Philadelphia's Office Revolution

Scott’s real estate development career began in full force in 1990, 27 years ago. With his partner Jim Levin, they founded Neighborhood Restorations, an affordable housing development company, and set out on a mission of restoring abandoned and blighted single-family homes in West Philadelphia. They gutted, rehabbed and developed over 1000 houses including nearly 1200 units for low-income families with a total investment of nearly $200 million while employing more than 50% local minority contractors over their entire history. Additionally, Neighborhood Restorations moved their offices into the heart of West Philadelphia at the former Oliver Wendell Homes Middle School, the first middle school in the United States. There, they completed a historic restoration and preservation of the entire building, including 42 units for senior citizens and a magnificent auditorium used for both seniors and community activities. In 2009, Scott established University Place Associates with a firm commitment to social responsibility and environmental sustainability. His hope in contributing to and developing a world-class ‘Platinum Corridor®’ on Market Street, centered at the 40th Street transit hub, is that this effort, including bringing new jobs and new energy, will become a place for all to enjoy!

Combining client needs, marketplace trends and innovative ideas is Angel DeElse’s design niche as NELSON Philadelphia’s Managing Director. She calls this the “Home Run” when leading her design team to develop a client’s ideal space, maximizing efficiencies and flexibility. A lesson learned from her most recent project is "you are never too old to learn something new." An epicure in her spare time, Angel says if she were food she would be “anything Italian - spaghetti formaggio parmigiano, an authentic Italian dish flamed with whiskey at your table!"

Zach Wade has over 20 years of experience in commercial real estate investment and project leasing and has led the company in over $500 million of office acquisitions since joining MRP Realty in 2006. During this time, he also played a major role in MRP’s coworking affiliate company, MAKE Offices, where he served as CEO and treasurer until April 2020. Prior to joining MRP, Zach was Director of Acquisitions for the Mid-Atlantic region of NPV/Direct Invest, an operating partner of Lehman Brothers, and was directly responsible for the acquisition of office and warehouse properties valuing over $120 million. While at Trammell Crow Company, Zach leased over two million square feet of office space in Northern Virginia. He is an Executive Committee Member for the Washington Real Estate Group. Zach received a B.A. in Economics and Communications Studies from the University of North Carolina and a Master of Real Estate from Johns Hopkins University.

Josh Dubin has nearly a decade of experience in event production. While working for the City of Philadelphia, Josh organized professional development events and town hall gatherings focused on serving the city’s creative and cultural sectors, as well as a performing arts series that showcased local talent in City Hall courtyard. Since 2009, Josh has also produced Bloktoberfest, an annual non-profit street fair that welcomes over 25,000 attendees from throughout Greater Philadelphia. Josh previously served as Executive Director of Franklin’s Paine Skatepark Fund, where he developed programming for Philadelphia’s growing network of public skateparks. He is a graduate of the University of Pennsylvania and Center City resident.

Jamie Hodari is the CEO and Co-founder of Industrious, the largest premium workplace provider in the U.S. Under his leadership, Industrious has grown to over 95 locations across more than 50 cities, achieving the best unit economics in the industry, and pioneering the evolution to landlord partnerships over traditional leases. Prior to Industrious, Jamie was CEO of Kepler, a hedge fund analyst at Birch Run Capital, a corporate lawyer at Sullivan & Cromwell, and a reporter for the Times of India. He holds a J.D. from Yale Law School, an M.P.P. from Harvard University, and a B.A. from Columbia University.

Adam Glaser is an architect and urban designer at Ayers Saint Gross (ASG), a firm that focuses on creating innovation districts. Glaser and his team approach projects like an entrepreneur launching a startup. ASG’s principals and staff provide design, planning, and technical expertise for a wide variety of project types around the globe, with a particular focus on higher education. Glaser has developed Campus 2.0, a campus planning initiative founded on the idea that anchor institutions have as much interest in growing the areas around their campuses, including innovation space, non-student residential, transit, and businesses as they do in their campus cores. These edge developments are critical to attracting and retaining the city’s talent and in growing its communities. Glaser advises his higher education clients on placemaking strategies, which include mixed-use and coworking spaces that appeal to younger entrepreneurs. He joined Benjamin’s Desk to gain first-hand experience with the innovation economy that is taking place in Philadelphia’s Rittenhouse Square.

GLOBAL DIRECTOR, WORKPLACE PERFORMANCE STRATEGY Amy is the Global Director of Jacobs Workplace Performance Strategies team. She has created new ways of working for a wide range of both public and private organizations to align mission, vision and business drivers. Amy’s experience focuses on organizational dynamics and how work, culture and work processes inform business performance. Our data driven approach includes senior leader and employee engagement, predictive analytics to shape responsive solutions and prepare for change management. As a thought leader in strategy, Amy speaks regularly at national conferences including Corenet Global, BOMA, and NeoCon. Her unique perspective on people, place, and work brings a distinct advantage to each client with whom she works.

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.

Erik Williams assists clients with commercial real estate transactions, with an emphasis on site acquisition, disposition, finance, construction, and leasing matters. He has advised a broad range of public and private clients, from small entrepreneurs to large institutions. Erik also represents numerous hospital and health care institutions, colleges and universities, and developers in connection with complex project development and construction-related matters. He also advises landlords and tenants on matters involving real estate law, including the development approval process, financing, leasing and construction. Erik regularly lectures to a variety of audiences on real estate-related legal issues. He co-authored several chapters in the Annual Real Estate Institute Manual, published by the Pennsylvania Bar Institute (PBI). He is also a frequent contributor to various real estate periodicals and actively participates in firm management, including as vice chair of the Real Estate, Energy and Environmental Department and vice office managing partner of the Philadelphia office. Prior to entering law school, Erik taught English and journalism at St. Michael’s High School on the Navajo Nation Reservation in Window Rock, Arizona. He received AmeriCorps’ National Service Award for outstanding volunteer contribution to national education.