Future of Mid-Market

Oz Erickson founded Emerald Fund in 1979 and has been actively developing projects in the Bay Area since that time. Oz identifies new projects and is involved with the entitlements, financing, project design and sales and marketing. Oz has been recognized with many industry honors including the San Francisco Business Times’ Lifetime Achievement Award for Most Admired CEO in 2013. Oz received a BA degree from Harvard University and a MBA from Stanford University

Lou Vasquez is a Founding Partner and Managing Director of BUILD, where he oversees the firm’s business strategy and executive management. Over the course of his 30-year career in real estate development, Lou has participated in the acquisition, entitlement, development, construction and management of more than $1 billion of residential and commercial product. Prior to forming BUILD in 2004, Lou worked in senior management at a number of prominent residential and commercial real estate development companies in the Bay Area, including Trammell Crow, Greenbriar Homes, Bay Communities, Oxford Development, and Archstone Communities. Through his volunteer work as a board member of Habitat for Humanity and as a founding board member of the Mission Preparatory School, Mr. Vasquez is committed to ensuring that San Francisco remains a diverse city providing opportunities for its most vulnerable citizens.

Craig Young is the Founder and Managing Principal of Tidewater Capital. Mr. Young oversees Tidewater's investment, development, asset management, and organizational activities. Over the past two years, Mr. Young has grown the firm's portfolio by investing in entitlement, vertical development, and existing projects across a range of product types including market rate, affordable, and rent-controlled housing, as well as office, retail, and self-storage assets. Mr. Young also spearheaded the development of The Hall, a local food venue that has been featured in the Wall Street Journal, Forbes, and the San Francisco Chronicle. Prior to founding Tidewater, Mr. Young managed the office-investing platform for The JBG Companies in Washington, DC. His previous work experience includes roles at the CIM Group in Los Angeles, the Ballast Point Group in Florida, and Deutsche Bank in New York City. Through his career Mr. Young has gained significant real estate investment and development experience across a broad range of geographies and asset classes. Mr. Young is actively involved in various philanthropic efforts aimed at promoting financial literacy, civic education, and entrepreneurial training for youth in under-served local neighborhoods. He is also on the Advisory Board of Urban Solutions, a non-profit focused on supporting small businesses. In 2014, Mr. Young received the Golden Brick Award, a recognition presented annually to an individual who has made an outstanding impact in their community. In 2015, Mr. Young was recognized as one of the San Francisco Business Times’ 40 Under 40 honorees.

Michael Taquino is an executive managing director at Newmark Cornish & Carey Capital Markets, specializing in investment and development sales in downtown San Francisco. Mr. Taquino excels at underwriting assets, understanding real estate trends and successfully closing transactions on behalf of his clients. He consistently ranks among the top producers in the San Francisco office. Mr. Taquino began his real estate career in 2003, working in the commercial appraisal division of CBRE in San Francisco. In this capacity, Mr. Taquino was responsible for the valuation of multihousing, office, industrial and retail assets across the San Francisco Bay area. He made the transition to commercial real estate brokerage in 2004 with Grubb & Ellis in San Francisco.

Hans is Senior Vice President – Development with Pacific Eagle and its US Real Estate Fund. He oversees developments from acquisitions to completion. His most recent portfolio of acquisitions and developments include 1545 Pine Street, 555 Howard Street, and 1125 Market Street in San Francisco as well as a condo conversion in Malibu and 8701 Park by Renzo Piano in Miami. For the Pacific Eagle (US) Real Estate Fund, Hans is also involved in all fund-raising efforts with institutional capital providers in China. Pacific Eagle’s parent owns Langham Hotels and Resorts including its three brands, Langham, Eaton and Cordis. Before joining Pacific Eagle, Hans spent 9 years with Jones Lang LaSalle last leading the Jones Lang LaSalle Hotels practice in Beijing. He advised international investment banks and private equity buy-out firms on non-performing loan and real asset portfolio acquisitions; he later followed the rise of Chinese capital in China’s domestic markets restructuring national state-owned enterprises in propco-opco deals and working with developers on urban highest-and-best-use assessments. Hans covered more than 400 projects worth US$12 billion and located in 60 markets across China. His development experience encompasses more than 70 million sf of urban mixed-use, hospitality and residential projects, including 2,200 for-sale units as well as 2,500 rental apartment units.

As Principal, Alex Samek is responsible for creating and executing Kor’s strategy for commercial investment, acquisition and development. This includes optimizing the value of Kor’s current property portfolio, and identifying and securing future acquisitions and business development opportunities. Since joining Kor in 2004, Alex has overseen more than $600 million in acquisitions and development for the company, including hospitality, multifamily and residential projects in the US and the Caribbean. Prior to joining Kor, Alex invested more than $100 million in equity to acquire and integrate six companies while at North Castle Partners, a private equity firm with more than $500 million under management. While in the Technology Corporate Finance Group at NationsBank/Bank of America, Alex raised more than $600 million of capital to finance highly leveraged transactions for financial sponsors and provided more than $1 billion of debt financing for technology companies. Alex earned a BSBA from Washington University and an MBA from Columbia Business School. Alex is based in the San Francisco Bay Area.

Santino DeRose was born in Italy, raised in Chicago, Illinois, and attended both undergraduate and law school in San Francisco, California. His focus is on commercial leasing and commercial/multi-family sales. With experience in landlord/tenant issues, land use regulation and commercial leasing, Santino has developed working relationships with many local, regional, and national tenants. Recent lease transactions include well-known businesses such as Ritual Coffee Roasters, Il Casaro Pizzeria, CVS Pharmacy, Marla Bakery, Peet's Coffee & Tea, Inc., Verizon, Cole Hardware, Black Cat, Mensho Ramen, and Emporium. Santino has also worked closely on transactions with established non-profits including 826 Valencia, North Beach Citizens, Maitri Compassionate Care, Tenderloin Housing Clinic, and the Epilepsy Foundation of Northern California. After completing a BS degree in Applied Economics from the University of San Francisco, Santino received his Juris Doctorate from Golden Gate University School of Law with a certificate in Real Estate Law. He is admitted to practice law in the State of California as well as the United States District Court for the Northern District of California.

Ben Davis is the visionary behind The Bay Lights. The non-profit he founded, Illuminate, now seeks to transform Market Street with a new two-mile long work of public art called Lightrail. Previously Ben founded Words Pictures Ideas, an award-winning creative agency known for branding and leading communications on mega projects totaling over $15b in civic investments.