The Fifth Annual Future of South Jersey

Donald A. Guardian was sworn-in as Mayor of Atlantic City on January 1, 2014. Prior to that, he was the director of the Casino Reinvestment Development Authority’s Special Improvement Division (formerly known as the Atlantic City Special Improvement District or ACSID). As ACSID Director, Mr. Guardian was instrumental in developing program concepts and standards for environmental services, landscaping, and ambassador programs for Atlantic City. During his tenure at Atlantic City Special Improvement District, Mr. Guardian was able to add information services, street- scaping and site improvements, staff development, business support services, economic development, and over 120 facades for businesses, and support for special events. Mr. Guardian previously served as the Executive Assistant to the President of the Claridge Casino Hotel. While in that position, his duties included corporate development as well as civic involvement of the company’s President and Board Chairman. Prior to his position at the Claridge, Mr. Guardian served with the Boys Scouts of America in executive positions for sixteen years. The last position he held was Council Scout Executive and Chief Operating Officer. His years with Scouts were marked with innovative fundraisers, successful marketing to increase the customer base, membership growth, quality program development, community leader recruiting and leadership of a staff of 100. Mr. Guardian is an active member in numerous local civic, business and community organizations. He is past President of the Rotary Club of Atlantic City and Past District Governor of Rotary District 7640, past President of the South Jersey AIDS Alliance, and Vice President/Secretary of The Metropolitan Business and Citizens Association. In addition, Mr. Guardian is a past president of the Gardner’s Basin Board of Directors and a Board Member of the Greater Atlantic City Chamber of Commerce. Donald A. Guardian is a graduate of Don Bosco Prep in Ramsey, NJ and an alumnus of Upsala College in East Orange, NJ. In addition, he has 1,000 hours of advance seminars in People Management, Fiduciary and Internal controls and personal skills development. Mr. Guardian resides with his long-time partner, Louis Fatato, in Atlantic City, New Jersey.

A native of Philadelphia and a Temple University graduate, John is committed to revitalizing the city we all love. John was first exposed to large scale development initiatives through an internship in the Rendell Admin. in the mid-90’s. During this time he became consumed with the idea that smart economic development initiatives are the key to not only sustaining the region, but advancing it. After losing a race for City Council, he realized that urban revitalization efforts did not have to come strictly at the hands of government, but were achievable through the private sector, with smart development and community buy in – and so, LPMG was born.

Elizabeth Terenik was hired in March 2014 to lead the City’s Planning and Development Department. Ms. Terenik comes to the City with more than 20 years of professional planning experience, most recently as a consultant to both local governments and the development community. Previously, she served as director of planning and engineering for the City of Ocean City, NJ, and as planner for several Cape May County municipalities and the Atlantic County Utilities Authority. She also has experience as a zoning and code enforcement officer. Ms. Terenik currently holds certifications and licenses from the New Jersey State Board of Professional Planners, and the American Institute of Certified Planners, and teaches a mandatory training class for planning and zoning board members. Ms. Terenik holds a Bachelor’s Degree from Villanova University, a Master’s Degree in Public Administration from California State University and studied Urban and Community Planning at Rutgers University.

Julia serves as Chief Investment Officer at Dranoff Properties, Inc. She oversees the funding for all development projects including acquisitions, investments, and new construction. Julia coordinates project pre-development budgeting, pro forma modeling, capital raising, and due diligence, working with a range of lenders and investors. She also works to develop public-private partnerships and with government agencies to source and shape economic development programs. Prior to joining Dranoff Properties, Julia gained professional experience at JPMorgan Chase working on strategic projects and business development opportunities for the Investment Bank. Prior to JPMorgan, she spent several years as a strategic consultant for Accenture. Julia earned her B.S. in Civil Engineering from Princeton University and her M.B.A. in Real Estate and Finance from The Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania.

Joe Aristone is the Executive Vice President of Leasing for Pennsylvania Real Estate Investment Trust, where he oversees the Leasing function for the Company’s portfolio of 31 malls, and accounting for over $290 million dollars in annual revenue. As a Senior Officer of the Company and member of the Senior Operating Committee, Joe participates in executing on the Company’s strategic direction. Joe is on the Broad of Trustees for the Moorestown Education Foundation, the Editorial Advisory Board of SJ Magazine and Chairman of the Board of Trustees for Oaks Integrated Care. Joe is a graduate of Dickinson College in Carlisle, PA and resides in Moorestown, NJ with his wife, Alicia and daughters Meredith and Margaret.

George D. Sowa is the Chief Executive Officer for Greater Trenton, an independent 501c-3 organization formed in October 2015 to advance economic revitalization efforts in New Jersey’s capital city, with a particular emphasis on the downtown core. Through a collaborative network of relationships, Greater Trenton will help promote economic development in the capital region through the engagement of stakeholders from the private and public sectors and philanthropic, academic and community organizations. Greater Trenton’s initial board of directors includes representatives from NJM Insurance Group, Bristol Myers Squibb, Princeton Area Community Foundation, Investors Bank, TD Bank, Capital Health, PSEG, Thomas Edison State University, Wells Fargo Bank, Princeton University, and Janssen Pharmaceuticals. Mr. Sowa came to Greater Trenton after serving more than eighteen years at Brandywine Realty Trust, one of the largest real estate companies in the United States, most recently as executive vice president and senior managing director for New Jersey and Delaware. During his tenure at Brandywine, Sowa oversaw operations and development of 5.2 million square feet of commercial property, including acquisition, design and construction. This includes significant work in Camden, New Jersey where he was responsible for the master planning of a 1.5 million square foot office/hotel development as well as leading Brandywine’s selection by Campbell’s Soup Company to be the developer for Camden’s Gateway District. Mr. Sowa currently sits on the National Board of the Commercial Real Estate Development Association (NAIOP). He is also a member of the National Association of Real Estate Investments Trusts (NAREIT) and is Vice Chairman of the Board of the Chamber of Commerce of Southern New Jersey. A native to Trenton, New Jersey, Mr. Sowa holds a B.S. Degree from Cornell University.

Mark Goldstein is vice president and city manager of Liberty's New Jersey region. Mr. Goldstein previously served as vice president and city manager of Liberty's Delaware East region headquartered in Horsham, Pennsylvania. Prior to this promotion in 2006, Mr. Goldstein was vice president of leasing for all industrial space in Liberty's New Jersey portfolio. Mr. Goldstein played a key role in managing Liberty's first joint venture with the Colorado Public Employees Retirement Association overseeing Liberty's Pureland and Commodore Industrial Parks, two of the largest industrial complexes on the East Coast. Mr. Goldstein earned a BA from Brandeis University and a MS in Real Estate Development from MIT.

Chris Ressa joined DLC in 2007. As Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer, Mr. Ressa is responsible for overseeing all tenant facing operations including leasing, property management, construction and marketing on all DLC owned and third-party managed assets. During his tenure at DLC, his relationships, leasing ability, and leadership have led to numerous successful repositioning of assets. His most notable leasing transactions have included deals with TJX, Ross Dress for Less, Burlington, Dick’s Sporting Goods, The Kroger Company, Best Buy, Ulta, LA Fitness and Planet Fitness.Prior to coming to DLC, he worked for Ashkenazy Acquisitions as a Regional Leasing Manager responsible for all new and renewal leases in a portfolio of approximately 3.5 million square feet of retail real estate including regional malls, grocery-anchored centers, power centers, and street retail. His career started at The Sherwin-Williams Company as a Real Estate Manager handling existing store renewals, and new stores in the Eastern Division Region. In addition to new store real estate, Mr. Ressa’s role involved handling the real estate for district/regional offices as well as warehousing locations for Sherwin-Williams. Mr. Ressa received a BA in economics from Rutgers University in 2005. Mr. Ressa is an active member of the ICSC, received his CLS (Certified Leasing Specialist) in 2010 and in December 2012 became a member of the ICSC CLS Committee.

Mr. Sclarow has 19 years of experience in the Architectural Design and Construction Industry. He is a Project Manager, Architect and Business Development Leader in the design and delivery of sports, entertainment, educational, healthcare, museum and performing arts facilities for clients across the United States. Mr. Sclarow has a significant background in infrastructure, directing all project phases from design through completion of construction, coordinating with contractors as well as partnering with engineering and specialty consultants. He has extensive experience in due diligence assessments and construction risk management for a variety of property types and the needs and requirements of varied number of reporting standards, including ASTM standards, EPA’s All Appropriate Inquiry (AAI), and customized client formats. Specifically, Mr. Sclarow has performed Feasibility Analysis Reports, Property Condition Assessments (PCAs), Document and Cost Reviews and Construction Progress Monitoring. Mr. Sclarow’s diversity across academic, commercial, healthcare, hospitality and residential environments are a major contribution to Partner Engineering and Science’s Project Management team across the United States.