New York Office & Workplace Conference

Brian Holland is Head of Real Estate for Convene, responsible for expanding the company’s global portfolio of brands via market growth, landlord partnerships, and acquisitions. Brian was instrumental in stabilizing the company’s real estate portfolio during the pandemic, its expansion into San Francisco, and continued growth in New York City and London. Prior to Convene, Brian held senior-level positions at real estate development firm OliverMcMillan and commercial real estate company Brookfield Properties where he was integral in the acquisition and development of more than $2 billion in real estate projects nationwide. His experience across the real estate sector is all-encompassing from site selection through to entitlements, capitalization, construction, management, and disposition; and he also serves as principal at HollandandCo, a boutique real estate development and investment firm based in California. Prior to his real estate career, Brian clerked for a federal judge and worked for a regional law firm in San Diego. He holds a B.A. from Westmont College, and a J.D. from University of San Diego School of Law.

Paige Engeldrum joined Cushman & Wakefield as an associate in 2013 and over the past eleven years, has diligently advanced her career and was named one of the youngest Executive Directors at Cushman & Wakefield in the Tri- State region. At Cushman & Wakefield, Ms. Engeldrum specializes in tenant and landlord representation in the New York Metropolitan area. Paige assists tenants formulate real estate strategies while aligning business, financial, and operational objectives, and advises landlords in the marketing, positioning, strategy, and leasing of assets. This encompassing experience results in insightful and thoughtful solutions for her clients.

Julia Sanabria represents clients in a wide range of real estate matters, with a particular focus on commercial leasing. Julia works with institutional and non-institutional clients in the leasing and subleasing of office and retail space throughout the United States. She has extensive experience with joint ventures, the origination and restructuring of mortgage and mezzanine loans, developments, and loan workouts; and she has negotiated commercial leases for a wide range of uses, including office, retail, medical, industrial, and studio, in some of New York City’s most iconic spaces. Julia has practiced with several top ten Am Law 100 firms, as well as in-house at a Fortune 500 corporation. She serves on the Board of Directors for Creative Art Works, an organization that provides youth development through the arts to New York City children in under-resourced neighborhoods. Education: University of Chicago Law School (J.D. 2005), Binghamton University, State University of New York (B.A. 2001) Admissions: New York

Chad is responsible for the overall strategy, performance, and day-to-day activities of Nuveen Real Estate’s office investments, which includes overseeing the U.S. Cities Office platform and providing Investment oversight to the New York City Property platform. He is also a member of Nuveen Real Estate’s Investment Committee and the Americas Executive Leadership Team. Prior to joining the firm, Chad was a portfolio manager and managing director at Guggenheim Real Estate, where he oversaw all facets of their U.S. open-end funds, including one that was a member of the NCREIF NFI-ODCE Index. During his nearly 15 year career at Guggenheim, Chad was a member of the Investment Committee and participated in the acquisition of over 90 direct property assets with a gross acquisition value of $2.6 billion. He started his career as an associate at Banc of America Securities in the Real Estate Investment Banking and Debt Capital Markets groups. Chad graduated with a B.A. from Davidson College and a Master’s in Real Estate from Georgetown University.

Adam Doneger serves as Newmark’s Executive Vice Chairman of U.S. Capital Markets. He joined the firm in February 2023 after spending more than six years at Cushman & Wakefield. Adam has worked on over $150 billion of transactions across all asset classes, including multifamily, office, retail, industrial, self-storage and hotel. Prior to Cushman & Wakefield, Doneger worked at Eastdil Secured where he served as Managing Director, and Brookfield Asset Management in their Real Estate Debt Fund. Doneger began his career at Morgan Stanley in the real estate group.

Leo Jacobs is a commercial litigation and bankruptcy attorney and the founder of Jacobs, P.C., a boutique law firm known for finding creative, direct, and expedient solutions to complex and high-profile issues. Leo tirelessly and zealously works to build trust and long-standing relationships with his clients, who rely on his counsel, representation, negotiation, and advocacy to forge speedy, practical paths to move forward. From the courtroom to the board room, Leo has a demonstrated talent for devising, positioning, and advancing sophisticated yet straightforward arguments to mitigate risk and reach successful outcomes. Leveraging his vast and deep knowledge of debt and equity structures, Leo employs all legal tools available to quickly and efficiently achieve the best result for his clients. As such, his law practice seamlessly bridges commercial litigation, corporate transactions, and various forms of financial rehabilitation across federal, state, and administrative, and bankruptcy courts as well as administrative tribunals and other forums. Examples include Chapter 11, UCC 9, UCC 8, pledges, mezzanine financing, subprime commercial lending, real estate, asset management, special situations, and restructurings. He also counsels clients on tough questions related to business disputes, regulatory compliance, employment law, and fiduciary and agency interests, including those related to allegations of white-collar and other corporate crimes. Previously, Leo served as General Counsel at New York Equity Management, LLC, a privately held company that focused on the full lifecycle of real estate litigation finance investments (acquisition, construction, development, management, leasing, and sale) and held a portfolio of distressed and other commercial and residential properties. His role at NYEM straddled legal and business issues, from advising management on commercial matters, litigation, real estate, and compliance to spearheading efforts that increased the value of the firm’s properties upon sale. Earlier in his legal career, Leo also served as an associate attorney at the prominent administrative and environmental law firm, Cohen Hochman & Allen. At Cohen Hochman, Leo defended and advanced the interests of high-profile management before federal, state, and New York City government agencies and the courts. He represented clients across a range of industries and under various regulatory regimes, including health, transportation, sanitation, air, water, hospitality, and waste removal. During his tenure at the firm, he appeared daily in court and was recognized for his ability to address novel compliance issues, reduce violations, and negotiate settlements with governmental and civil litigants. Among other non-profit and community service, Leo has also devoted hours of pro bono representation to the Bukharian Jewish People and acts as its Chief Counsel, serving at the request of President Leon Nektalov and the Board of the Bukharian Jewish Community Center.

Infuse Hospitality Founder and Chairman, Michael Schultz, brings over a quarter century of experience in the hospitality industry and a proven track record of success and profitability. From casual restaurants to fine dining establishments, his expertise and leadership combined with his passion for top-notch hospitality has yielded a very loyal following. Throughout his tenure, Michael has created numerous brands, built successful leadership teams, and has mentored countless individuals. With his many years of experience, he founded Infuse Hospitality. Infuse Hospitality creates and operates first-in-class F&B amenities for companies and organizations without the resources to do so. From mobile cart solutions, to full cafe and restaurant branding, to operational services and supply chain management, Infuse Hospitality is a one-stop-solution for the best in specialty food and beverage experiences. Operating more than 25 million square feet across North America, the Infuse Hospitality portfolio includes partners such as Tishman Speyer, Spaces, Conagra Brands, and Jones Lang Lasalle (JLL). The portfolio also boasts Infuse Hospitality’s first brick and mortar concept, Fairgrounds Craft Coffee & Tea, a first-of-a-kind cafe offering a variety of craft coffee roasters, specialty teas and fresh, chef made food under one roof. With eight locations across the nation, Fairgrounds is redefining the coffeehouse experience with more options than ever.

Joseph Rigazio is the CEO of Talisen Construction Corporation. Talisen is a commercial construction firm founded in the New York Metro marketplace in 2009. Focusing on the Healthcare and Education markets over the last eight years has brought Talisen success in the ambulatory centers, medical office buildings, charter schools, private universities, and special projects areas. Trained in both Electrical Engineering, Business Economics, and Construction Management, Joseph entered the professional world with a strong vision. After a 23-year-long career in technology, in which he managed Fortune 100 company relationships in sales management, ran marketing organizations, and ultimately, lead a major business unit at Texas Instruments, Joseph chose to utilize his expertise and leadership skills to start Talisen. Concentrating on growing a team bonded by a common vision, Talisen has become a trailblazer in the New York construction field. Focused investments on employees, processes, and the NY Metro subcontractor ecosystem, along with an innovative approach to project management, differentiates Talisen from the competition. Founded on the key tenants of safety and collaboration, Talisen has grown into a premier New York construction firm that truly partners with their clients to provide a new precedent for client advocacy in today’s market.

Jeff heads our Real Estate and Communications practices in New York and has significant experience in general commercial real estate law. Jeff’s general real estate practice includes acquisitions, sales, development, leasing, and borrower’s side financing. He also has a particular focus on real estate challenges facing communications, technology, and energy companies, and represents property owners and telecom companies in telecom real estate matters, such as data center leases. His clients include both large national companies and smaller, local clients. He is frequently invited to speak on real estate, data center, and telecom topics. He also writes for several industry publications, and he is regularly quoted in national media. Jeff was a Commissioner of the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey and led many of its major real estate and telecom transactions.

Ms. Fatou Jabbie, Principal at USL Technology, a leading New York City sustainability firm, brings over 15 years of expertise to the table. With a proven track record in regulatory compliance, LEED consulting, and engineering services, she helps real estate developers and owners in sectors like hospitality, retail, and mixed-use buildings achieve significant energy savings and cost reductions. Prior to her focus on sustainability, Ms. Jabbie's background in data center network design engineering translates into a deep understanding of building systems integration. This unique perspective allows her to deliver comprehensive solutions that optimize energy efficiency while maintaining peak performance. Ms. Jabbie is a NYS Certified Code Enforcement Official, NYSERDA-qualified Commercial Building Plans Reviewer and Inspection Consultant. She’s a LEED AP and a CMVP Professional. This ensures seamless compliance with energy codes, real-time energy management, measurement and verification of energy upgrades, saving your project time and resources. Her collaborative approach streamlines navigating the complexities of buildings, and implementation processes, making USL Technology a valuable partner for any commercial real estate venture. USL Technology can help your commercial property achieve its sustainability goals.

Antonina has been a professional in the construction industry for over two decades, proactively reaching, identifying, and building relationships with clients, and growing existing and new markets for business opportunities. She is results-oriented, with a consistent track record of generating sales and cultivating relationships to expand business. As Vice President of Business Development for JRM, she works closely with the firm’s leadership, marketing, accounts, and field disciplines to envision and implement strategies for growing the firm’s business, reaching top-line revenue goals, winning new projects, and building relationships in key markets. Antonina strategizes short-term and long-term business goals and creative contributions to sales/marketing proposals, presentations, and collateral materials. In addition, she works closely with JRM’s clients and project teams from project inception to closeout. Antonina can be found on-site reviewing her client’s project and ensuring a successful turnover. She has also been instrumental in expanding the firm’s use of tools such as win/loss debriefs, CRM data analysis, and other methods to understand market trends, identify opportunities, and track success metrics.