National Industrial and Logistics Summit Northeast

Phil Hawkins

President & CEO
DCT Industrial

Phil Hawkins is the President and Chief Executive Officer of DCT Industrial Trust, a leading owner, developer and operator of high-quality distribution and light industrial assets located in major U.S. markets. Since joining DCT in 2006, Mr. Hawkins has led the company’s initial public offering on the NYSE and the substantial growth of its portfolio and operating platform. DCT has a total market cap of approximately $7.2 billion and owns a portfolio of 75 million square feet with a development and value-add pipeline of approximately $800 million. As a result of its strong market-based organization and its high-quality portfolio, the returns on DCT’s common stock have substantially outperformed the SNL U.S. REIT and SNL U.S. Industrial REIT Indices over the past one, three and five-year periods. Prior to joining DCT, Mr. Hawkins was President and Chief Operating Officer of CarrAmerica Realty Corporation (NYSE: CRE), a public office REIT in Washington D.C. Mr. Hawkins joined CarrAmerica in 1996 and was responsible for expanding the company and managing the investment, development, leasing, management and capital markets activities. Mr. Hawkins also played a key role in the sale of CarrAmerica to an affiliated fund of the Blackstone Group in 2006. Prior to joining CarrAmerica, Mr. Hawkins was with LaSalle Partners, now known as Jones Lang LaSalle, from 1982 through 1995, where he held a variety of positions involving real estate investment, development, leasing and management. He was also a member of LaSalle’s Board of Directors and was responsible for running LaSalle’s asset services business. Mr. Hawkins serves as a director of Corporate Office Properties Trust (NYSE: OFC), an office REIT that focuses primarily on serving the specialized requirements of U.S. Government agencies and defense contractors, most of which are engaged in defense information technology and national security-related activities. Mr. Hawkins is a member of the National Association of Real Estate Investment Trusts (NAREIT) as well as serving on its Board of Governors. Mr. Hawkins is a trustee of Hamilton College where he received his bachelor’s degree. He has an MBA from the University of Chicago.

Jim Clewlow

CIO
CenterPoint Properties

Mr. Clewlow became Chief Investment Officer in January of 2005, after serving as Senior Vice President of Investments. He joined CenterPoint in 1997 and oversees investment activity for the Company. Additionally, he managed CenterPoint Venture, a joint venture of the company and the California Public Retirement System (CalPERS), the nation's largest pension fund, which ultimately purchased the company in 2006. Mr. Clewlow has been involved in industrial real estate since graduating from the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign in 1985. He worked for CBRE as an industrial real estate broker for 11 years serving the Chicago area and joined CenterPoint in an acquisitions capacity. Mr. Clewlow received his Master’s in Business Administration in 2004 from Kellogg's Graduate School of Management at Northwestern University. Mr. Clewlow is a member of NAIOP Chicago and served as the organization’s President in 2012. Mr. Clewlow was appointed by the Governor of the State of Illinois to serve as a Commissioner on the Illinois Medical District.

Daniel Hudson

Co-Founder, Managing Principal
MRP Industrial

Dan Hudson has 30 years of commercial real estate experience managing teams of people responsible for the planning, approvals, capitalization, development, construction and leasing of large scale commercial projects. Dan co-founded MRP Industrial in 2013 and has primary responsibility for managing the Company’s joint venture relationships and capitalization of development opportunities. Dan has managed the development of more than 16 million square feet of projects valued in excess of $2.4 Billion. Prior to MRP Industrial, Dan served as Regional Partner for Panattoni Development Company where he was responsible for sourcing and managing investment opportunities in the Northeastern U.S. as well as overseeing the Northern Virginia, Baltimore and New Jersey offices. Before joining Panattoni, Dan spent 21 years with Trammell Crow Company, most recently as Senior Managing Director responsible for the MidAtlantic development business located in Washington, DC. Dan received his B.S. in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Delaware and his MBA from the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania.

Benjamin Butcher

CEO
STAG Industrial

Mr. Butcher has served as our Chief Executive Officer, President and Chairman of the Board of Directors since July 2010. Prior to the formation of our company, Mr. Butcher oversaw the growth of our predecessor business, serving as a member of the Board of Managers of STAG Capital Partners, LLC, STAG Capital Partners III, LLC, and their affiliates from 2003 to 2011. From 1999 to 2003, Mr. Butcher was engaged as a Private Equity Investor in real estate and technology. From 1997 to 1998, Mr. Butcher served as a Director at Credit Suisse First Boston, where he sourced and executed transactions for the principal transactions group (real estate debt and equity). Prior to that, he served as a Director at Nomura Asset Capital from 1993 to 1997, where he focused on marketing and business development for its commercial mortgage-backed securities group. Mr. Butcher serves as a member of the board of trustees and a member of the audit committee and compensation committee of Washington Real Estate Investment Trust (NYSE:WRE), an owner of office, multi-family and retail properties in the greater Washington, D.C. metropolitan area. Mr. Butcher holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from Bowdoin College and a Master of Business Administration degree from the Tuck School of Business at Dartmouth.

Gordon DuGan

CEO
Gramercy Property Trust

Mr. DuGan is Chief Executive Officer, a Trustee of the Board of Gramercy Property Trust and Chairman of Gramercy Europe. Prior to joining Gramercy in July 2012, Mr. DuGan spent 22 years at W. P. Carey & Co. Mr. DuGan serves on the Board of Governors of the National Association of Real Estate Investment Trusts. Mr. DuGan received his Bachelor of Science in Economics with a concentration in Finance from the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania.

David Buck

Executive Managing Director
USAA

David Buck serves as Executive Managing Director for USAA Real Estate Company. Having first joined the company in 1996, David has been a leader of the company’s logistics development capital program since 2002, with primary responsibility for logistics development on a national level and most recently has expanded his role to include responsibility for development within Central Europe and the United Kingdom. David has been directly responsible for more than 45 million square feet and $2.75 billion in new bulk logistics development during this period.

Sean Dalfen

CEO
Dalfen Industrial

Sean Dalfen is the President and Chief Executive Officer of Dalfen Industrial and leads the firm’s investment committees and management committees across its platforms. Under Sean’s leadership, Dalfen Industrial’s portfolio has grown to over 50 million square feet of industrial properties from coast to coast, making it one of the nation’s largest owners and developers of industrial real estate and a leader in the last mile sector. Over his career, Sean has transacted on an excess of $10 billion USD. Prior to Dalfen Industrial, Sean worked at NAI Commercial as an Investment Sales Broker where he was one of the company’s Top 10 producers in Canada. Sean is involved in a variety of philanthropic activities, sits on the boards of multiple charitable organizations and is a frequent speaker and panelist at private equity & commercial real estate industry events. Sean studied Psychology and Finance at Tel Aviv University’s Lowy School and McGill University. Sean is involved in a variety of philanthropic activities, sits on the boards of multiple charitable organizations and is a frequent speaker and panelist at private equity & commercial real estate industry events. Sean studied Psychology and Finance at Tel Aviv University’s Lowy School and McGill University.ral Partner’s Fund IV Investment Committee. After joining the firm in 2006, Sean was instrumental in the firm becoming one of the largest buyers of industrial real estate, having executed over $1.4 billion of transactions involving in excess of 30 million square feet of industrial properties in the U.S. and Canada. Prior to Dalfen, Sean worked at NAI Commercial as an Investment Sales Broker where he was one of the company’s Top 10 producers in Canada. Sean is involved in a variety of philanthropic activities and is a frequent speaker and panelist at private equity industry events in both Canada and the U.S. Sean studied Psychology and Finance at Tel Aviv University’s Lowy School and McGill University.

Peter Schultz

EVP
First Industrial Realty Trust

Bringing nearly 30 years of commercial real estate management experience to the role of Executive Vice President, Peter Schultz is focused on creating sophisticated industrial real estate solutions for customers in the Eastern U.S. As Executive Vice President - East Region for First Industrial Realty Trust, Mr. Schultz manages the region's portfolio and team of experts, and is responsible for proper execution of all leasing, development, acquisition and disposition activities along the East Coast. He also is a member of the Company's management committee, which drives the overall strategy of the Company. Prior to his current role, Mr. Schultz has served in several management positions with First Industrial. Most recently as Managing Director - East Region, Mr. Schultz directed new business efforts in the East Coast markets by providing customized supply chain solutions to customers. He has also led the Company's leasing team and ensured the delivery of industry leading service to customers across the Eastern U.S. as First Industrial's Vice President - Leasing for the East Region. Earlier, Mr. Schultz was Senior Regional Director for First Industrial's Philadelphia office, responsible for growing the Company's platform across that multi-market region. Mr. Schultz joined First Industrial in 1998 upon the acquisition of PBS Properties, Inc.'s portfolio, where he served as President and Managing Partner. Previously, Mr. Schultz was Director of Marketing and Sales for the Pickering Group and Morgantown Properties. An active member of the National Association of Industrial and Office Properties (NAIOP), Mr. Schultz earned his B.A. in business administration from Gettysburg College.

David Levine

Managing Director, Head of Industrial
Blackstone Group

David Levine is a Managing Director in the Real Estate Group and is based in New York. Mr. Levine currently focuses on new investment opportunities in the industrial/logistics and office sectors. Since joining Blackstone in 2010, Mr. Levine has been involved in analyzing real estate investments in several property sectors and has worked on various transactions, including the creation and sale of Blackstone’s 117 million square foot industrial platform, IndCor Properties. Mr. Levine has also been involved in the acquisition of BioMed Realty Trust, Brixmor (formerly Centro), Apple REIT 6, Motel 6 and the IPO of Extended Stay Hotels. Mr. Levine graduated from Northwestern University, where he received a BA in Economics.

Mike Hines

Vice Chair, Capital Markets
CBRE

Michael is a Vice Chairman with the Capital Markets | Institutional Properties team in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. He has over 30 years experience in commercial real estate specializing in the sale of Industrial properties for institutional clients, real estate developers, as well as advisory services for corporate real estate clients. Michael has consistently been a top producer in investment sales, representing some of the country’s largest corporations, pension fund advisors, banks, developers and REITs. In 2016, Michael (and team) sold 29 Industrial properties, 13.8 million square feet representing $1.0 billion in total value. Over the past 5 years, Michael has sold in excess of 700 million square feet of Industrial, primarily in NJ, PA, DE and MD. Michael is also a founding member of CBRE National Partners, a partnership that delivers superior strategy and execution over the industrial property life cycle. Located in the five key logistics hubs, the 65 investment sales and support professionals connect local market insight to a national capital markets perspective. Enhanced by a fully integrated debt platform, the National Partners team is able to achieve remarkable results for their national, regional and local clients. In 2016, the team successfully completed 228 transactions totaling 137.8 million square feet with an aggregate value of $10.1 billion. Please visit our web site at www.cbre.com/np. Prior to joining CBRE in 2004, Michael was a Senior Director at Cushman & Wakefield for 18 years and was a member of their Executive Board.

Kurt Nagle

CEO
American Association of Port Authorities

Kurt Nagle has over 30 years of experience in Washington, DC, related to seaports and international trade. Since 1995, Mr. Nagle has served as President and Chief Executive Officer for the American Association of Port Authorities (AAPA). Mr. Nagle began working at AAPA, the alliance of the leading public port authorities throughout the Western Hemisphere, in 1985. Prior to joining AAPA, Mr. Nagle was Director of International Trade for the National Coal Association and Assistant Secretary for the Coal Exporters Association. Previously, he worked in the Office of International Economic Research at the U.S. Department of Commerce. Mr. Nagle serves on the Executive Committee of the Propeller Club of the United States and is a former commissioner of PIANC, the International Navigation Congress. Mr. Nagle holds a Master's Degree in Economics from George Mason University.

John Reinhart

CEO
Port of Virginia

John F. Reinhart is the CEO and executive director of the Virginia Port Authority (VPA). He is responsible for the broad programmatic areas of business development and growth, strategic marketing, finance, and operations of Virginia’s marine terminal facilities: Virginia International Gateway, Newport News Marine Terminal, Norfolk International Terminals, Portsmouth Marine Terminal, Richmond Marine Terminal and the Virginia Inland Port. “Fundamentally, we base the organization on values and work to focus colleague behaviors on those values each and every day. The goal is to reinvent the port and accelerate the evolution of the port in order to become a catalyst for commerce and economic development and improve competitiveness in a global marketplace.” He leads the port with emphasis on maintaining integrity and respectfulness amongst colleagues, as well as the importance of being “a good corporate citizen to the community.” Since becoming CEO, John has worked to understand the public community in addition to the private sector in order to serve all of the constituents of the Commonwealth. He enjoys managing a team that is building confidence within the company, the customer base, and the community. He says it is essential to communicate the challenges that the organization has overcome to achieve success in order to demonstrate the hard work of the entire company and continue raising trust and respect in the port. “It’s very satisfying to have the opportunity to watch people grow, to see the organization mature, to create economic vitality for Virginia and to prepare for a better tomorrow.” Prior to joining the VPA, John worked for the Maersk organization for 23 years. He served from 2000-2014 as CEO of Maersk Line, Limited (MLL) and a member of the board of directors. During his career with Maersk, he held the positions of President, UMS, senior vice president and regional director. After retiring from Maersk, John began his tenure with VPA in February 2014. John currently serves on multiple regional boards including the Hampton Roads Transportation Accountability Commission, Marine Transportation System National Advisory Council, Hampton Roads Business Roundtable, Hampton Roads Chamber of Commerce Regional Board and Nauticus Foundation. His awards and honors include: Virginia Business Magazine’s 2016 Business Person of the Year, 2015 Merchant Marine Medal for Outstanding Achievement, 2014 Colgate W. Darden, Jr. Scouter Citizen of the Year, 2009 Seafarer’s International House, Outstanding Friend of the Seafarer and the 2007 Admiral of the Ocean Sea Award. John received his bachelor’s degree in general studies and political science from Ohio University and later earned his Executive MBA from the University of Michigan.

Joel Bergstein

President
Lincoln Equities Group

Joel Bergstein is the President of Lincoln Equities Group (LEG), one of the Northeast's leading full-service real estate companies. Bergstein joined the company more than 32 years ago, spearheading the organization’s acquisition and development initiatives. He currently leads the firm’s large scale development platform, orchestrating major residential and industrial land development projects in the New York / New Jersey metro area. Bergstein developed LEG’s current operating partner platform, leveraging domestic and international opportunities with private equity and pension funds. Bergstein is a founding partner and active participant in LEG’s $700M European property investment platform. Some of his standout development projects include Halletts Point in Astoria, NY, where LEG transformed a seven acre waterfront site into 2,400 residential apartment units; 5 Giralda in Madison, NJ, a 431,000 square-foot property, that was modernized to become Allergan’s U.S. headquarters; and in early 2018, LEG closed on a 152 acre waterfront site in Bayonne, NJ, where 1.4M square-feet of e-commerce logistics warehousing will be developed to bolster trade with the Port of New York and New Jersey. Lincoln has formed a partnership with Bruce Eichner’s Continuum Company to develop a mixed-income residential complex in Crown Heights, NY. It will be a 50/50 market and workforce development project to bring hundreds of needed housing units for middle and working class families in New York City. Bergstein is also leading the development and approval process for 1,500 new residential units in Jersey City including the construction of a light rail station. Bergstein serves on numerous real estate advisory boards and is a speaker and frequent commentator in real estate trade and business media in addition to his philanthropic work.

Dean Bodnar

Manager, Leasing & Property Development Port Department
The Port Authority of NY & NJ

Michelle Comerford

Industrial & Supply Chain Practice Leader
BLS & Co.

Michelle Comerford is the Industrial & Supply Chain Practice Leader at Biggins Lacy Shapiro & Co., one of the largest specialty site selection and incentives advisory firms in North America. Michelle Comerford develops corporate location strategies and executes site selection projects for BLS & Co.’s manufacturing and distribution clients. Based in Cleveland, Michelle has worked across a range of industries during her 13-year career. She is an expert in transportation/logistics cost analysis, and has advised numerous clients on site selection decisions with an emphasis on supply chain network optimization, inbound and outbound transportation costs, and customer service requirements. Michelle was formerly with Austin Consulting, serving most recently as Managing Director of the group. During her career, she has directed the evaluation of supply chain logistics, location strategy and community/site selection alternatives, as well as due diligence, incentives negotiation, property acquisition, and other aspects of project implementation. Michelle has been a featured speaker at a number of economic development events and meetings, and she is a frequent contributor to industry-specific publications. Michelle is also a member of the Site Selectors Guild, where she serves on the Board of Directors and as Secretary. Michelle earned a B.S. in Business Administration (Logistics and Marketing) from John Carroll University.

Ronald Leibman

Partner
Riker Danzig

Ronald Leibman is a partner of the Firm and Co-chair of the Firm’s Transportation and Logistics Group. Mr. Leibman focuses his practice on the business and supply chain needs of manufacturers, wholesalers, retailers, distributors, carriers and third party logistics providers. He is also experienced in general corporate and commercial law and commercial litigation. Prior to coming to Riker Danzig, Mr. Leibman was a partner with Epstein, Fitzsimmons, Brown, Gioia, Jacobs & Sprouls, P.C. Prior to that, he was a senior logistics executive at Wakefern Food Corp. (ShopRite Supermarkets) and at Fortunoff’s. In addition to his law degree, he holds an M.B.A. in Transportation/Distribution Management. Representative clients include Ahold USA, Bed Bath & Beyond, Chemtura, B&G Foods, CJ CheilJedang (CJ America), Capacity LLC, C&S Wholesale Grocers, Customized Distribution Services, Fujitsu, Mersen, Perricone MD, Pinnacle Foods, Porky Products, Transfix, and Wakefern Food, Corp. Mr. Leibman serves on the H.H. Franklin Supply Chain Advisory Board of the Whitman School of Management at Syracuse University, and on the Transportation Editorial Advisory Board for Law360, a LexisNexis legal news and data organization. In addition, he is on the Board of Directors of the Institute of Logistical Management and is a member of the American Bar Association, Business Law Section. The prestigious legal guide Chambers USA: America’s Leading Lawyers for Business includes Mr. Leibman in its Nationwide rankings since 2015 for Transportation: Road (Carriage/Commercial) for his strategic and operational planning counsel, calling him a “client favorite” whose clients compliment his “superb understanding of our business.” Chambers notes that he offers significant experience in logistics and supply chain matters. He is described by clients as “one of my favorite people on the planet, “ saying “he has a great balance of lawyerly restraint while still understanding the business elements.” Thomson Reuters has included Mr. Leibman on its “Super Lawyers” list in 2016 and 2017. Mr. Leibman is often tapped by publications, such as Law360, for comment on current industry specific regulations. He has written and lectured on a variety of logistics, supply chain, and business topics to industry and educational groups including the Association for Corporate Growth - New York, the Cosmetic Drug and Allied Lines Credit Group, the Food Marketing Institute and the Knowledge Group. His published articles include Fuel Surcharge Regulation for DOD Contracts - First Step Toward Re-regulation” (Firm Logistics Update, November 2008), “Misclassification of Employees as Independent Contractors/Owner-Operators May Soon Violate Federal Law” (Firm Logistics Update, November 2008), “FMCSA Abandons Carrier Oversight” (Inbound Logistics, August 2012), “Understanding Warehouseman’s Liens” (Inbound Logistics, On-Line Edition, April 2013), “House Members Seek to Set Due Diligence Standards for Motor Carrier Hiring” (Inbound Logistics, On-Line Edition, September 2014), and Congress Signals Return to Pre-CSA Due Diligence Practices with the Fixing American’s Surface Transportation Act (Firm Client Alert, December 2015). In addition, Mr. Leibman was extensively quoted on insurance and liability issues in the Inbound Logistics article, “Transportation Liability: Busting Seven Common Myths,” published in January of 2013, and in regard to the practice of transportation and logistics law and the Firm’s practice in this specialty, in the New Jersey Business article, ”NJ’s Unique Law Practice Groups,” published in November of 2015.

Mike Jones

President Emeritus
St. Onge Company

Drew McElroy

Co-founder & CEO
Transfix

Drew McElroy is the co-founder & CEO of Transfix, a technology company that’s changing the way companies manage their supply chain. Transfix offers a comprehensive suite of both broker and full visibility services to Fortune 500 shippers in retail, food & beverages, manufacturing and other major industries. Prior to founding Transfix in 2013, McElroy was the President of Priority Distribution Inc. (PDI), a mid-market transportation management and third-party logistics provider (3PL). He joined the company as Vice President of Business Development in May 2004. McElroy also serves as the President of the New Jersey Roundtable of the Council of Supply Chain Management Professionals (CSCMP). He earned a Bachelor of Science in Management and International Business from the McDonough School of Business at Georgetown University.

Jeffrey Brown

Vice Chairman/ President
NFI Industries, Inc.

Zach McHugh

Senior Vice President
Sitex Group

Zach is charged with sourcing and executing new investments on behalf of Sitex in New York City, Baltimore, Washington DC and south Florida. Since joining the firm in 2016, Zach has closed $105.0 million of industrial investments across Sitex’s target markets. In addition to his investment responsibilities, Zach oversees asset management for Sitex’s existing portfolio in New York City. Zach began his real estate career in New York City at BlueGate Partners working on capital raising for multifamily developers in the tri-state area. From BlueGate, Zach moved to KTR Capital Partners, where he executed acquisition and development investments in New Jersey, Atlanta, and Pennsylvania. Following his time at KTR, Zach joined Brookfield where he was responsible for sourcing and executing industrial investments in the mid-Atlantic and New Jersey. Throughout Zach’s career, he has closed over $200.0 million of industrial investments across the Mid-Atlantic and Northeast regions. Zach is a graduate of Stevens Institute of Technology in Hoboken, NJ.

Dan Schauble

VP of Geo-Environmental
Advantage Engineers

Dan Schauble, VP of Geo-Environmental: Dan has decades of experience in Geotechnical Engineering, Materials Testing and Environmental services. From development and implementation of subsurface investigations to deep foundation design, from stabilized slopes to earth-retaining structures and settlement analyses, and from quality assurance to materials testing, he is experienced in all facets of his discipline. Dan uses his wealth of knowledge not only to help our clients, but to support, educate, and mentor junior staff.

Dov Hertz

President
DH Property Holdings

Dov Hertz is the Founder and Principal of DH Property Holdings and is responsible for the investment policies, daily management and strategic direction of the firm. Prior to founding DH Property Holdings, Dov was the Executive Vice President of Acquisitions and Asset Management at Extell Development Company. During his 13+ years at Extell, Dov negotiated and supervised the acquisitions of well in excess of $20 Billion of New York real estate. Dov was directly responsible for sourcing some of the most notable transactions over the last 10 years including The Ring Portfolio, One 57, Nordstrom Tower, and One Manhattan Square. Prior to joining Extell, Dov worked as a Commercial Broker at Eastern Consolidated and as a Senior Vice President at Everest Broadband Networks where he negotiated over 250 million square feet of access deals across the United States.

Thomas Meagher

Executive Vice President
Blue Rock Construction, Inc.

As Executive Vice President at Blue Rock Construction, Inc., Tom provides Pre-Construction, Construction Management and Design-Build services. With more than 30 years’ experience Tom has been responsible for business development, contract negotiations, project leadership, strategic planning and design and preconstruction oversight. Prior to joining Blue Rock, Tom was a principal of The Norwood Company where he oversaw all regional operations for the company. During his career Tom has personally been involved with over $1 billion of construction including the design and construction of 30+ million square feet of building projects. Tom maintains superior knowledge of logistics, constructability reviews, alternative construction material and methodology, and various building systems. Tom has formalized Blue Rock’s preconstruction project and entitlement process to assist clients in identifying critical long lead approval items to minimize development blockers for individual commercial projects. His experiences include master planning, GMP development and preconstruction value engineering. Tom received his B.S. in Civil Engineering from Pennsylvania State University and his Master’s in Business Administration from Lehigh University.

Stephen Campbell

Business Development Manager
Consolidated Edison Company of NY, Inc.

Stephen Campbell is a Business Development Manager with Con Edison’s Commercial and Industrial Energy Efficiency Program. Previously, Stephen worked at Lockheed Martin where he served as an Energy Advisor & Sales Team Leader for 4 and half years while implementing Con Edison’s Commercial and Industrial & Demand Management Energy Efficiency Programs. He also assisted with Lockheed Martin’s implementation of the Pepco/Delmarva Energy Efficiency Program in Maryland. Stephen has worked on various energy projects in New York City and Westchester County. Stephen graduated from Manhattan College with a degree in Marketing and served 6 years in the United States Marine Corps, where he achieved the rank of Sergeant. Stephen currently lives in New Rochelle.

Shani Leibowitz

Senior Vice President of Development and Planning
Brooklyn Navy Yard Development Corporation

Shani Leibowitz is Senior Vice President of Development and Planning where she governs the wide range of rehabilitation and new construction projects originating from an aggressive growth initiative: one that aims to complete 2 million square feet of industrial space within 4 years. As liaison to the New York City Public Design Commission, she collaborates with architects in proposing new and rehabilitated structure designs that achieve The City’s highest design standards. She joined BNYDC in 2007 as Deputy Director of Development and Planning, subsequent to her tenure as Senior Planner at the Manhattan-based urban planning consulting firm, BFJ Planning. Ms. Leibowitz earned her Master’s in Urban Planning at New York University’s Wagner School of Public Service. She is a member of the American Institute of Certified Planners and the American Planning Association.

Richard Aviles

President
King Garment Care and Bridge Cleaners & Tailors

Richard Aviles is the President of King Garment Care and, Bridge Cleaners & Tailors - two premier cleaning and alterations businesses located in New York City. He currently manages a team of 50 employees, recognized as the largest privately owned tailoring business in New York City. Mr. Aviles is a graduate of the Baruch College - Zicklin School of Business, with an emphasis on Entrepreneurship and Small Business Management. Focusing on the environmental sustainability, regulation and growth of his business and industry, he has worked closely with city and state governments to implement the NYC Small Business Bill of Rights alongside Mayor Michael Bloomberg. Mr. Aviles sits on the executive board of the National Cleaners Association, and is a member of the International Dry Cleaners Congress and Methods for Management, as part of the Centurion Bureau. Additionally, Mr. Aviles is a partner at R.K.G. & Associates, a real estate investment firm located in Englewood Cliffs, NJ.