Bisnow Multifamily Annual Conference (BMAC) NorCal

Larry Florin

CEO
Burbank Housing

Larry brings over thirty years experience in real estate, community and economic development in both the public and private sector to Burbank Housing. Most recently Larry served as the Director of Housing and Intergovernmental Affairs for Napa County. He managed Napa County’s affordable housing programs as well as the county’s Housing Authority and community and economic development activities. Prior to joining Napa County Larry spent over ten years in the private sector, co founding a development company specializing in adaptive reuse of underutilized industrial property and overseeing some of the company’s largest development projects in the San Francisco Bay Area including the redevelopment of the Hunters Point Naval Shipyard and Treasure Island. While in the Northeast Mr. Florin oversaw a 2,000 unit urban mixed use development project along the Hudson River across from Midtown Manhattan. He has over 15 years experience working in senior management positions in San Francisco including executive level positions in the Mayor’s Office, Redevelopment Authority and Port. He also served as the first Executive Director of the Treasure Island Development Authority. Throughout the years Larry has served on the Executive Board of the Association of Bay Area Governments, the Governors Task Force on Military Base Conversion, the State of California Housing Element Working Group and California Forward’s One Million Homes Initiative. He has received the San Francisco Business Times Real Estate Transaction of the Year Award and the San Francisco Mayors Manager of the Year. Larry has a Master in Urban Planning from the University of Pennsylvania and a Bachelor of Science in Economics from Purchase State College.

Sam Moss

Executive Director
Mission Housing Development Corporation

I am originally from Fresno, then went to Pennsylvania and played D1 baseball at Bucknell University from 2000-2004. My wife and I met while living in Baltimore, then we moved to San Francisco in 2008. Ever since graduating college, I’ve been involved in real estate in one way or another. Before joining Mission Housing, I managed real estate assets for union pension funds and various union locals throughout Northern California. I started with Mission Housing in December 2011 as an Asset Manager, then Director of Asset Management and became Executive Director in September 2013. I oversee the administration of all Mission Housing assets, programs, and services. I also make sure that each and every day our mission, and the short and long-term vision for Mission Housing are achieved. Every day is different! I am often in meetings at City Hall and throughout various San Francisco communities pushing for more support of the Affordable Housing industry. On other days, my time at Mission Housing might be spent with issues like human resources, operations, budgets or board meetings. Working in Affordable Housing is very rewarding, and I’m very thankful for finding Mission Housing. The most satisfying part of my job is watching our employees represent Mission Housing in the community, interacting with and supporting our residents and our neighbors in the Mission. Since 2012, our staff has grown from eight people to 25 people! Seeing how we can make change for the better is very gratifying. I love working on behalf of the current and future residents of the Mission. The people before me who paved the way for Mission Housing sacrificed a great deal. I’m reminded of their hard work whenever I look at one of our 35 buildings, or meet one of our residents. My wife and I enjoy seeing live music and going to Giants games. I’m also happy to play pool at my local bar and not do much else. San Francisco is such an amazing city, I’m lucky to be able to simply hang out in North Beach or the Mission all weekend, enjoying an awesome burrito!

Travis Throckmorton

Managing Principal
Ankrom Moisan

Travis is fascinated by the purposeful creativity required to produce successful architecture. He believes projects of every size and scale provide opportunities for unique solutions to address any design challenge. Viewing the architecture process as a puzzle, Travis enjoys a collaborative design approach and continually seeks out opportunities for learning and growth.

Patrick Otellini

National Affordable Housing Director
Swinerton

Patrick Hendry

President of Northern California
City Ventures

As President of Northern California for City Ventures, Mr. Hendry leads the Northern California Division and oversees the land acquisition, entitlement, and development of mixed-use residential communities across the San Francisco Bay Area. In his tenure, he has originated over 30 new home communities in Northern California now at various stages of development and oversees a pipeline of 2,500+ homes. He has worked with over 20 different city governments around the Bay Area and has a knack for bringing stakeholders together to get projects approved in today’s challenging housing environment. Prior to City Ventures, Mr. Hendry worked in New York City in an acquisitions role for Madison Realty Capital, an institutionally-backed real estate private equity firm with over $4 billion in firm assets. Mr. Hendry began his career at Pacer Communities where he managed the entitlement and development of large-scale residential communities across Los Angeles, Orange County, and the Inland Empire. Mr. Hendry received a M.Sc. of Real Estate Development from Columbia University, an M.B.A. from University of San Francisco, and a B.A. from UCLA.

Charmaine Curtis

Principal
Curtis Development

Charmaine Curtis is a leader in the Bay Area development community where she is known for her ability to solve complex development issues and deliver results. Whether running her own venture or playing key roles in prominent development firms, Charmaine approaches her work with integrity and passion. Her real estate experience encompasses a diverse range of multi-family, mixed-use, urban infill projects including the groundbreaking conversions of formerly industrial buildings to lofts and an entire city block with housing over a full service grocery store. She has overseen or otherwise participated in the development of over 7,000 units of housing. Charmaine sees the unique potential of pioneering sites and neighborhoods and how to contribute to and enhance their vibrancy and livability. She understands the risks inherent at each stage of the development process and how to effectively manage them. Before starting her own ventures, Charmaine was President of A.F. Evans Development and Director of Development for Mercy Housing. She has a Master’s Degree in City and Regional Planning form the University of California, Berkeley and a Bachelor’s degree from Dartmouth College. She is a longtime board member of SPUR, a public policy think tank that focuses on good planning and good government.

Richard Hannum

President & CEO
Forge Development Partners

Richard brings over 40 years of architecture, design and development experience to Forge. An acclaimed Bay Area architect and serial entrepreneur, Richard leads the Forge team, driving the creation and implementation of our solutions model for innovative, impactful, sustainable and affordable residential real estate development. Under Richard's leadership, Forge currently has over $500 million in development and almost 1000 units in the current pipeline. The entire portfolio is targeted to Essential Housing and Impact investment. Richard has been on the leading edge of sustainability and innovation throughout his career. In 1978, Richard served as the interior architect for 505 Sansome Street, the first “fresh air building” in the U.S. Even today, the building operates so efficiently that it was recently recertified as LEED Platinum. Similarly, Richard designed and delivered as Executive Architect, the first pre-fabricated concrete office building in Northern California, 1101 5th Avenue in San Rafael, CA. As an early LEED AP professional, his projects have looked to advance the implementation of new technologies in sustainable building practices. Richard’s innovative efforts in architecture and development have paved the way, numerous times, for record-breaking profits. For example, Richard served as the Executive Architect for Belvedere Place, a 103,000 square foot office complex in Marin County. The project sold in November 2016 for $46.75M, or $454 psf, one of the highest prices ever paid in Marin County. Similarly, Richard served as the Design Architect for Piers 1.5, 3 & 5 in San Francisco managing the architecture and redevelopment on behalf of Pacific Waterfront Associates and CalSTERS. The award-winning $50M mixed use renovation of the Piers was sold in March 2017 for $103M or $1,250 psf, a record high for office space in San Francisco at the time.

Jeff Brink

Principal and CEO
DCI Engineers

Jeff Brink has over 20 years of structural design experience with significant developments up and down the west coast, ranging from Performance Based Design high-rises to mixed-use projects at Candlestick Point, the SF Shipyard, and Yerba Buena Island. Current projects include the City of San Francisco’s new office tower at 1500 Mission Street and the Virgin Hotel adjacent to the Moscone Center. Jeff’s technical expertise at integrating innovative structural systems, combined with his broad understanding of the construction industry, allows architecturally decisive projects to be achieved while still maintaining the project budget.

Bret Firebaugh

VP
Pankow Builders

Bret is a 27-year veteran in the field of construction and an executive leader for Pankow. He is well-known in the industry for his expertise in lean and collaborative project delivery, friendly demeanor and client-focused approach. Since joining Pankow in 1991, Bret has worked as Project Executive, Project Sponsor, Project Engineer and Field Engineer. He is responsible for overseeing all preconstruction and construction activities, and personnel for Northern CA and the Pacific Northwest. He provides executive-level oversight with a focus on ensuring that the delivery of services exceeds client expectations. Bret’s contributions can be seen in a number of significant projects such as the CPMC Van Ness Medical Office Building and Parking Structure, contracted under an Integrated Form of Agreement that allowed the team to work collaboratively to the fullest extent in the interest of the owner and project. The award-winning, Design-Build, LEED Gold Certified Richmond Civic Center serves as a model for community improvement and provided scholarships to local school children. San Francisco’s Public Safety Building, a state-of-the-art LEED Gold Certified building that houses the San Francisco Police Department (SFPD) Police Command Center, the Southern District Police Station and a neighborhood San Francisco Fire Department (SFFD) Fire Station and the historic rehabilitation of the vital civic asset, the San Francisco War Memorial Veterans Building. Throughout his career, Bret has actively supported the advancement of construction industry education. He currently serves on the Board of Directors for the Design Build Institute of America (DBIA) Western Pacific Region and is a member of the Lean Construction Institute (LCI). Bret holds a B.S. in Construction Management from California Polytechnic State University and is a LEED Accredited Professional.

Sophia Hartkopf

Senior Program Manager
TRC Companies

Ms. Hartkopf is a Senior Program Manager in TRC’s Programs Group with a strong background in environmental policy and energy program delivery. Over the last fourteen years, Ms. Hartkopf has been extensively involved in multifamily, new construction, and retrofit energy project implementation, with a particular emphasis on the affordable housing sector. In this role, she has worked with hundreds of multifamily properties to optimize their energy efficiency and to support other sustainability goals. Ms. Hartkopf contributes to all aspects of program implementation, including: program design, marketing and outreach, database design, and tracking and reporting. Ms. Hartkopf received her B.S. in Science and Technology from Georgetown University in 2006. In collaboration with Pacific Gas and Electric (PG&E), Ms. Hartkopf provides oversight for PG&E’s multifamily new construction and comprehensive retrofit energy efficiency programs, California Multi-Family New Homes (CMFNH) and the Multifamily Upgrade Program (MUP). Ms. Hartkopf oversees operations pertaining to program design, plan review, design assistance, marketing and outreach, enrollment and completion, and incentive invoicing and payment processes. She also oversees new program design, including the recent adoption of a performance score for new construction, which encourages net-zero energy design. In previous years, she managed many of the marketing and outreach activities for these programs and also facilitated coordination with other groups including the LEED for Homes program, Build it Green’s GreenPoint Rated, the New Solar Homes Partnership, California Solar Initiative Solar Thermal program, and Enterprise Green Communities. Ms. Hartkopf also managed ENERGY STAR® appliance manufacturer coordination and conducted a series of multifamily energy trainings geared to builders, developers, energy consultants, architects, and raters. On behalf of the Sacramento Municipal Utility District (SMUD) and Roseville Electric, Ms. Hartkopf led the development of a new program design for the SMUD SmartHome and Roseville Electric BEST Homes residential new construction programs. The updated program design supports builders committed to reaching Zero Net Energy (ZNE) by 2020 and includes program elements related to demand response (DR), electric vehicle (EV) readiness, and peak shifting. The design intentionally includes flexibility to add new bonus measures (such as whole house fans, west facing solar, high efficacy appliances) as the utilities’ priorities shift. TRC developed the program incentive structure, pre-requisites, bonus measures, draft program collateral, and incentive reservation and payment processes. On behalf of the California Advanced Homes Program (CAHP) statewide team including Pacific Gas and Electric (PG&E), Southern California Edison (SCE), Southern California Gas (SCG), and San Diego Gas and Electric (SDG&E), TRC extended the single family 2014 program redesign analysis to multifamily buildings, transitioning the program to embrace the California Zero Net Energy (ZNE) policy goal. TRC analyzed representative multifamily building types to determine the program entry HERS (CAHP) score and to set program incentives for Multi-family Low-Rise (MFLR) and Multi-family High-Rise (MFHR) buildings. TRC developed upgrade packages that achieve various levels of efficiency (i.e. percent above Title 24) for the chosen prototype buildings and representative climate zones and evaluated projected incremental cost of proposed upgrade measure packages. The resulting analysis was adopted by the statewide team in the subsequent program year. On behalf of the Northwest Energy Efficiency Alliance, Ms. Hartkopf supported an evaluation of the Northwest ENERGY STAR® New Homes Initiative. The outcome of this project was a detailed report reviewing the market impacts of the initiative since its inception in the early 2000’s. Ms. Hartkopf managed the section documenting feedback from Home Energy (HERS) Rater Industry. To inform this section, Ms. Hartkopf conducted interviews with frequent and less frequent participating raters throughout the northwest region. Ms. Hartkopf also supported the literature review which summarized market research reports and other publications highlighting the market impact of the initiative. In collaboration with Franklin Energy and on behalf of Consumers Energy in Michigan, Ms. Hartkopf developed a multifamily whole building program pilot to complement the utility’s existing direct install and prescriptive programs. As part of the design of this program, Ms. Hartkopf oversaw the development of technical protocols (audit, energy modeling, etc.), marketing and outreach tools (collateral, webinars, etc.) as well as the review of audit and energy model results and recommendations. On behalf of Idaho Power, Ms. Hartkopf led a process evaluation of the ENERGY STAR Homes program. To complete this evaluation, Ms. Hartkopf reviewed program documents, conducted stakeholder interviews with program administrators, builders, and raters, and summarized program process improvement recommendations. In collaboration with the Sacramento Municipal Utility District (SMUD), San Diego Gas & Electric, County of Alameda Green Building Program, County of Sonoma and other regional partners, Ms. Hartkopf worked on design and implementation of a number of residential programs. These programs fall under the statewide Energy Upgrade brand, an unprecedented collaboration between the California Energy Commission (CEC), California Public Utilities Coalition (CPUC), local governments, and the private sector organizations. As part of this program, Ms. Hartkopf led the design and implementation of the SMUD Home Performance Program which retrofitted approximately 4,000 single- and multi-family homes and audited over 13,000 homes. Ms. Hartkopf was in charge of day-to-day program management, coordination with other incentive, financing and labeling programs, and outreach activities. For the single-family component of the program, Ms. Hartkopf coordinated regularly with SMUD’s internal marketing team to outreach to homeowners through Green Fairs at major centers of employment and a Home Energy Makeover campaign. Ms. Hartkopf also facilitated workforce training for energy analysts, HERS Raters, and home performance contractors. On behalf of the Northwest Energy Efficiency Alliance (NEEA), Ms. Hartkopf assisted in conducting a multi-year evaluation of the market transformation program title the Commercial Sector Initiative (otherwise known as BetterBricks). In this evaluation, Ms. Hartkopf reached out to prior program participants to determine the penetration of energy efficiency and green building practices on buildings in the region. In doing so, this evaluation worked to create an energy savings baseline for the future NEEA commercial programs. To support this project Ms. Hartkopf conducted stakeholder interviews and analyzed the commercial tracking database. On behalf of the Energy Trust of Oregon (ETO), Ms. Hartkopf assisted in conducting a market assessment of lighting in commercial and industrial applications in Oregon. These findings informed ETO’s energy efficiency incentive programs and activities. On behalf of the National Fenestration Rating Council (NFRC), Ms. Hartkopf assisted in creating and implementing an outreach plan for a new tool which creates a NFRC Label Certificate (indicating efficiency) for custom, site-built fenestration. As part of the project Ms. Hartkopf is managing outreach to Energy Service Providers and Building Code Compliance officials. Other related project experience include: assisting in summarizing program efforts surrounding the 2008 Title 24 Codes & Standards change for Pacific Gas & Electric Company (PG&E); assisting in research on zero energy residential technologies and design practices for Southern California Edison’s (SCE) “Very Low Energy Comfort” project.

Kim Diamond

Managing Director, Development
Harvest Properties

Kim joined Harvest Properties in 2021 and is responsible for managing the entitlements and execution of development projects, as well as sourcing new development opportunities for the firm. Kim brings with her 25 years of experience in in all aspects of the development process, from land acquisition, entitlement processing, community outreach, and project implementation and execution. Prior to Harvest, Kim was Managing Director of Trumark Urban, in San Francisco, where she oversaw all development activities for Trumark Urban’s projects, both in Northern and Southern California. Prior to joining Trumark Urban, Kim was Principal and Co-Founder of 7×7 Development, a community-focused real estate development and investment firm. Kim holds Master of Arts in Urban Planning at UCLA and a Bachelor’s degree from Tufts University, with a concentration in urban design and planning. She currently sits on the Board of the Urban Land Institute’s San Francisco District Council, and served as the Past Chair of the District Council. Kim is also a member of Lambda Alpha International, and was the Chair of the Board for Lao Family Services, a social services organization focused on immigrant and native-born communities across the Bay Area. Kim happily resides with her doughnut enthusiast husband, and two kids in San Rafael. She enjoys hiking, dancing, and exploring all the beauty of the Bay Area.

Alex Kolovyansky

Director of Investment Sales
Vanguard Properties

Alexander Kolovyansky is the Director of Investment sales at Vanguard Properties and one of San Francisco’s top brokers. Alexander has been investing and brokering real estate for over 19 years and has been recognized as one of “The Leading 100” by Real Trends. Originally from Brooklyn, New York, Alexander, earned his degree in Economics from Princeton University where he was a two time Track & Field All-American. He worked at a fast paced hedge fund and as a marketing manager/negotiator at Intel Corporation working with senior executives brings a unique insight to the real estate industry. He has a California Real Estate Broker’s License, is a member of The Urban Land Institute, the San Francisco Planning & Urban Research Association (SPUR), Belden Club, the San Francisco Association of Realtors, and an MBA from the University of Arizona.

Paul Zeger

Partner
Polaris Pacific

For over 30 years, Paul Zeger has been the definitive source of information for new construction sales and marketing in the Bay Area. His leadership in identifying and capitalizing on residential development opportunities is unparalleled. Paul’s client relationships include some of the most successful real estate development firms on the west coast – TMG Partners, Emerald Fund, Lennar Urban and Wilson Meany to name a few. Paul believes in making commitments to his clients, and building trust by delivering on his commitments. Paul earned a bachelor’s degree in Economics at Colgate University and a Masters in Business Administration from the Darden School at the University of Virginia.

Douglas McDonald

President
SummerHill Apartment Communities

ummerHill Housing Group is the umbrella organization for SummerHill Homes, an award-winning residential builder and SummerHill Apartment Communities an apartment, mixed-use infill rental housing developer. This powerful alliance forged to serve the home-sales and multifamily rental markets to strengthen the capabilities of two highly successful enterprises. Currently, SummerHill has 20 active projects actively under construction that represent over 2,700 homes, and 12 projects in the development/design stage that consist of another 2,750 homes. SummerHill Housing Group provides the expertise, financial capability, excellence in relationships and staffing power in both the for-sale and for-rent markets. This partnership draws upon decades of experience and expertise in all phases of developing properties from beginning to completion. SummerHill has proven expertise in working closely with cities and neighborhood constituents to successfully integrate new home communities into the texture of the surrounding neighborhood by developing the most compatible housing type, architectural style, and urban plan for each site. We bring strategic real estate investment opportunities to life in the residential and apartment sector. Combining institutional experience with entrepreneurial vision, our management provides investors with the local presence, focus and depth of experience to succeed in competitive markets.

Alan Dones

CEO
Strategic Urban Development Alliance

Alan E. Dones is a licensed contractor, a long-time entrepreneur, an outspoken advocate of equal opportunity in employment and contracting, and an accomplished musician/producer. Dones is principal of ADCo, LLC and managing partner and co-founder of SUDA, LLC, a firm specializing in large-scale, innovative, public agency projects and mixed-use development. SUDA has completed several landmark projects in Oakland, CA and is currently pioneering international development projects in Africa. In 1988, Alan Dones co-founded and served as CEO of Rondeau Bay Construction, Inc. (RBC), an engineering and construction firm based in Oakland, CA. Under his leadership, RBC grew to include offices in five major US cities and completed over $70 million of construction projects. Alan is active in a number of local and national organizations. He has worked with agencies throughout the United States to revise and enhance their small business and W/MBE policies. Currently, he is a member of the City of Oakland’s Workforce Investment Board; member of the Alameda County Health Care Foundation; and member the East Bay Conversion and Reinvestment Commission. Formerly, Dones served as president of the Northern California Chapter of the National Association of Minority Contractors; vice-chairman of the Oakland City Charter Review Committee; board member of the Oakland Chamber of Commerce; delegate to the White House Conference on Small Business; and member of the Legislative Committee for the Engineering and Utility Contractor’s Association. As a member of the Military Conversion and Reinvestment Commission, Mr. Dones was instrumental in promoting legislation and drafting revisions to the language of the Federal Acquisition Regulations (FAR) that enhanced the ability of Women and Minority owned firms to compete for DOD and conversion related contracts. Mr. Dones has authored several articles on minority business issues in local and National publications. He has co-authored a measure on the 1996 ballot in Oakland, California to amend Oakland’s City Charter mandating Affirmative Action programs, combating disparities in City employment and contracting. This initiative had national significance in that it is one of the first voter responses to counter the impact of the controversial anti-affirmative action California Civil Right Initiative (CCRI). Alan Dones is executive producer and co-founder of Strategic Media Alliance, LLC (SMI) ― an international production company based in Oakland, CA. His musical credits are many. Alan co-authored the 1981 hit single, “Be Yourself” with world-renowned bassist, Nathan East. The song appeared on singer Debra Laws’ first solo album, “Very Special” and rose to the top-ten mark on Billboard’s R&B charts [listen]. In 1981, Dones co-authored, “Go For It”, performed by Bill Summers & Summers’ Heat and featured on their classic Jam the Box album. Alan has produced, written and performed with many of the Bay Area’s top artists, including Rodney Franklin, Ray Obeido, Larry Batiste, Jennifer Johns, Hannibal Means, Patricia Banks, Harvey Scales, David Daniel, and The Nemonics. He performed for more than a year in the award-winning and highly acclaimed San Francisco musical review, “Soul, Style & Sass.”

Cory Creath

Founding Principal Architect
AXIS/GFA Architecture + Design

Cory Creath, AIA, LEED AP, brings more than 30 years of commercial architectural design experience to AXIS/GFA Architecture + Design as one of the firm’s founders and Principal Architects. With particular expertise in multi-family residential and hospitality architectural design, Cory’s knowledge spans design, building, development, and operational issues for developers, designers, owners, and investors alike. More than simply an architectural designer, Cory assists clients with the business case for each development, helping stakeholders increase a project’s construction success. In addition to managing architectural design projects, Cory oversees AXIS/GFA’s business development initiatives and day-to-day operations, guiding the firm as an expert on the business-side of architectural firm management. Prior to the formation of AXIS/GFA, Cory was a Studio Director with Gensler’s San Francisco office. In his spare time, Cory enjoys sharing the outdoors with his family – particularly skiing California’s local mountains.

Oz Erickson

Founder & Chairman
Emerald Fund

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

Chek-Fong Tang

Owner & Principal
Studio T-Square

Chek F. Tang, AIA, NCARB, is a veteran architect and urban designer with a passion for and commitment to building livable communities that reflect the fundamental values of smart growth and sustainability, collaboration and community. He has led significant urban design projects both internationally and throughout the Bay Area, including community planning, transit-oriented development and mixed-use buildings. He believes in a strong collaborative relationship between the client, community, and a multi-disciplinary design team. He also has a deep appreciation for the challenges facing both the private and public sectors, and so embraces a balanced approach in addressing pressing global challenges. Chek received a Master of Architecture, Cum Laude, from the Ohio State University, is actively involved in several professional organizations including the American Institute of Architects and the Urban Land Institute, and has been the recipient of numerous design and development awards.