners (RRP), a Los Angeles-based real estate investment and operating platform that owns and manages over five million square feet of properties. He serves on the company's Executive and Investment Committees, drawing on his extensive experience in managing acquisitions and creative development. Prior to joining RRP, Christopher was Senior Vice President of Asset Transactions at MPG Office Trust, where he worked directly with the CEO to improve finances through debt reduction and restructuring. Under Christopher's visionary leadership, RRP has spearheaded the revitalization of historic buildings in Downtown Los Angeles into creative office spaces, attracting unique businesses back to the region. The company's transformation and subsequent sale of the PacMutual Campus, one of the oldest office buildings in the heart of DTLA, was described by the Los Angeles Times as a "record price for a pure office building downtown." More recently, RRP has generated great success by entering the industrial space, acquiring five multi-tenant light industrial properties in the past year. Christopher's success in the real estate industry has earned him recognition by the Los Angeles Business Journal as one of the 500 most influential people in Los Angeles. In 2003, Christopher founded The Rising Real Estate Group (RREG) and eventually partnered with Barker Pacific Group to create Hamilton Capital Partners (HCP), an equity fund vehicle. RREG is also a principal in 626 Wilshire Blvd, a 156K square foot office building located in downtown Los Angeles. Christopher began his career as an associate at Pillsbury Madison & Sutro and later worked at Cushman Realty Corporation (CRC) under brokerage legend John C. Cushman, III. He then served as a Director at Cushman & Wakefield of California, Inc. (C&W), joining C&W after its merger with CRC in 2001. Outside of work, Christopher is an active member of the Los Angeles community, serving on the River LA Board and The Rose Bowl Legacy Foundation. He formerly sat on the Board of Overseers at Loyola Law School and the Duke Athletic Advisory Board. He is a past President of the Board of Chandler School in Pasadena and served for ten years on the Board of Regents of Loyola High School, where he chaired the Investment Committee. Christopher holds a J.D. in Real Estate Law from Loyola Law School and a B.A. in History and Political Science from Duke University. He also attended Duke on a football scholarship and was a member of the 1989 ACC Championship team.

John R. Barganski is Senior Vice President - Leasing for the Western Region of Brookfield Property Partners (NYSE: BPY), a multi-billion dollar, publicly-traded commercial real estate corporation that owns, manages and develops premier assets in the world’s most dynamic domestic and international markets. Barganski’s responsibilities include marketing and leasing activities within the Western Region, which encompasses more than 10 million square feet of Class-A office and retail properties. Brookfield’s signature assets in the Western Region are strategically located in the heart of downtown Los Angeles, West Los Angeles/Marina del Rey and San Francisco. Barganski is responsible for the regional leasing efforts and oversees a team of leasing professionals and exclusive listing brokerage teams. Barganski has more than thirty (30) years of commercial real estate experience, including comprehensive leasing, asset management and development responsibilities with renowned public and private organizations including Trizec Properties, C.J. Segerstorm & Sons, PacTen Partners (in joint ventures with Morgan Stanley and MetLife), Cushman & Wakefield and Prudential’s Premisys Real Estate Services. He has actively led negotiations for millions of square feet of office space leases with prominent international, national and local firms. Barganski holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Real Estate Finance from the University of Southern California, where he was also a member in USC’s inaugural Real Estate Development Program. He is actively involved in CoreNet, the Urban Land Institute (ULI), National Association of Industrial and Office Parks (NAIOP) and the Los Angeles Commercial Real Estate Association (LACRA), where he has held board positions within each of these industry groups. Barganski is also a frequent speaker and panelist with Bisnow, RenTV, BOMA, and RealShare conferences. John is an active board member at the Ketchum YMCA of Downtown Los Angeles, Rosary Academy and Servite High School.

Tiffany Cooper is the Senior Vice President, Development for the Americas for The Kimpton Hotel & Restaurant Group. Tiffany is responsible for delivering growth to The Kimpton Hotel & Restaurant Group by expanding the development pipeline and footprint for the Americas via quality hotel projects to include conversions, adaptive reuse and new build opportunities. Tiffany is a hospitality professional with over 20 years of experience, having begun her career working in sales & marketing/hotel operations for The Kimpton Group in early 1995. Tiffany joined Starwood Hotels & Resorts in 1999 and continued working in operations, leading sales teams for various Starwood properties until 2005 when she transitioned to the Real Estate Development Group for Starwood. During this time, Tiffany extensively grew Starwood’s portfolio, more than doubling the footprint throughout the Western Region. In September, 2016, following the Marriott acquisition of Starwood, Tiffany joined the Marriott International development team, focused on full service and luxury hotel development until moving to Kimpton in April 2018.

Ken Kahan is Founder and President of California Landmark (or "CLG"), a real estate development and investment company. Since its inception in 1988, California Landmark has invested in or developed all types of real estate from residential (including single family as well as low and high rise multi-family) to commercial (including hospitality, office and industrial). The company has developed in excess of 3,000,000 million square feet of various products. CLG has distinguished itself in Southern California as an innovative problem solver in both the design and development of dozens of multi-family communities. The firm is currently one of the largest private multi-family developers in Los Angeles with over 500 units in various stages of construction or development. Current projects include three high profile mixed use projects including the bw (Wilshire at Barrington), the hw (Hollywood Blvd. near Crescent Heights) and the LC (Larchmont at Melrose and Camerford). Past projects include modern townhomes and industrial "hard" lofts in the Marina Arts District, high-rise condominiums along the Wilshire corridor, California courtyard buildings in Westwood and Brentwood, art deco apartments in West Hollywood, and Mediterranean style villas in Century City. In the past ten years CLG has expanded its footprint of residential acquisitions by purchasing existing apartment communities throughout Southern California. Projects include townhouse condominium projects converted to rentals, middle income apartments in San Diego, renovations of 1950's apartment buildings in the San Fernando Valley and most recently, low income housing in the San Gabriel Valley. At the same time, the firm has expanded its portfolio to include industrial, office and flex space projects totaling several hundred thousand square feet. Ken is passionate about all aspect of urban planning and development. He is a frequent speaker on matters pertaining to entitlements, zoning, multi family/mixed use projects and urban development. California Landmark has been involved in the City of Los Angeles implementation ordinance of SB1818 and has delivered several mixed income housing projects throughout the region. A native of Los Angeles, Ken obtained both his bachelor of arts and juris doctor degrees from UCLA. Ken currently resides in West Los Angeles with his family.

Jim is the National Head of Retail Investments and Retail Capital Markets for Lincoln Property Company, and co-founder of the retail investment firm, Paragon Commercial Group, Lincoln’s west coast retail investment partner. Jim began his career as a real estate and finance attorney with Latham & Watkins LLP where he represented developers, equity investors and lenders in capital structuring, acquisitions, dispositions, leasing and entitlements throughout the United States. Jim co-founded Paragon in 2009 to capitalize on retail real estate investment opportunities resulting from the GFC market dislocation. Since that time, Jim has been honored by the Urban Land Institute as one of the “Top 40 Under 40” land use and real estate professionals in the United States, by the Los Angeles Business Journal as one of the top 5 retail real estate professionals in Los Angeles, and twice recognized by the Los Angeles Times as a Commercial Real Estate Visionary. Jim currently serves in various industry leadership capacities including the Executive Committee of the Southern Methodist University Folsom Institute for Real Estate, Policy Advisory Board for the Fisher Center for Real Estate & Urban Economics at UC Berkeley, Executive Committee Board of the USC Gould School of Law Real Estate Law and Business Forum, immediate past Chairman of the Urban Land Institute's Small Scale Development Council, and lecturer at the University of Southern California Gould School of Law and the UC Berkeley Masters of Real Estate programs. Jim’s civic involvements include his current service as a Planning Commissioner for the City of Manhattan Beach, California, as well as a founding donor and advisor to the SMU Real Estate Impact Fund, a student-driven investment vehicle focused on impact investing in underserved communities.

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.

Mark Nay is an accomplished architect with over 3 decades of experience in the architectural field in both design and management. He specializes in mixed-use and residential-driven environments with his most recent accomplishment being PERLA, the first new high-rise project on Broadway in decades. In addition to his mixed-use focus his work has included such diversified projects as office buildings, transit, aviation and higher education facilities ranging from laboratories to performing arts to residence halls. In addition to his diverse project background Mark is deeply experienced with alternative project delivery methods including design-build. He has served as Principal-in-charge, project director and project architect for many projects and has been proprietor of his own architectural firm.

Daun St. Amand is a senior vice president in the Los Angeles office and leader of CallisonRTKL’s residential sector. He is responsible for overseeing market growth and residential design projects from North America to Asia. Daun is a leading industry expert in high-rise, high-density architecture with a focus on multifamily residential, and he has honed his skills in the development of mixed-use projects that combine residential, retail and hospitality-driven components. Widely respected for his forward-thinking approach, Daun is also a sought-after commentator on design trends, research and issues.