National Retail: West Coast Series

Wayne Ratkovich

Founder & CEO - The Ratkovich Company

WAYNE RATKOVICH is the founder and CEO of The Ratkovich Company (TRC), a Los Angelesdevelo pment firm whose mission is “to profitably produce developments that improve the quality of urban life.” Specializing in urban infill and rehabilitation projects, TRC’s accomplishments range from large-scale entitlement endeavors to retail, office, entertainment and mixed-use projects. His company engages in both new development and the imaginative reuse of existing buildings including seventeen buildings that are historic landmarks. TRC is the developer of The BLOC, a massive remodeling of the former Macy’s Plaza in downtown Los Angeles. The property consists of a 496 room Sheraton Hotel, 430,000 square feet of retail stores, a 700,000 square foot office building and parking for 2,000 cars. TRC developed the Hercules Campus, an eleven building complex of former Hughes Aircraft Company Buildings that have historic status. The eleven buildings total 525,000 square feet and are located on 28.3 acres of land in the Playa Vista area of Los Angeles. The project was originally developed in association with Penwood Real Estate Investment Management. Seven of the buildings are now owned in association with Invesco. The project is fully leased to two tenants, Google and the advertising firm 72 and Sunny. The firm owns and continues to develop The Alhambra, a 45-acre and 1.0 million square foot urban community consisting of office, retail and residential uses in Alhambra, California. TRC is also the developer of the prominent landmark, 5900 Wilshire, a 30-story, 491,000 square foot high-rise office tower situated directly across from the Los Angeles County Museum of Art in the Miracle Mile District of Los Angeles. The City of Los Angeles recently selected TRC to develop a 31-acre waterfront site as the San Pedro Public Market. In total, Ratkovich has developed over 16.0 million square feet of office, retail, industrial and residential properties. Projects the company has to its record include: The James Oviatt Building; The Fine Arts Building; The Pellissier Building and Wiltern Theatre; Chapman Market; Ladera Center; an urban campus for the Fashion Institute of Design and Merchandising; the City of Glendale’s Alex Theatre; and a variety of high technology complexes including the Irvine Technology Center and the Von Karman Corporate Center. As a Trustee for the Urban Land Institute, Mr. Ratkovich has served two terms as a Vice Chairman and member of its Executive Committee. He has been a member of eleven ULI committees, three times Chairman of the Awards of Excellence Jury, Chairman of an Urban Development/Mixed-Use Council, a member of the Inner City Task Force, and Chairman of ULI’s Forum on Urban Neighborhood Revitalization. He currently serves on the Executive Committee of ULI Americas. In 2011, ULI named Ratkovich a Life Trustee, an honor given to only 13 members in the 75 year history of the 35,000 member organization. He is also a Trustee Emeritus of the National Trust for Historic Preservation.

Pat Donahue

Chairman & CEO - Donahue Schriber

Patrick S. Donahue serves as Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Donahue Schriber Realty Group. Mr. Donahue joined the company in 1979 and has been engaged in nearly all of the 32 million square feet of retail space in which the company has been involved. He has worked in evert aspect of the business, including leasing, asset management, development and corporate strategy. Mr. Donahue has been instrumental in fostering key relationships and opportunities that paved the way through the company's early days in regional mall development and management and parlaying the knowledge and disciplines obtained into becoming a recognized leader in the operation and development of neighborhood, community and power shopping centers. Mr. Donahue previously served as Executive Vice President Operations and took on the role of President after the sudden death of his brother, Dan Donahue, in 2002. He added the CEO role when Tom Schriber stepped back from his day-to-day duties in 2005. Mr. Donahue assumed the role of Chairman of the Board upon Tom Schriber's retirement in 2010. A 1978 graduate of California State University Fullerton, Mr. Donahue currently serves as a Trustee for the International Council of Shopping Centers (ICSC) and is a frequent industry-wide speaker. He is actively involved with KidWorks and its Dan Donahue Center in Santa Ana, CA as well as Guardian Scholars at Cal State University Fullerton in Fullerton, CA and the California Showcase. Mr. Donahue has three adult children and resides in Laguna Beach with his wife, Paula.

Dene Oliver

CEO - OliverMcMillan

Dene Oliver is Chief Executive Officer of OliverMcMillan, one of the world’s largest and most forward-thinking, mixed-use development companies. The award-winning firm, known for revitalizing communities through real estate development, has designed, developed and manages more than eight million square feet of mixed-use projects, with a total value exceeding $3 billion. Dene founded OliverMcMillan in 1978 with lifelong friend Jim McMillan when the two San Diego natives began work on what was to become an AIA award- winning portfolio of redevelopment projects in their hometown. During the 1990s, OliverMcMillan’s work in the Gaslamp quarter brought the firm widespread recognition for the re-gentrification of parts of downtown San Diego. Under the partners’ guidance, OliverMcMillan has gone on to build successful, complex, large-scale urban developments—each one following the firm’s guiding principle that projects must make a difference for the community and the area’s residents. By respecting the local architecture and culture with an eye for art and a flair for design, OliverMcMillan strives to create places that will become the classic neighborhoods of tomorrow. Dene received a Bachelor of Science degree in Real Estate and Urban Land Economics from the School of Business Administration at the University of California, Berkeley. He attended the University of Southern California Graduate School of Business and is a graduate of the university’s School of Law. Dene began his career practicing real estate and business law at the firm of Luce, Forward, Hamilton & Scripps. Dene is active in both professional and community organizations. He is a member of the International Council of Shopping Centers (ICSC) and the Urban Land Institute (ULI), a frequent speaker at industry events and the Chair of San Diego’s 10-Year Plan to End Chronic Homelessness. Formerly, he was a member of the Board of Directors of the $600 million San Diego Convention Center and headed the expansion committee for the Convention Center. He was also a member of the 1995 America’s Cup Board of Directors. Dene is the recipient of The Downtown San Diego Partnership 1997 Founders Award, 2001 Humanitarian Award and 2013 Chariman’s Award.

Matthew Berger

​President - Brixmor Property Group

Matthew B. Berger joined New Plan Excel, a predecessor of Brixmor, in October of 2006 and held the role of Senior Leasing Agent until July of 2010. From July 2010 to October of 2014 he served as Vice President Leasing, West and from October 2014 to October of 2016 he served as Senior Vice President, Leasing for the West Region. In October of 2016 Matthew was named as President of the West Region for Brixmor Property Group. In this capacity Matthew oversees all aspects of leasing, property management, collections, construction, and legal for Brixmor’s West Coast portfolio which covers 113 properties and more than 18.6 million square feet in 8 states. Previously Matthew ran his own investment banking firm based out of Boulder, Colorado and was a broker with both Sperry VanNess and Landmark Commercial Realty. Mr. Berger received a B.S. in Real Estate Finance from The University of Southern California.

Steve Plenge

Managing Partner - Pacific Retail Capital Partners

Mr. Plenge is responsible for the strategic direction of Pacific Retail Capital Partners. He oversees the firm’s acquisition activities, investment sourcing efforts, and development programs nationwide. Mr. Plenge has over 30 years of national real estate experience and has been involved in the sourcing and acquisition of more than $2 billion of retail properties. Prior to forming Pacific Retail Capital Partners, he handled these same responsibilities as Executive Vice President of Somera Capital Management and Senior Vice President of Madison Marquette, a national retail investment and property management firm. Mr. Plenge also served as Vice President/Managing Director at Federal Realty Investment Trust, a public REIT, where he opened Federal’s West Coast office and managed its acquisition activities in the Western United States. Earlier in his career he was a Senior Vice President at The Yarmouth Group/Lend Lease and was a partner for more than seven years at TCW Realty Advisors, a pension fund advisor with $4 billion of property under management. Mr. Plenge is a graduate of Cornell University and is an occasional guest speaker for the Cornell Real Estate School. He is a council member of the Urban Land Institute and a member of the International Council of Shopping Centers.

Joel Mayer

Managing Director, Head of Retail - Rockwood Capital, LLC

Mr. Mayer, based in Los Angeles, has over 30 years of experience as a real estate investment professional and leads the firm's retail real estate investments. Prior to joining Rockwood, Mr. Mayer was a Director at BlackRock Realty. While at BlackRock, Mr. Mayer worked on their Retail Opportunity Fund and was responsible for sourcing new investments, identifying and structuring transactions with joint venture partners and directing development and redevelopment activities for new acquisitions. For four years prior to joining BlackRock, Mr. Mayer was Senior Vice President of Real Estate and Development for California Pizza Kitchen ("CPK") with responsibility for the national expansion of CPK overseeing site selection, lease negotiations and the development of approximately 45 new restaurants. Prior to CPK, Mr. Mayer was Senior Vice President of Madison Marquette where he directed leasing and portfolio management of their western region. Mr. Mayer joined Madison Marquette in 1998 in conjunction with Madison Marquette's acquisition of Farallon Retail Services where he was a partner. Mr. Mayer received a Bachelor of Arts in Economics from the University of Michigan. Mr. Mayer is a member of the International Council of Shopping Centers and the Urban Land Institute, where he is Chairman of the Commercial Retail Development Council (Blue Flight).

Denyelle Bruno

President - drybar

Denyelle is the president of retail for Drybar. She holds a master’s in organizational design from the University of San Francisco and has over 20 years experience in retail leadership. Prior to joining Drybar she was vice president of retail for Peet’s Coffee & Tea. She also held leadership positions at Macy's, DWR, PureBeauty and Apple. At Apple she was part of the initial team that launched the first 25 Apple Stores. Denyelle understands what it takes to design and lead a successful retail business.

Lori Pawley

VP - Irvine Company

​Jane Borden

SVP, Real Estate​ - ​24 Hour Fitness

Jane S. Borden is the Senior Vice President of Real Estate with 24 Hour Fitness where she is responsible for the strategy, direction and operation of the Real Estate Department. Prior to joining 24 Hour Fitness in September, 2014, Jane was with Target Corporation for 13 years, most recently as Senior Director, Asst. General Counsel, Real Estate Law. Before this role, Ms. Borden was the Director of Real Estate in the property development department and Senior Counsel in the law department of Target Corporation, practicing primarily in the areas of commercial real estate transactions and new store development. Prior to joining Target in 2001, Ms. Borden was an associate attorney with Robins, Kaplan, Miller & Ciresi in Minneapolis, Minnesota. She is a frequent speaker for CLE seminars, including the ICSC Law Conference and the Minnesota CLE’s annual Real Estate Institute. Ms. Borden is a graduate of the University of St. Thomas (B.A., 1984) and William Mitchell College of Law (J.D., magna cum laude, 1996).

John Hunter

Senior Vice President, Director of Development - Majestic Realty Retail

John W. Hunter joined Majestic Realty Co. in 1996. As Senior Vice President/Director of Development for the company, he is responsible for all acquisition and development activities of Majestic Realty Retail, a division of Majestic Realty Co. As a development partner, John brings more than 30 years and 5.1 million square feet of retail/industrial land acquisition and development experience to Majestic. Prior to joining the company, he served as President and Managing Partner of Watt Commercial Development Co., one of Southern California’s premier shopping center development companies. John earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Business and Real Estate from the University of Southern California. A strong industry leader and community volunteer, John is a long standing member of ICSC, and an active board member for Big Brothers Big Sisters.

John Mehigan

Senior Market Officer - Regency Centers

John Mehigan is Vice President of Investments for Regency Centers. He is responsible for identifying, evaluating and structuring profitable retail development opportunities throughout Southern California. John joined Regency as Vice President in 2010. He has more than 18 years of experience working with commercial real estate and retail shopping centers. John has been involved in the development and redevelopment of multiple projects in Southern California, such as South Bay Village, which is anchored by Walmart, HomeGoods and Orchard Supply Hardware. In 2014 he completed the Juanita Tate Marketplace, a project that started as urban blight and finished as a daily needs center with open space and public art. He is currently working on two ground-up projects: The Village at La Floresta in Brea, an 87,000 SF boutique neighborhood center anchored by Whole Foods; and the Village at Tustin Legacy in Tustin, a 20-acre community center anchored by Stater Brothers and CVS Pharmacy. Previously, he served as Senior Development Manager for Panattoni Development Company, where he was responsible for 500,000 SF of retail and mixed-use projects. He began his career as a Senior Associate with CB Richard Ellis. John earned his Bachelor of Science and a Master of Business Administration from the University of Southern California in Los Angeles. At home he has his hands full with three children under the age of 4.

Nic Vu

SVP - Adidas

John Klein

SVP, Real Estate - Equinox

Brenda Benter

SVP, Leasing - Red Mountain Retail Group

Brenda S. Benter joined Red Mountain Retail Group in January 2017 as the Sr. Vice President of Leasing. In her new position, she will oversee the entire 4 million square foot portfolio consisting of 89 properties in 17 states, with a focus on the strategic aspects of added-value leasing through creative and innovative deal making. Brenda’s career in real estate leasing spans nearly 30 years, of which the past 27 have been devoted to retail leasing. Prior to joining Red Mountain Group, Brenda was the Director of West Coast Leasing for Forest City REIT, where she leased the west coast retail assets including Promenade Temecula, Victoria Gardens and the Galleria at Sunset. Prior to Forest City, Brenda was a Senior Leasing Executive for Craig Realty Group in Newport Beach, CA, where she was involved in all leasing activities for the Citadel Outlets and Plaza San Clemente. Prior to joining Craig Realty Group, Brenda was a Director of Retail Leasing for The Irvine Company where she was responsible for leasing the company's new development projects, The Market Place regional power center, and the coastal collection. Prior to joining The Irvine Company, Brenda held senior leasing positions including VP of Leasing for Kodash, Inc., a real estate investment company with numerous retail holdings throughout southern California, and Director of Leasing for ICI Development Company where she was responsible for leasing the company's entire shopping center portfolio, including numerous ground-up developments and many redevelopments. Brenda is an active member of CREW, ACRE, and ICSC, and has been awarded the ICSC designations of CLS, SCLS and CRX. Brenda is a graduate of UCLA and remains an active alumni. RED MOUNTAIN GROUP; Red Mountain Group was established as a result of one man’s vision – that anything is possible and that every challenge brings its own opportunity. This philosophy has been the driving force behind RMG since being founded in 1991. Starting with the purchase of a single distressed shopping center in Mesa, Arizona, today RMG is an established and innovative leader in the retail redevelopment industry, with a current portfolio of more than 4 million square feet located across 18 states. RMG is currently based in Santa Ana, CA with a regional office in Phoenix, Arizona. Red Mountain Group is a vertically integrated shopping center re-development company with in-house services that include leasing, property management, asset management, development, entitlements, acquisitions & dispositions, finance, and project management.

Kacy Keys

SVP, ​Development Western Region - Seritage Growth Properties

A fascination with the evolution of the urban fabric was Kacy Keys’ motivation to begin her career in real estate. She has been involved with economic development for the duration of her career; backed by a J.D. and an M.A. in urban planning, she worked with Mayor Richrd Riordan’s business team on Disney Hall, the Cathedral and Staples Center, also spearheading the drafting and enactment of the Adaptive Reuse Ordinance. After a decade with JH Snyder, where she contributed to several signature projects, including the redevelopment of North Hollywood and 959 Seward , Kacy recently joined Seritage Growth Properties, a national owner of approximately 42M SF of retail properties and 3,000 acres of land, as SVP of development for the West Coast region. Retailer demand for mall and shopping center space continues to outpace supply, which remains well below the historical average. This dynamic, she says, is one of the greatest challenges the industry faces, but one Seritage sees as an opportunity to repurpose and redevelop these spaces into exciting, multi-tenant shopping destinations, as well as larger scale mixed-use projects. She loves spending time with her three children, exercising and live music.

Michael Hazinski

VP, Investments - Retail Properties of America

Michael Hazinski joined Retail Properties of America, Inc. in 2007 and currently serves as Vice President, Director of Investments. In this role, Mr. Hazinski is responsible for both acquisitions and dispositions in the Western Division. Since joining RPAI, Mr. Hazinski has executed $3.0 billion in transactions encompassing acquisitions, dispositions, debt financing and joint venture equity. Prior to his current position, Mr. Hazinski was responsible for the asset management of RPAI’s institutional joint venture portfolio; he was also active in the asset management of the Company’s office and industrial portfolio. Before joining RPAI, Mr. Hazinski worked as an asset manager for closed end funds managed by Inland Real Estate Investment Corporation. Mr. Hazinski received his B.S. in Finance from the University of Dayton and an M.B.A. in Finance and Economics from the University of Chicago Booth School of Business.

Jeff Kreshek

SVP, Leasing - Federal Realty Investment Trust

Mr. Jeff Kreshek is Senior Vice President – West Coast Leasing for Federal Realty Investment Trust. In this capacity, Mr. Kreshek oversees the day to day leasing activities of the west coast portfolio. Primary responsibilities include sourcing new retailer relationships, negotiating all leases and lease related documents, and overseeing and directing third party real estate professionals. Prior to joining Federal Realty, Mr. Kreshek was the Principal in charge of leasing for The CIM Group where he was responsible for formulating the leasing strategy on CIM’s commercial portfolio of approximately twelve million square feet. Prior to joining The CIM Group, Mr. Kreshek was the Vice President of Development and Operations for Regent Properties, Inc. and before that, Mr. Kreshek formed and operated Vision Property Management, Inc., a full service real estate development, leasing and management company. Mr. Kreshek brings over 26 years of experience to the Trust in leasing, entitlements, property and asset management with an emphasis on redeveloping and repositioning underperforming and functionally obsolete assets. Mr. Kreshek received his undergraduate degree in Real Estate Finance, his Masters of Business Administration and his Masters of Real Estate Development from the University of Southern California. In addition, Mr. Kreshek holds the Certified Leasing Specialist (CLS), Certified Property Manager (CPM), Senior Certified Shopping Center Manager (SCSM), Certified Commercial Investment Manager (CCIM) designations, and retains his position as Adjunct Faculty at the University of Southern California, teaching Retail Development in the Masters of Real Estate Development program.

Sigurd Anderson

CEO - City Center Realty Partners, LLC

Sigurd Anderson is a co-founder and CEO of City Center Realty Partners, LLC (CCRP). For the past 25 years he has overseen new development and acquisitions of over $1 billion in commercial real estate projects across the country. As CEO of CCRP, he is responsible for setting strategic goals, directing and overseeing company investments, due diligence, capital markets, asset management and firm operations. Sig received his B.S. in Business from the Curt Carlson School of Management at the University of Minnesota. He is an active member of the International Council of Shopping Centers (ICSC), where he holds Certified Retail Property Executive (CRX) and Senior Certified Leasing Specialist (SCLS) designations and was a member of the CLS Governing Committee. He is also a member of the Urban Land Institute (ULI). Sig serves on the Board of Directors of Build Change and is on the Board of Trustees of the World Affairs Council.

Chris Elliot

SVP, Leasing - Donahue Schriber

Mr. Elliott is responsible for sourcing acquisition and development opportunities, as well as strategic dispositions (property sales) within Southern California and Nevada. In addition to his acquisition and development role he is responsible for overseeing the leasing of approximately 3 million square feet of retail space in California. Chris is a 16 year veteran with Donahue Schriber who started in leasing and was promoted to Vice President of Acquisitions and Leasing in 2010. From the time Mr. Elliott joined acquisitions and development, his team has been responsible for developing over 1 million square feet of retail space and completed $165 million of acquisition/disposition of retail shopping centers. He is a member of The Urban Land Institute and the International Council of Shopping Centers.

Sandy Sigal

CEO - NewMark Merrill

Sandy Sigal is a graduate of the University of California at Los Angeles and has been an entrepreneur in the real estate industry for almost 30 years. In 1997, Mr. Sigal founded and serves as Chief Executive Officer and President of NewMark Merrill Companies, which has grown to be one of the fast growing privately held developer and owner of shopping centers in Southern California, Colorado, and Illinois. He is also Chairman of BrightStreet Ventures, a company he co-founded to provide more opportunities to his tenants and other owners of centers by integrating on-line platforms with the traditional brick and mortar business. Mr. Sigal’s first career started at the age of 12 as a programmer and software developer for personal computers in their infancy, learning accounting and project management while computerizing different businesses. Mr. Sigal started his career in real estate at the age of 20 by joining West Venture Companies, a Southern California-based homebuilder, first to computerize there business processes. While there he founded West Venture Commercial, the commercial retail division, where he built or redeveloped over 25 shopping centers as well as oversaw their management. In 1993, Mr. Sigal was promoted to President and CEO of the parent company giving him responsibility for the land acquisition, development and sale of over 700 homes, and oversight of the commercial and mortgage divisions. In 1997, Mr. Sigal left West Venture and co-founded NewMark Merrill Companies at which time he purchased the West Venture retail assets, including 15 retail centers and 4 development projects. Since NewMark Merrill's inception in 1997, Mr. Sigal has acquired and/or developed an additional 78 retail centers totaling over 8,000,000 square feet and in over 30 cities. In addition, his company, LandMark Retail Group has built over 50 CVS’ throughout California. NewMark Merrill has been ranked one of Los Angeles' Fastest Growing Private Companies by the Los Angeles Business Journal for 7 years, Top 10 Property Management Firms & Top 10 Development Firms by the Los Angeles Business Journal and currently owns and/or manages 73 shopping centers throughout California, Colorado and Illinois representing almost 11,000,000 square feet with a collective value in excess of $1.2 billion dollars. The Company received “The Best Retail Project of 2013” by the Los Angeles Business Journal for a project it renovated and redeveloped in Baldwin Park, California. It credits among its tenants Wal-Mart, Meijer, Whole Foods, Sprouts, Ralph’s, Albertsons, Toys R Us, 99c Only Stores, CVS, Walgreen’s and other local and national retailers. The company has offices in Thousand Oaks, Norwalk, Anaheim, Oceanside, and Sacramento, Chicago and Colorado and a corporate office in Woodland Hills. Mr. Sigal is also active in community organizations serving on the Board of the Camp Max Straus Foundation, a camp for underserved children which Mr. Sigal attended when he was a child. He is currently serving as Vice Chairman of the Board and dinner chair since 2004 and was recipient of the William Shatner Humanitarian Award in 2007 for his work for the Foundation and the Camp. Mr. Sigal serves as a mentor for young adults interested in real estate through the Young Leadership Development Institute as well as the Real Estate Professional Organization through the Jewish Federation and mentors Olympic Athletes on transitioning from sports to private industry. Mr. Sigal is also an active member of the Young Presidents Organization of Santa Monica Bay (YPOSMB) currently serving as Chapter Chair as well as the Regional Education Chair for the Pacific Region. In 2013, Mr. Sigal’s YPO Education program for his chapter won “Best of the Best” for all YPO Chapters Worldwide. Mr. Sigal received the EY Entrepreneur Of The Year® 2016 Award in the Services category for Greater Los Angeles. Mr. Sigal has 4 children, and has resided in Calabasas for the last 20 years. Image result for Sandy Sigal CEO Newmark MerrillImage result for Sandy Sigal CEO Newmark Merrill

David Fishbein

Principal - The Runyon Group

Robert Cohen

Vice Chairman - RKF

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.

Garry Adams

President - Capital Realty

Garry Adams has produced more than $1 billion in development, acquisition and leasing activities with national and regional retailers. He currently directs all financial, development and leasing activities for Capital Realty, Inc. Capital Realty, Inc. was founded in 1995 by Mr. Adams who brings more than 25 years of successful and diversified experience in providing financial and real estate services for growth companies and individual clients. His efforts and leadership have produced more than 300 new locations for the best in class retailers. During his career, Mr. Adams has served as Vice President of Real Estate and Construction for Aaron Brothers Art & Framing, National Director of Real Estate for FedEx/Kinko’s, Inc., and Regional Director of Real Estate for Eckerd Corporation, as well as Director of Real Estate for Boston Market. Mr. Adams is a graduate of The University of Alabama and a Certified Public Accountant (CPA). He is a Certified Commercial Investment Member (CCIM) and a long standing member of International Council of Shopping Centers (ICSC). He holds real estate brokerage licenses in California and Alabama. Garry is an accomplished public speaker on real estate matters.

Rick Chancellor

Partner - Cardiff Development Partners

Rick Chancellor directs sourcing of development opportunities, project design and leasing efforts at Cardiff Development Partners. With over 30 years of experience in commercial real estate, Rick has a wide range of skills and background. He has represented landlords on many different types of retail properties, consulting on project conceptualization, design and merchandising, along with executing effective leasing programs. Rick has an extensive background evolving and expanding retail and restaurant brands as a principal and tenant representative, both in-house and as an exclusive broker. This has helped foster his unique perspective and creativity to put together the right site with the right tenant, following a disciplined approach to create successful results. Prior to joining Cardiff in 2016, Rick was Vice President, Western Region for The McDevitt Company, a global real estate company representing tenants and landlords in high streets, shopping districts, lifestyle centers, mixed-use projects and regional malls. His work included developing and implementing growth strategies for a variety of brands including Urban Outfitters, Anthropologie, Free People, Calypso St. Barth, Carhartt, David Yurman, Dr Martens, James Perse, Jeni's Splendid, Jonathan Adler, L’Occitane, Paper Source, Rudy’s Barbershop, Steven Alan, Theory and TOMS. Rick represented landlords in consulting on new and reimagined retail projects along with merchandising existing shopping districts and centers. Previous to those efforts, Rick was President & CEO of Robeks Juice, where he evolved a small company-owned concept with stores in the Los Angeles area into a viable brand and franchise chain expanding in over 30 major metropolitan areas across the United States. Prior to that Rick was Director of Store Development at The Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf, Area Real Estate Manager at Blockbuster and a retail Commercial Broker at CBRE. Rick is an active member of the International Council of Shopping Centers (ICSC) and Urban Land Institute (ULI), and has been a guest speaker for both organizations. Rick is a licensed California real estate broker and a graduate of UCLA, holding a Bachelor of Arts in Economics.

Andrew Turf

SVP - CBRE

Andrew Turf joined CBRE in 2016 as a Senior Vice President of High Street Retail Services. Andrew has an extensive 9 year plus career in commercial real estate that includes high street luxury retail tenant representation and landlord representation. Before joining CBRE, Andrew was Director of Leasing at Tribeca Holdings in the U.K & Ashkenazy Acquisition Corporation in NYC. In his position at Tribeca & Ashkenazy, he lead leasing initiatives at properties such as Old Spitalfields Market, a 19th Century structure with 165 market traders and 57 retailers in East London. He also worked on Fanueil Hall in Boston, MA, Union Station in Washington D.C., Bayside in Miami and properties on Michigan Ave. Chicago. Prior to his work with Tribeca Holdings & Ashkenazy Acquisition Corp., Andrew worked for the largest public R.E.I.T. in the U.K., Land Securities, across their $15B portfolio, including NOVA, Victoria and Trinity Leeds. Prior o that, Andrew began his career as a leasing and operations professional for Rick Caruso at Caruso Affiliated in Los Angeles. For the past few years, Andrew has brokered deals across Europe and U.S., by fostering a global platform. He has completed deals with Michelin starred restaurateurs, premier restaurant chains, independents, and international retailers. His work includes Rag & Bone, Alexander Wang, Bobbi Brown, Farfetch, Cutler & Gross, Linda Farrow, Soho House, Hotel Costes, JK Hotels, Neuehouse, Alexander McQueen, Belstaff, Jo Malone, Crate & Barrel, CB2, Saturdays Surf, Mango, H&M, & Other Stories, Suit Supply, etc. and with restaurant luminaires such as Nuno Mendes (of the Chiltern Firehouse), Boka Group, Jason Atherton, Alan Yau, David Munoz, Jamie Oliver, Gordon Ramsay, etc. Andrew’s global relationships and work can be seen from London to Seoul to Los Angeles. Recent noteworthy transactions include the first luxury retail deal in East London (Alexander McQueen), Rag & Bone, and a global Mango flagship in Victoria, London. In addition to leasing, Andrew led a curated 165 person market hall, a website redesign for Old Spitalfields Market, social media and marketing campaigns, a $3B mixed-used development in Victoria, and helped design and lease a 20,000 SF food hall in Trinity Leeds. ACHIEVEMENTS :London Marathon 1st international employee hired directly by Land Securities EDUCATION: Andrew earned a MBA from City University in London & a BA from Fairfield University in CT.

Jim Palmer

SVP, Commercial Brokerage Channel - Ten-X

Jim Palmer’s career has spanned over 20 years where he’s held numerous leadership positions in both the Technology and Real Estate industries.  Most recently he was a Partner and Chief Operating Officer of Channel LLC, a real estate software company that was acquired by Auction.com in March 2015.  Jim was responsible for all day to day operations, resulting in revenue growth of 3,000% in three years.  He helped grow the company from three to twenty employees based in Newport Beach CA, while building an off-shore team of 30 engineering and product resources.  At Ten-X, formerly Auction.com, Jim is responsible for building the Brokerage Channel, a strategic business unit critical to the growth of Ten-X Commercial.  Partnering with the brokerage community is a major focus for Ten-X as they look to capture more of the $3 Trillion commercial real estate market.  His experience in structuring strategic partnerships and complex software and real estate agreements is vital to the success of the brokerage channel as Ten-X continues to bridge the gap between technology and commercial real estate.

Sean Slater

Principal - Retail Design Collaborative

Sean Slater is the newest Principal at Retail Design Collaborative after spending over twenty years practicing architecture in Berkeley, Atlanta and Austin. He has been a leader in nationally recognized firms including four years at ELS Architecture and Urban Design, seven years at tvsdesign and five years directing his own firm. Sean has specialized in the design of town centers, university-oriented retail, shopping center expansions and renovations and mixed-use district planning. With Sean's extensive experience in the domestic retail market, he will continue to further develop new business endeavors for Retail Design Collaborative. Sean was recently honored with the Urban Land Institute’s prestigious Apgar Award for co-authoring “New Suburbanism: Reinventing Inner-Ring Suburbs” and his article “Crafting Authenticity” graced the cover of the magazine’s June/July 2015 print and web edition. Sean provides a distinct focus on design and design process at Retail Design Collaborative. He is tasked with overseeing the creation of a robust design culture as well as organizing an externally-focused series of symposia regarding the evolution of retail and internally-focused design competitions to hone the staff’s skills in forward-thinking design. Sean is also involved with crafting the firm’s marketing message and delivering targeted business development toward the retail and mixed-use field. He is passionate about the future of experiential design and the challenges of the internet age in retail and commercial development. A registered architect in numerous U.S. states including Texas, Illinois, Washington and California, Sean serves on the Urban Land Institute’s Entertainment Development Council and has spent time volunteering on various boards of directors from Berkeley to Austin. He is also active with the International Council of Shopping Centers and the American Institute of Architects. Sean received his Bachelor of Architecture from The University of Texas at Austin.

Michael Garreffa

Head of Retail Alliances EMEA - HARMAN Professional Solutions

Michael Garreffa’s career has spanned over 20 years where he has held key leadership positions in Media, Advertising & Technology gained primarily with large global corporates such as: HARMAN International, Mood Media, Viacom | MTV International and J.Walter Thompson. Presently he is Head of Retail Alliances EMEA with HARMAN Professional Solutions focusing on global brands. Harman Professional Solutions brings together their market leading brands in audio, lighting, video and control to create the best end-to-end solutions for our enterprise customers all over the world.

Suzanne Mulvee

Director of Research - CoStar Group

Suzanne Mulvee, CFA serves as Director of Research with the CoStar Group, the leading provider of commercial real estate information, analytics and online marketplaces. Founded in 1987, CoStar conducts expansive, ongoing research to produce and maintain the largest and most comprehensive database of commercial real estate information. Our suite of online services enables clients to analyze, interpret and gain unmatched insight on commercial property values, market conditions and current availabilities. Within the CoStar Group, Mulvee works under CoStar Advisory Services, which provides clients with independent expertise in real estate market analysis, real estate portfolio analysis, mortgage risk analysis, and the design of bespoke real estate investment strategies. As a lead real estate strategist, she works to create actionable insights for global investors, helping them raise capital, make tactical investments, and communicate to key stakeholders. In addition, Mulvee takes a leading role in producing forecasts and analysis on 206 metropolitan areas across four property types. The author of a number of white papers on trends in commercial real estate, Ms. Mulvee regularly speaks to industry organizations, is often quoted in the national press, and has appeared on CNBC. Professional associations include ULI, where she is a member of the UDMUC Gold Council and chair of the Research Forum, and ICSC, where she serves on the North American Research Task Force. Prior to joining CoStar Group, Ms. Mulvee worked as a credit analyst for banks in San Diego and Cambridge, MA. She earned a B.A. cum laude in Financial and Managerial Economics from the University of New Hampshire, where she was recognized as one of the University's prestigious Presidential Scholars. She holds the CFA designation.

Trevor Abramson

Design Partner - Abramson Teiger Architects

With over two decades of commitment to his craft, South African-born Trevor Abramson strives to promote the art of architecture by evoking a deeply felt emotional and spiritual response from clients, critics and the public. His creative architecture stands proudly across North America, promoting soulful complexity in the communities it inhabits by striking a balance between known and new. His multi-faceted practice, initially focusing on single-family residences, now encompasses ecclesiastical commissions, educational facilities and varied commercial buildings. Trevor’s body of work certainly transcends the ordinary, carefully juxtaposing material and light to modulate surface and form. Pragmatic and purposeful in his design decisions, Abramson employs subtle and stripped down shapes to allow simplicity of mass and material to govern. His over 200 projects have gained significant acclaim from the international architectural community and have undoubtedly advanced the profession. Among the 29 architectural awards he has received, one that stands out is the National AIA Honor Design Award for the First Presbyterian Church of Encino, California. He has been published extensively in international, national and leading journals such as Architectural Review, Architectural Digest, Casaviva, Architectural Record, Interior Design Magazine, and the LA Times. Trevor studied at Columbia University in New York where he received a Master’s Degree, as well as at the University of Southern California where he received his Bachelor’s Degree and graduated Summa Cum Laude. He started his own practice in 2000 with Managing Partner Douglas Teiger, AIA. The design-centric firm is based in Culver City and provides full architectural and interior design services.

Chris Warren

Owner & Creative Director - WORD

Chris Warren founded WORD, the Warren Office for Research and Design, in 2010 as a vehicle for the promotion of intelligent, idea-based, architecture and design. The firm’s expertise lies in small to medium commercial, residential and mixed-use projects - which have already garnered multiple AIA design awards since its founding. WORD also acts as an advisor for foreign clients bringing their brand to brick-and-mortar in LA by providing education, guidance and architectural services throughout the design and construction process. Chris was recently interviewed for The Merchant, a design journal published by Vitra, to give his assessment of the direction retail design is moving in Los Angeles. After receiving the Master of Architecture degree from the University of Pennsylvania, Chris immediately moved to Los Angeles to work as a lead designer for Morphosis in Santa Monica. While there, he worked alongside Pritzker Prize winner Thom Mayne for six years on projects ranging from a NOAA satellite guidance facility, to a large multifamily housing project in Madrid, and even an Olympic village/future mixed-use development with 4,500 housing units centered around a new 45 acre park. Prior to opening WORD, Chris was also a principal at Studio Shift, during which time the office won multiple international design competitions and was published widely. As an educator, Chris has taught at the University of Southern California for seven years, where he gave the School of Architecture’s commencement address in 2011. In the spring of 2016 he was the visiting professor of urban design for the Master of Urban Design (MUD) program at Washington University in St. Louis. Chris also continues to serve on the board of the California Heritage Museum in Santa Monica.

Drew Emmel

Partner - Allen Matkins

Drew Emmel is the managing partner of the firm’s Orange County office. His practice focuses on acquisition, development, redevelopment, and leasing of all major product types. Drew's experience in real estate finance, corporate law, and tax law enables him to resolve complex issues and implement practical solutions. Drew represents retail, industrial, office and mixed-use developers, land developers, and single family and multi-family homebuilders, including some of the largest and most active developers in California. His representative clients include Lewis Operating Corp., Prologis/ Catellus, Standard Pacific, Ryland Homes, Sares Regis, Master Development, First American, First Industrial, Highland Development, Northern Trust Company, St. Joseph Health System, and Toll Brothers. He regularly represents shopping center owners in transactions with many of the largest retailers in the United States including Target, Costco, Lowe's, Home Depot, Wal-Mart, CVS, Walgreens, Kohl's, McDonald's and Starbucks. Drew has expertise in preparing complex CC&Rs and easement agreements. A significant portion of Drew's practice involves advising clients through all stages of the development process including negotiations with governmental agencies. Drew has represented publicly held companies and private entities in the acquisition, due diligence and entitlement of thousands of residential lots throughout California. In addition to representing property owners and managers in connection with the operation of all property types, Drew represents court appointed receivers. Drew regularly assists clients in structuring and negotiating limited liability company agreements and joint venture agreements. Prior to joining Allen Matkins in 1997, Drew practiced law in Chicago, Illinois.

John Schmid

Studio Director - MBH Architects

John Schmid is a Senior Associate and Studio Director for MBH’s Restaurant and Retail Design Studio, working on a day-to-day basis to coordinate client communication and our in-house teams. His experience in retail architecture began with fourteen years at Gap, Inc., where he worked from drafter to project manager, and developed indispensable knowledge of the client-side of the architectural relationship. John has a keen understanding of the mechanics, work-flow, and lines of communication required to operate a smoothly running retail account. He manages a number of MBH’s important retail and restaurant clients such as Peet’s Coffee & Tea, Yard House, and Target

Adrian Berger

VP of Acquisitions - Cypress Equity Investments

As Vice President of Acquisitions, Adrian is responsible for sourcing, analyzing, due diligence, and negotiating new investment opportunities including real estate acquisitions and equity co-investment. Adrian also fosters and grows CEI's network of lenders, equity partners, and brokers. In Los Angeles, Adrian is focused on the acquisition of land for development, multi-family value-add, retail/office for repositioning; and equity co-investment with local sponsors. Nationally, Adrian is responsible for identifying and qualifying sponsors who require co-investment capital.