Sacramento State of the Market

Jim Lofgren is Senior Vice President of the California Apartment Association, a statewide trade association serving the multifamily industry. He serves as the chief lobbyist for the industry in the Greater Sacramento region. Prior to joining the CAA staff, Jim served as Executive Director of the Rental Housing Association of Sacramento Valley for 20 years. He also held positions in the past with the Building Industry Association as well as the Associated General Contractors of California. He is a graduate of the University of California, San Diego and currently lives with his wife, Martha, in the historic district of Folsom.

Born and raised in Sacramento, Dain has resided in this area for most of his life. He obtained a B.A. in History at Northwestern University and started his career with Sacramento Housing and Redevelopment in Public Housing Management. From there he operated as a sole proprietor of a residential real estate restoration company and real estate broker. In 1980 Dain joined George Separovich to form Separovich/Domich Real Estate Development. Dain has been President of Friends of Light Rail since 1997, past founding member/chair of the Power inn Business and Transportation Association, 1999 Regional Citizen of the Year from the Sacramento Area Council of Governments, a recipient of the 1998 Clean Air Award from the American Lung Association and the 2009 Inaugural Individual Transit Advocate of the Year, an RT-Metro Chamber joint award.

Nicholas Dunfee is a new construction subject matter expert with five years of experience in program design and implementation, construction specification, and industry training. Mr. Dunfee manages several residential new construction programs including the Sacramento Municipal Utility District All- Electric Smart Homes Program, California Advanced Homes Program, PG&E California Multifamily New Homes, Sonoma Clean Power (SCP) Advanced Energy Rebuild, and Roseville Electric Advanced Homes Program. Mr. Dunfee oversees the design, implementation, and management of these residential new construction programs and works to educate the market about zero-net energy and electrification best practices through one-on-one training to builders and group trainings with HERS raters and energy consultants. In recent years, Mr. Dunfee has been focusing on beneficial electrification efforts in California, launching multiple first-of-their-kind electrification programs. This focus on electrification in new construction, coupled with previous experience managing projects for a general contractor, has given Nic the necessary understanding to design and implement successful efficiency and electrification programs that are equitable to all stakeholders.

Steve Wakeman, AIA is passionate about chasing meaning, discovering and supporting his clients’ dreams for their projects. Together they create a synergy that drives successful projects. He brings more than 30 years’ diversified experience in providing solutions to clients. This includes retail, corporate, industrial, education and aviation related projects. He manages architectural and engineering projects from the conception stage through construction and completion, ensuring his team meets the client’s quality, schedule, contractual, and budget goals. Steve spent part of his childhood in Rio de Janeiro and saw firsthand the impact design can have on a community — in Rio, the poverty of the shantytowns contrasted with the modernist design of more affluent neighborhoods. During his career, he has built prominent facilities that blend good design with the needs of the community. Steve is a licensed Architect in California, Idaho and Illinois and is a member of the National Council of Architectural Registration Boards (NCARB). He is a member of the American Institute of Architects (AIA); the International Council of Shopping Centers (ICSC); the Association of California Airports (ACA); the Southwest Chapter of American Association of Airport Executives (SWAAAE); the American Association of Airport Executives (AAAE), Urban Land Institute (ULI) and West Sacramento Chamber. Steve holds a MArch, Management Option, from the University of Illinois at Urbana Champaign and his BA, Architecture from the University of Washington.

In his role as Chief Investment Officer, Randy oversees Fulcrum Property’s principal revenue generating activities including new development opportunities, leasing, sales, marketing, and communications. Randy’s primary focus is to further the development of The Bridge District that fronts the River in West Sacramento. Randy brings over 30 years of experience in all aspects of real estate including development, asset management, acquisition, operations, and finance. In his most recent role as Senior Vice President of Real Estate Development for the NBA’s Sacramento Kings, Randy led the effort for ownership on all the Kings’ real estate holdings with primary focus on the development of the new mixed-use Downtown Commons (DOCO) adjacent to Golden 1 Center. Prior to joining the Kings, Randy spearheaded the acquisition Pronghorn Club and Resort, a 640-acre luxury golf resort community in Bend, Oregon and served as President of the Company. From 2000-2011, Randy worked as an Executive Director for the Morgan Stanley Real Estate Funds where he was actively involved in the oversight of the fund’s investments in the Western United States, Hawaii, and Mexico. With over $3 billion dollars of real estate assets under his supervision, his primary focus was in master planned communities, resorts, land/commercial development, and oversight of large operating companies. Prior to working for Morgan Stanley, Mr. Koss spent eleven years in the retail business with The Macerich Company working in various capacities in development, asset management, property management, and finance. Randy is a graduate of UCLA in Economics/Business and earned his MBA at UC Berkeley’s Haas School of Business.

Mr. Fathy is a Managing Partner of Sutter Capital Group and Director of Capital Markets. Burke joined the firm in 2011 to help grow the firm’s investment management business and leads the direction and execution of Sutter’s investment activity. Prior to joining the Sutter Capital Group, Mr. Fathy was a Fund Manager in Aviva Investors’ Global Real Estate Multi-Manager Group in New York and London. While at Aviva, Burke’s responsibilities included investment analysis and execution, asset management and ultimately responsibility for portfolio construction and management of an $850 million discretionary global separate account, the Group’s largest client. During his tenor at Aviva Investors and its predecessor firm Madison Harbor Capital, Burke sourced, underwrote and closed $180 million of invested capital spanning a wide range of property types and investment strategies. Prior to joining Aviva Investors Burke was an Associate in the Capital Markets Group of GVA Williams in New York where he was responsible for transactional due diligence and valuation of commercial property dispositions in excess of $500 million. Burke holds a an M.S. in Real Estate Finance from New York University and a B.A. in Urban Studies and Planning from the University of California, San Diego.

Deron Benvenuti serves as Director of Leasing for Heller Pacific and is responsible for lease negotiations and tenant improvements. Deron brings more than 25 years of experience in the development, leasing and project management of office, retail, industrial and multi-family properties throughout the Sacramento region. In addition, he assists on special projects and underwriting of new development opportunities. Deron holds a degree in English from the University of Colorado Boulder.

The Hodgson Company is a Sacramento based real estate development, land use and government advocacy firm which specializes in the entitlement and development of real estate and land use projects throughout Northern California. The Hodgson Company has been involved in some of the area’s most innovative residential and commercial developments, including master planned communities, infill development and mixed-use projects. More recently their focus has been on revitalization and mixed used development in the urban centers of the region. John Hodgson is active in both civic and volunteer organizations. He is a Full Member of the Urban Land Institute (ULI) and past Chair of the ULI Sacramento District Council. He was appointed by Governor Pete Wilson and served six years as the Chair of the Capitol Area Development Authority (CADA). In his capacity as CADA chair he is credited with contributing to the revitalization of midtown Sacramento. John currently serves as a Board member of the Downtown Sacramento Partnership and serves on its Governance Committee. He also serves on the Board and Executive Committee of the Midtown Association. He served several terms as Chair of the Sacramento Council of the North State Building Industry Association and currently serves as Chair of its Urban Infill Group focused on Sacramento downtown and midtown mixed-use development. John is a member of the State Bar of California. He is a graduate of UC Davis and King Hall (UC Davis School of Law). CURRENT/RECENT PROJECTS: 19J project (entitled sustainable 11-story mixed use building at 19th & J St, midtown Sacramento); Panhandle PUD/annexation (600 acre master plan – North Natomas); Eastern Star Building adaptive-reuse (conversion to 133 unit Hyatt House hotel in midtown Sacramento); Woodland Research & Technology Park – research park/mixed use project (350 acres – City of Woodland); Jefferson School site reuse (infill site at 16th & N Streets, midtown Sacramento); Team member of the group which successfully negotiated, designed and entitled the 16 Powerhouse mixed-use project in midtown Sacramento (infill site at 16th & P Streets); Truitt Bark Park in midtown Sacramento; Davis Innovation Center (200 acre innovation tech park – Davis)

Laura Knauss an architect and Principal at Lionakis, where she has worked for more than 26 years. Laura sits on the firm’s Board of Directors and chairs the Lionakis Foundation, directing philanthropic activities on behalf of the firm’s nearly 200 employees. As a Sacramento resident for 30 years – Laura and her husband, Nick Docous, also one of the firm’s Principals, live in and raised their family in Curtis Park – she has witnessed significant change in the city. The firm, headquartered in Sacramento, relocated to its 19th and T Street location 20 years ago, one of the catalysts for the revival of the area. As the market leader for the firm’s education practice, Laura is passionate about the role that public facilities play in creating vibrant communities. She is actively involved, as a member of the board of directors, in an organization that advocates for funding and policy to promote equitable public school facilities across California. Laura lists the tree-lined downtown street grid, the American River Bike trail and the local craft beer scene as just a few of her favorite things about Sacramento