Pittsburgh State of the Market

Bomani M. Howze is Vice President of Development for the Buccini/Pollin Group, a real estate company that focuses on the acquisition, development and management of hotels, commercial and residential real estate. Bomani’s primary focus is on commercial office and multifamily housing. This includes advancing financing, entitlement approvals, leasing and Greenlining efforts. Mr. Howze played a key administrative role in the recent commencement of construction for the 26 story, FNB Financial Center in Pittsburgh’s Lower Hill District. Prior to this role he founded OLMEC Development Company and has helped secure an award of 500+ residential, mixed income units.

Autumn R. Harris has over 15 years of commercial real estate finance experience with both institutional banks and arranging finance for a private commercial real estate owner and developer. Autumn has served as Director of Finance for a private commercial real estate owner and developer since 2015. As such she was responsible for managing the debt portfolio inclusive of construction project loans, property acquisition loans, refinance and oversight of the existing loan 70 plus property portfolio. Prior to joining this private owner/developer Autumn spent 10 years with institutional banks including PNC Bank and RBS Citizens within the Pittsburgh and Philadelphia markets. She served most recently as a Relationship Manager for PNC Bank's Institutional Commercial Real Estate Lending department. As a banker, Autumn has been responsible for financing office, retail, apartment, warehouse/industrial and hospitality projects. During her time in institutional banking she completed the RBS Citizens Credit training program, managed a portfolio with loan sizes ranging from $5MM-$150MM, has prepared credit approval packages for loan approval and managed a portfolio of loans to private developers and Real Estate Investment Trusts (“REITS”), including involvement with the syndication department. Autumn’s experience in institutional banking combined with financing for a private owner/developer has provided her an intense knowledge of collateral evaluation, loan structure, regulatory compliance, cash flow projections, exit scenarios, market analysis and organizational structure. Autumn is very active in the commercial real estate industry and has established long term relationships with capital providers through her active involvement. Autumn currently serves as the immediate Past President on the board of Commercial Real Estate Women (“CREW”) Pittsburgh. She has been involved with both the Pittsburgh and Philadelphia Chapters of CREW since 2003, serving board seats inclusive of President, President Elect, Program Director, Public Relations Committee Co-Chair, Delegate for CREW Network (an international organization with over 10,000 members), and Nominating Committee for CREW Network. Autumn is also an active member of NAIOP Commercial Real Estate Development Association since 2011 and has been active with the Urban Land Institute (“ULI”) and International Council of Shopping Centers (“ICSC”). She also has her Real Estate Salesperson license which she obtained in 2007. Autumn Harris started her career with a boutique commercial real estate investment bank out of Philadelphia in 2003 and is a graduate of Temple University’s Fox School of Business.

Thomas Link is the Chief Strategy Officer and directs the Urban Redevelopment Authority of Pittsburgh's (URA) Business Solutions Department and Business Expansion and Attraction functions. Tom’s team executes the URA’s work to encourage job creation, make place making investments to for business startup, expansion, and attraction for the city of Pittsburgh; with a goal of ensuring inclusion and equity across this work. Tom has nearly 18 years of economic development professional experience with the URA; having worked with a range of economic development financing mechanisms—including direct business and commercial real estate lending, New Markets Tax Credits, PA Tax Credit programs, tax diversion tools, and more. With Tom’s leadership, the URA team made nearly 80 direct investments annually in small businesses and neighborhood commercial real estate developments across the city of Pittsburgh in 2019. The URA’s Micro Enterprise Loan program, operated by the URA, bolsters the URA’s strategy to promote opportunities for historically disadvantaged populations who have not had ready access to business startup and expansion capital, including minority and women entrepreneurs. This program received the Market Confidence Award from Neighborhood Allies at the 2nd Annual Healthy Neighborhoods Celebration in November 2018. Tom provides principal support to the URA’s business expansion and attraction efforts. Tom coordinates frequently with regional stakeholders, including the City of Pittsburgh, InnovatePGH, local universities (including Carnegie Mellon University and the University of Pittsburgh), the Pittsburgh Regional Alliance, Allegheny County Economic Development, the Governor’s Action Team, and others on direct customer engagement services for businesses seeking to expand and locate in the city of Pittsburgh. Tom was among a core team of economic development professionals who led Pittsburgh’s bid for the Amazon HQ2 opportunity (Pittsburgh’s proposal was ultimately short listed by Amazon). Tom serves as Chairperson of the Board of Directors for Pittsburgh Urban Initiatives (a URA affiliate New Markets Tax Credit Community Development Entity), is a member of the InvestPGH’s (emerging CDFI) Board of Directors, and he is a member of the Northside Community Development Fund’s (a local Community Development Finance Institution) Loan Review Committee. Tom volunteers on the mock board of Directors for Management Game Theory classes at the University of Pittsburgh’s Katz Graduate School of Business. Tom is an adjunct instructor at Carnegie Mellon University’s Heinz College of Public Policy; teaching Real Estate Development in the School of Public Policy and Management. Tom holds a Master of Business Administration degree from the University of Pittsburgh's Katz Graduate School of Business, and a Master of Science degree in Public Policy Management from Carnegie Mellon University’s Heinz College of Public Policy.    Tom lives in the Highland Park neighborhood of Pittsburgh with his wife Jocelyn and two children.

Brent Truscott is a Partner of Bloomfield Capital and a member of the investment committee. Since 2010, he has led the originations effort for the firm. Brent is also responsible for structuring and closing debt and equity transactions. Bloomfield Capital is a direct lender and equity investor in commercial real estate assets nationwide. With offices in Detroit, Denver, Chicago, Los Angeles, and Portland, ME, Bloomfield Capital's team draws from a broad base of commercial real estate and finance experience, with over $1 billion of closed transactions since Bloomfield Capital’s inception. The firm provides debt and equity solutions to meet the demands of time sensitive and complex transactions. Bloomfield Capital specializes in small to medium sized financings from $3-30 million in the form of bridge loans, mezzanine loans and preferred equity participations. Prior to joining Bloomfield Capital in 2010, Brent was an Associate of ValStone Partners, a $600 million private equity firm focused on opportunistic and distressed investments. Prior to joining ValStone Partners, Brent spent two years as an Associate at DTE Energy Services, where he focused on project development and M&A transactions. Earlier in his career, he was an Associate in the business valuation group of Standard & Poor’s and an investment-banking analyst at RBC Capital Markets in Boston. Brent received his M.S. from Columbia University in Real Estate Development and a B.S. in management with a concentration in finance from Boston College.

Steve Mazza was born and raised in Sheraden, Pennsylvania. Steve brings more than 30 years of building trade experience as well as community relationship building through the projects he has worked on, and the committees and organizations for which he serves. As a Council Representative for the Eastern Atlantic States Regional Council of Carpenters (Formerly Keystone + Mountain + Lakes Regional Council of Carpenters), Steve works firsthand with contractors, politicians, engineers, architects, union leadership and the membership to achieve overall goals for projects and the community. Steve has been actively involved in politics and community service throughout his entire career, with a significant focus on jobs and building the region. Steve is one of the Vice Presidents of the Pittsburgh Building & Construction Trades Union and is currently the Chairman of the Pittsburgh Construction Tax Fraud Task Force. He has held several notable positions as a member of the Eastern Atlantic States Regional Council of Carpenters and Local 432, including Vice President, Recording Secretary, and Delegate. Before rising through the ranks and becoming a Council Representative, Steve worked on many significant union projects, including PNC Park, Heinz Field, and the Heinz History Center. Steve is a long-time member of the Allegheny County Labor Council and is the Parade Chairman of the annual Pittsburgh Labor Day Parade, coordinating with 75,000 union members and families. He is an appointed representative of Pittsburgh’s Land Bank, a Rebuilding Together Board Member, and a 20th Ward Committee Person for more than 15 years.

Dusty concentrates her practice on all aspects of real estate development, acquisitions and economic incentives, with an emphasis on real estate litigation, including real estate tax-assessment appeals, land-use and zoning appeals, and eminent domain proceedings. Dusty counsels her clients on an array of sustainability issues that impact development projects and facilities, including advice on sustainable development matters such as the U.S. Green Building Council's Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) rating system, and regulatory compliance matters such as greenhouse gas emission regulations, obtaining other regulatory approvals, negotiating complex contractual arrangements, resolving disputes, and managing risk avoidance.

Matthew Cleary is a Territory Manager for SageGlass/Saint-Gobain, a 23-year veteran of the construction community and an accomplished building technology expert. Matt now focuses on smart glass for the benefits of human health/wellness and sustainability. His background includes a degree in Mechanical Engineering from Drexel University. Matt is a former board member of Green Building United and currently serves as a board member of the Philadelphia Community Corps, the facilities committee at Norwood-Fontbonne Academy and the advisory board at the Architectural Glass Institute. Matt also took time away from his primary career to travel, living in Tokyo, Japan, and teaching business fundamentals and technical English to Japanese engineers and businesspersons. During his free time, Matt enjoys a number of outdoor sports and activities including rock climbing, surfing, snowboarding and triathlon training.