The Future of Downtown Phoenix

An entrepreneur at heart, in 2010 Erin partnered with a friend & restauranteur Frank Vairo as a silent investor. Erin made a quick switch from silent investor to partner and four concepts later there are no plans of stopping. With the Nook Kitchen brand, Dilly Dally and an event venue & luxury vacation rental in process. Having lived in half a dozen US cities, with a decade stop in Chicago, Erin believes hospitality and great food are a critical component to community development. Her focus in restaurants is financial & legal management along with restaurant design. Arizona native, University of Colorado at Boulder alumnus, wife and mother of two, Erin eagerly seeks to be a part of the revitalization of downtown Phoenix.

Ross Simon was steeped in the culinary and hospitality industry from birth, working at the family restaurant in the old country of his native home of Scotland. Now, following two decades experience in the catering industry and after mixing it up with the biggest names and brands in the cocktail world, Ross has opened his own cocktail lounge inside the historic Luhrs Building in the heart of downtown Phoenix. After leaving Scotland, Ross moved to central London to work as general manager for a very successful bar “The Old Crown” for three years. While there he learned all the essential qualities needed to run a successful & thriving business, before taking a bar back position at one of London’s most highly regarded and creative bars, the award-winning Lab bar (London Academy of Bartenders) back in 2002. Working up the ranks of Lab until he earned the title of head bartender, Ross learned the importance of giving every guest the ultimate bar experience, as well gained knowledge by attending rigorous training programs at bars, events and distilleries worldwide. In 2006, as London became saturated with new bars and great bartenders, Ross decided that he wanted to bring his trade, knowledge and love for cocktails to the United States, Arizona specifically. Since moving Stateside, Ross has worked for a number of well-known bars across Arizona; re-organizing and building each venues bar menu and team training to implement their menus to its fullest. He’s also helped form and continues to build the Phoenix Chapter of the U.S.B.G (United States Bartenders Guild), as well as co-founding the annual spirits celebration, Arizona Cocktail Week. In between getting Bitter & Twisted off the ground, Ross has continued to participate on projects ranging from events, television and menu creation to hosting cocktail seminars, with each raising the awareness of professional bartending and helping the craft of the cocktail move forward on the world stage.

As director of real estate development for Mortenson, George is responsible for strategizing, sourcing and financing development opportunities in the Southwest. As part of the Phoenix leadership team, he focuses on positioning Mortenson as a firm that can deliver comprehensive turnkey solutions for our customers through a variety of markets and across all product types. He has been instrumental in the development of several projects for Mortenson across the state of Arizona including The Beam on Farmer, a first-of-its-kind, 180,000 square foot, Class A, five-story office building coming to Tempe. The new office will be the first cross-laminated timber office building in state. Additionally, George has recently led the development of the Hampton Inn & Suites Downtown Phoenix, a 210-key limited-service hotel downtown and the dual-branded, 259-key Hyatt hotel, currently underway in the Novus Innovation Corridor in Tempe. With more than 22 years of industry experience, he serves as a strong advocate for Mortenson's services throughout Arizona communities. He is actively involved with numerous industry-related organizations including GPEC, NAIOP Arizona and ULI Arizona. George has earned the designation of LEED© Accredited Professional and has managed multiple projects types across the western United States, Hawaii, Guam and Tokyo, Japan. He earned his B.S. in construction management from Colorado State University and an MBA from the University of Denver.

Despite his artistic background, Rainey’s reputation extends far beyond that of his portfolio. At the forefront of artistic revitalization in downtown Phoenix, Rainey has spearheaded some of the city’s most prominent creative ventures, including the development of the Holga's Artists live / work facilities, and the creative consortium realized in the monOrchid featuring two art galleries, coworking, studio and events space. These developments have played a central role in the burgeoning artistic community within the Roosevelt Row Arts District, providing a setting for the Valley’s most promising artists and creatives. Rainey documented the transformation of the Valley’s most promising artist and projects through Shade, an urban arts magazine that Rainey himself founded and published independently. This exceptional dedication to his community earned Rainey recognition with The Arizona Republic, who dubbed Rainey an “urban pioneer” for his work in the city. Rainey also placed in the Phoenix New Times 2003 “Cool Index”, 2012’s “100 Creatives” list and accolades with the Addy Wards, the Award of Excellence from CA and with PDN and Alternative Pick.

Haley Balzano is a founding owner of Bar Napkin Productions. Her 20 years experience in architecture and interior design has been recognized in numerous publications and media outlets across the country. Balzano leads her agency to not just think out of the box, but encourages them to create mindful art that is centered on a philosophy where attention to detail is honored. She continues to be a driving force and expert in restaurant, hotel, retail store, and entertainment venue design. Recently, Balzano added interior football stadium design to her list. In 2017, Balzano collaborated with the Arizona Cardinals organization to create the first major interior upgrades to the University of Phoenix Stadium since its inception. The focal point of the design features a mixture of luxury and state of the art technology. The ongoing project will also include improvements, and is set to be complete in time for the 2018 NFL season. Prior to kicking off her design career, Balzano graduated with a BA in Architecture from Carnegie Mellon with a minor in Architectural History. Her creative passion and precise execution are evident in numerous notable and award winning projects such as N9NE Steakhouse, Planet Hollywood, The Palms Casino & Resort, Hotel Valley Ho and Hyatt’s historic Royal Palms Resort & Spa. Balzano has also been honored as a “Boutique Design BD 18 Forward Thinker,” including being featured in Interior Design Magazine, Hospitality Design and most recently in the book Best of Hospitality Design – Architecture and Interiors. Balzano is a registered architect in a dozen states and is a member of the American Institute of Architects (AIA) and Networking Hospitality (NEWH). She actively participates in a variety of panels, juries, roundtables and industry events nationwide. Recently, she launched, H-A-L-E.com, an online platform dedicated to empowering women in the creative industry. With a growing following, H-A-L-E.com gives its readers an in-depth look at Balzano's key eye for design, personal journey, as well as highlighting stories of other creative and inspirational women.

An attorney by training, Mr. Sprague is a lifelong entrepreneur with a broad portfolio of professional experience having served as president of Warwick & Co., Inc., his family’s private merchant and investment bank and co-managed the formation of its cross-border acquisition fund with Nacional Financiera, Mexico’s development bank, overseeing its Mexican manufacturing facilities. Sprague’s real estate experience has been driven by involvement in and creation of community involving properties in Portland, Oregon and the Phoenix regional market. Currently, Mr. Sprague and his business partner John Hill of 35 years operate a Habitat Metro, LLC, a development firm focused on infill multifamily and hospitality projects in the Phoenix metro market. Sprague has and continues to be an active member of numerous civic and charitable boards, including the Roosevelt Action Association, Grand Avenue Merchants Association, the Episcopal Habitat Coalition of Phoenix, and the Urban Land Institute. He currently serves as the president of the Hance Park Conservancy that is partnering with the City of Phoenix to redevelop the 32.5 acre Hance Park in Downtown Phoenix. Mr. Sprague holds a bachelors of science degree in Sociology from the University of Oklahoma and a Juris Doctorate from the University of Oklahoma College of Law.

Scott is a founding principal of Baron Properties, and its sister companies LivURBN Development and Mountain West Industrial Properties. He is responsible for identifying and analyzing acquisition and development opportunities, structuring acquisitions, and managing equity and debt relationships. He has overseen the acquisition and development of over 7,600 multi-family units totaling in excess of $900 million, 5.3 million square feet of warehouse assets totaling over $400 million, and spearheaded the acquisition of four for-sale development sites with total project costs totaling over $170 million. In Phoenix, Baron currently owns and manages over 2,200 multifamily units in 11 communities. Baron is currently under construction on two luxury multifamily communities (iLuminate and Linear) in downtown totaling 215 units, having a total project capitalization of over $50 million. Recently, Baron acquired a 259 unit value-add multifamily community in the Arcadia Lite neighborhood, with a total project capitalization of $31 million. LivURBN Development has three for-sale residential projects underway in the valley. In January, LivURBN broke ground on The Mason, 33 townhomes at 14th Street and Bethany Home Road and is planning Contour on Campbell, a 111 unit condominium development near the Camelback/Biltmore area which will break ground in July with units in the $350,000 to $600,000 range. LivURBN is in the midst of planning on a condominium and townhouse development in Old Town Scottsdale.

As regional director, Scott Makee is responsible for sourcing and entitling land, designing products, and overseeing the execution of new projects. Makee joined Crescent in 2007 as a financial analyst. He was promoted to development manager in 2010 before assuming his current duties in 2011. Prior to Crescent, Makee was an analyst for CB Richard Ellis’ multifamily investment group in Miami. With more than a dozen years of business experience, Makee also served as a senior branding consultant for Interbrand Wood Healthcare in New York, and vice president for marketing and business affairs for the Numoda Corporation in Philadelphia. Prior to that, he was a senior brand manager for Brand Institute, Inc. in Raleigh, N.C., and New York. Makee is a member of the Urban Land Institute and National Multi Housing Council. A Cleveland native, Makee has a master’s degree in business administration from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and a bachelor’s degree in business administration from Wake Forest University. Crescent Communities is a real estate investment company with interests throughout the southeastern and southwestern United States. Established in 1969, the Charlotte-based company develops single-family, multifamily and resort residential communities. Crescent also owns and manages business and industrial parks and shopping centers.

Crel brings 20 years of sales and marketing experience to Polaris Pacific clients. He oversees Sales Managers and sales teams throughout Arizona while managing key lender and client relationships in the region. In 2016, he was nominated for Sales Manager of the Year by both the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) and the Building Industry Association (BIA). Crel graduated from Arizona State University in Tempe, Arizona

Brian Cassidy, AIA is the President of CCBG Architects, Inc. with studios in downtown Phoenix and San Diego. He has been involved in many adaptive reuse, and mixed-use high-density housing projects in greater Phoenix, including more than 12,000 new apartment units. This work includes a diverse body of warehouse renovations that are breathing new life into our city. Brian passionately advocates to build Phoenix into a world class city in which to live, work, worship and play. He is a graduate of Arizona State University, and is the Chair of the Phoenix Warehouse District Council, which promotes and brands the District in concert with a series of creative volunteers and businesses.