Future of Contra Costa County

With over twenty-three (23) years of experience in the industry, Holmes has been fortunate to see many sides of the industry from the publicly-traded company to the start-up consulting firm. Carl started his professional career on the contracting side of the engineering and construction business for about seven years with Granite Construction, Incorporated where he learned the importance of making a profit (not just cool projects). Then he joined a start-up construction management firm, where he spent almost nine years as the second employee along with three principals/owners helping them grow to over 40 professionals during its peak working on signature projects including the San Francisco Mission Bay Development in collaboration with the Mayor’s Office of Economic Development and the San Francisco Giants. He gained experience on projects that had a modified public-private partnership (P3) funding configuration in both San Francisco and Alameda, which required a customized approach in dealing with contract change order negotiations and reimbursements. Then he worked as a consultant for BART for two years with another 40-person firm and three years for a global firm, Jacobs Engineering Group, leading the construction management efforts for the client in a variety of project delivery roles including Resident Engineer while being responsible for other projects with engineering staff as Program Manager for BART’s On-Call Construction Management Agreements. Finally, Carl officially entered the public sector as the Group Manager of Capital Programs for almost two years before entering his current role late December 2017. As an Assistant General Manager, he now leads the Planning, Development, and Construction (PD&C) organization responsible for delivering extensions, station modernizations, and third-party real estate developments.

Holds lead role in all aspects of the Concord Naval Weapons Station Reuse Project master planned, mixed-use development. The Concord Reuse Project Specific Plan Area includes 13,000 new housing units, offering a variety of multi-family and single-family products, 6.1 million square feet of commercial space, a sports tournament park, a higher ed campus, almost 800 acres of open space and parks, and a BART TOD. 25% of the residential units are expected to be affordable. FivePoint/Lennar is the master planner for the whole project and the selected master developer for the first phase. This includes 4,392 new units of multi-family and single-family housing, 1.7 million square feet of commercial space plus community facilities, schools and open space/parks.

As Head of Fairbourne Properties, David leads the Team in creating value in Real Estate through acquiring, owning and managing properties for its own account and in conjunction with best-in-class institutional partners. David is responsible for developing strategic investment initiatives and guidelines for Fairbourne. He leads the Team in developing investor relationships and has oversight responsibility of Fairbourne’s management and resources. He also directs the Acquisition Team in underwriting, equity sourcing, due diligence and closing investment opportunities. David has over thirty years of experience in the real estate industry and has collectively acquired and redeveloped in-excess of twenty million square feet of retail and office properties valued at approximately $2 billion. David’s experience and expertise in acquisition, development/redevelopment and transforming assets to value-driving opportunities has earned him a solid reputation in the industry and he is often invited to participate in round table discussions and forums. David is a member of the Urban Land Institute (Green Council) and International Council of Shopping Centers. He is also a member of the Chamber of Commerce for Ybor City, Florida and Arlington, Texas. Prior to joining Fairbourne, David was with a Chicago-based real estate investment firm since 1985, where he led the Acquisition and Asset Management Groups. Prior to this, he worked in the Continental Bank Real Estate Department. Mr. Harvey holds a BA in French from the University of Connecticut and an MBA in Finance from Indiana University.

Leslie Lundin is co-founder and Managing Partner of LBG Real Estate Companies, LLC. Leslie is primarily responsible for overseeing all aspects of capital raising and reporting, as well as asset management, due diligence and documentation of LBG transactions. Prior to co-founding LBG, Leslie was Senior Vice President for Inland Mortgage Capital Corporation, in charge of their national opportunistic debt investment program which she formed in 1995. Leslie directly oversaw all of Inland’s origination offices, directed all marketing of the program, oversaw the pre-approval process of pending loans, and was engaged in strategic investment decisions to determine the direction of the program. Before joining Inland, from 1990-1995, Leslie was a lender at ITT Real Estate Services, where she originated participating bridge and construction loans. In 2014, Leslie was named as one of Bisnow’s Los Angeles Power Women in CRE and has been nominated as one of East Bay CREW’s Most Influential Women in CRE. She was also named as one of Real Estate Forum’s 2009 Women of Influence and one of Southern California’s Most Influential Women by Real Estate Southern California Magazine in 2005, 2006, 2007 and 2008. She is frequently published and interviewed by industry periodicals and routinely speaks at industry conferences, including ICSC, NAIOP, Crittenden, Realshares, IMN, iGlobal, Trigild, Biznow, CREW, ACRE and Women’s Leadership Counsel. From 2007 to 2009, Leslie was Chair of the ICSC/NAIOP Capital Marketplace Conference held annually in New York and now serves on the committee. She chaired the 2010 and 2011 ICSC/NAIOP/LAMA Capital Marketplace West Conference (one that she started). She is also on the first ever ICSC Recon Committee and the Chair of the ICSC International Capital Markets Committee. Leslie also chairs the Final Frontier Conference: a Seminar on Women as Entrepreneurs in Commercial Real Estate, which she conceived of in 2009. Leslie received a Master of Science degree in Real Estate Appraisal and Investment Analysis and a Bachelor of Arts degree in Comparative Literature and Communication Arts with a Minor in French from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. She is also a licensed California real estate broker.

Mayor Justin Wedel was first elected to the Walnut Creek City Council in November 2012 and was re-elected in November 2016. He was selected as Mayor for 2018. Prior to joining the City Council, Justin was an active volunteer in the community, focusing his efforts with the Bay Area Crisis Nursery, Walnut Creek on Ice, Diablo View Rotary, and Winter Nights, among others. He also serves on the Board of Directors of the Leadership Contra Costa Alumni Association, a past Vice President. His service on the Walnut Creek City Council is also on a volunteer basis, as he has chosen to serve without pay. On the City Council, Justin has been a vocal advocate to drive fundamental change and improve transparency. He has been a leading voice on the topics of public safety, long-term fiscal health, government transparency, protecting our children, and encouraging younger generations of Walnut Creek citizens to get involved in government. He has served on many of the Council’s sub-committees, including Public Safety, Public Education, Community Choice Aggregation, Housing and Community Development, and The West Downtown Specific Plan. Outside of volunteering, Justin has established a successful career as an information technology professional. Justin started his career at the City of Walnut Creek as a Computer Technician, in 1997. He currently serves as a technology executive in the technology travel industry in San Francisco. Prior to his current role he has served with multiple technology startups both prior to and post-IPO. Justin was born and raised in the Bay Area, first in the North Bay and then attended school in Danville and Alamo. He earned his BA in Business Administration from California State University, East Bay. He and his wife, Melissa, moved to Walnut Creek in 1998 and are now raising their two children.

Kristin Braun Connelly is the President and CEO of the East Bay Leadership Council, an employer-led public policy advocacy organization focused on economic vitality and quality of life in the East Bay. She is also the Executive Director of the Contra Costa Economic Partnership. Prior to taking the lead of both the EBLC and CCEP, Kristin served as chief of staff to Contra Costa County Supervisor Karen Mitchoff. Kristin is also the former Executive Director of the California Forward Action Fund, a non-profit governance reform organization that sponsored a statewide ballot measure and advocated for legislative and budget reform. In addition, she practiced employment law at the firm Sidley Austin LLP in New York City. Kristin has extensive experience as a policy advisor and advocate for a variety of non-profit organizations that provided services to families affected by HIV/AIDS and has served as a development officer for the nation’s second largest food bank. A native of Contra Costa County, Kristin earned a law degree from Fordham University, a master’s in public policy from Georgetown University and a bachelor’s from UCLA. She serves on the Advisory Board of the Northern California Small Business Development Centers, the Contra Costa County Workforce Development Board, and the Board of Trustees of the Lafayette Library and Learning Center Foundation. Kristin lives in Lafayette with her husband T.J. and their two children.

Derek is the account lead for the Real Estate clients at JStokes, spearheading high-level strategic development and project management of creative work. Motivated by account growth and long-term client relationships, he offers in-depth industry expertise and business-focused marketing savvy.

Brad Griggs is Co-Founder and Managing Partner of Blake|Griggs Properties which focuses on mixed-use development and investment in high density multifamily projects in the San Francisco Bay Area, and Co-Founder and Managing Partner of Opportunity Housing Group which focuses on acquiring existing assets and converting them to Workforce Housing for Essential Workers. Brad has developed more than $4 billion of real estate investment totaling over 8,500 apartment units, 40 Extended-Stay Hotels, and 2,000 for-sale residential homes. He also has acquired and sold for either his own account or that of companies he has work for more than $2 billion of existing apartment communities totaling over 7,700 apartments. Brad was the former Executive Vice President/Chief Investment Officer for publicly traded BRE Properties, Inc; Senior Vice President with Security Capital Group’s Homestead Village; Project Director for The Fieldstone Company; Director of Operations for M.J. Brock/Ryland Homes; and Apartment Division Manager for Pacific Scene Properties, Inc. Brad holds a degree in Architecture from California Polytechnic School at San Luis Obispo and is a licensed California State Architect. Brad is a full member of Urban Land Institute.

David Bogstad has been developing innovative solutions for a wide variety of projects for over 30 years, many with intricate and complex programs. David’s strong belief that collaboration brings about superior buildings begins with qualified teams of experienced consultants and extends to his work with government agencies. His passion for design, fine detail and constructability, together with his natural ability to motivate and energize the team, has resulted in the successful completion of a large portfolio of significant projects.

BayRock Multifamily continues to own and develop outstanding, in-fill apartment and condominium properties. The principals of BayRock have over 30 years of real estate development and investment experience. This history includes the development of over 8,000 apartment homes in six western states. Using this extensive experience, the principals are truly focused on prudent management of costs, while delivering above-average economic results for its customer partners. Today BayRock is focused on key, infill, 24 hour urban environments in the San Francisco Bay Area. Our Investment Builder/Developer approach includes the long term ownership and management of extraordinary investments in these great neighborhoods. A BayRock home provides distinct advantages. We only invest in superior locations where it will improve the lifestyle of our residents. Our commitment to quality is unwavering. We strive to provide the best amenities and services that will make the community a vibrant place to live and work with award-winning architects to design homes providing flexible designs for maximum livability.

Alexis M. Gevorgian has over 20 years of land development and real estate finance experience. Prior to forming AMG, Alexis was the Director of Land Acquisitions for Kaufman & Broad’s multi-housing land development division where he was responsible for all land acquisitions for development as well as joint ventures. Preceding Kaufman & Broad, Alexis worked at Bank One (JP Morgan/Chase) where he underwrote and closed over $1 billion in major construction and land development loans. Prior to Bank One, Alexis worked for Bank of California, Grubb & Ellis Realty Advisors, Lehman Brothers and the Goldman Sachs / JER Venture.

Over the course of 25 years, Eric has lead numerous capable teams in a series of financially successful residential, boutique resort, and hospitality developments. He is an authority in multi-family mixed-use developments. Consistently applying his leadership, innovative solutions and efficient construction methodology to capture maximum revenue. Previously Eric has held positions as Vice President of Vertical Development and Construction for Lennar Urban; Vice President of Development and Construction for CAMcorp; Director of Development and Construction ClubLink Corporation; and President of Towne and Country Homes. Over the years Eric has successfully delivered to market award-winning projects in over 15,000 residential units including urban high-rise condominiums, multi-family rentals, and 21,000 units in master planned communities. Eric holds a Bachelor of Science in Architectural Design Technology from Humber College of Applied Arts and Technology in Toronto, Canada. Later received his equivalency as a Bachelor of Science with a dual Major from Tulane University. Additionally, he is accredited with a Specialized Degree in Construction Project Management.

Amara has extensive experience obtaining land use entitlements for a variety of land use projects including mixed use, residential, commercial and hotel uses. She has a breadth and depth of experience in all aspects of land use work including compliance with the California Environmental Quality Act, the Permit Streamlining Act, Planning and Zoning Law, and the Subdivision Map Act. Her work has involved negotiation with state and federal agencies, including the Federal Aviation Administration, California Department of Fish and Game and the Delta Protection Commission. Amara has 26 years of experience serving Contra Costa public sector clients, including special districts, with regard to land use, zoning, development and redevelopment, environmental law, and resource protection and conservation. Prior to private practice, she was assistant city attorney for Livermore and Walnut Creek and in connection with those positions advised elected and appointed officials and staff on all aspects of municipal law including the California Public Records Act, the Ralph M. Brown Act, public finance and contracts law, solid waste, risk management and conflicts of interest, First Amendment and redevelopment law. Amara currently is co-general counsel to the Alameda County Transportation Commission and various Geologic Hazard Abatement Districts. She has been lead counsel on the development, implementation and defense of general plans, specific plans and various neighborhood plans and development project approvals based thereon.