Bisnow Multifamily Annual Conference SoCal

Bob Hart

CEO
TruAmerica Multifamily

Real estate investment industry veteran Robert E. Hart is the founder, chief executive, and president of Los Angeles-based TruAmerica Multifamily, a vertically integrated multifamily investment firm with regional headquarters in Arlington, VA; Seattle, WA and Dallas, TX. Since its founding in 2013, TruAmerica under his leadership has become one of the most active multifamily investors in the United States and today has approximately $10.3 billion of assets under management. Hart is responsible for the phenomenal growth and national expansion of the firm’s value-add investment platform, which currently includes 46,000 units in 14 states. He has led TruAmerica to a top 50 ranking of the largest apartment owners in the United States the past four years by the National Multifamily Housing Council. As CEO, Hart chairs TruAmerica Multifamily’s Investment Committee to skillfully select value-add assets for acquisition, repositioning, and eventual disposition to deliver outstanding risk-adjusted returns for the company and its 30 global institutional partners. With a career that spans nearly four decades, Bob is a recognized leader in the multifamily industry where he contributes his time and energy as a board member to a variety of industry organizations including the National Multifamily Housing Council and the Urban Land Institute. Named one of the most influential business leaders in Los Angeles by the Los Angeles Business Journal, he was also recently recognized by Real Estate Forum as the “Best of the Best Bosses” in the real estate industry. Understanding the value of giving back, Hart also generously gives of himself – both in time, talent and treasure – to a wide variety of charitable and academic organizations, raising tens of millions of dollars to better the lives of others in his community. For nearly 16 years, half as Chairman, Bob has been a member of the board of directors of Chrysalis, a non-profit organization dedicated to creating a pathway for homeless and low-income individuals to find and retain employment in Los Angeles. Recognized for his professional and philanthropic contributions to elevate the human condition, he was celebrated by the City of Hope in 2017 with the Spirit of Life Award. He is also the proud recipient of the Humanitarian Leadership Award presented to him by the Alumni Association of his alma mater Worcester Polytechnic Institute. Hart is also a member of the Board of Trustees of the Marlborough School in Los Angeles and a member of Board of Governors of the City of Hope. Prior to founding TruAmerica Multifamily, Hart earned industry accolades as the transformational chief executive of Kennedy Wilson Multifamily Management Group, a part of the NYSE-listed Kennedy Wilson global real-estate concern. Hart envisioned and launched Kennedy Wilson’s value-add apartment portfolio strategy that profitably acquired and disposed of more than 20,000 units in 13 years, with a total transaction value of more than $4.5 billion. Previously Hart was senior vice president of portfolio management for global real estate investment management firm, Heitman Capital Management where engineered the turn-around and disposition of a $500 million property portfolio on behalf of pension funds, endowments and domestic and foreign lenders. Previously, he served as Director of Real Estate Marketing for Executive Life Insurance Company, where he was responsible for the orderly liquidation of more than $1 billion in real estate assets and securities. Hart is a sought-after interview by leading publications, and has been featured in The Wall Street Journal, National Public Radio, Bloomberg, The Los Angeles Times and innumerable industry and trade media outlets for his insights into the real estate markets. Hart holds a Bachelor of Science degree in civil engineering from Worcester Polytechnic Institute in Worcester, Massachusetts and continues to serve his alma mater as a member of the Board of Trustees. He earned a Master of Business Administration degree from the Anderson School of Management at the University of California, Los Angeles and where he serves on the leadership board for UCLA’s Ziman Center for Real Estate.

Chris Marsh

President, Apartment Development Division
The Irvine Company

Chris Marsh is President of Irvine Company Apartment Development division. Mr. Marsh is responsible for leading the company’s apartment development growth plan, including land acquisitions, due diligence, entitlements, product development, design, construction and delivery. Since joining the company in 2003, Mr. Marsh over time has been responsible for overseeing all aspects of development for commercial and residential projects for the company, including office, resort, retail and apartment properties. His achievements include the Resort at Pelican Hill, where he acted as Project Executive in delivering the world-class resort. Mr. Marsh has practiced in the field of commercial and multifamily real estate development for 25 years and has represented developers in the United States, United Kingdom and Spain. In a consultancy capacity, he also acted as third party adviser to several blue chip and institutional investors, including Société Générale, Scottish Widows and Pearl Assurance. He received a bachelor’s degree with first-class honors in quantity surveying from the University of Central England, Birmingham, UK, and earned a master’s degree in construction management from the University of Reading, UK.

John Eudy

CIO & EVP
Essex Property Trust

Mr. Eudy is a founder and Senior Executive officer of Essex Property Trust, Inc., the proven West Coast leader in multifamily investment. Mr. Eudy oversees all development activities, from the point of acquisition through construction and stabilization. He joined Essex's predecessor, Essex Property Corporation, in 1985 and initiated the development activities of the company. During his tenure the company has developed over 15,000 multi-family units and is recognized as an industry leader. The financial performance of its development portfolio, through good cycles and bad, demonstrates a proven, disciplined approach to multifamily development. The company has also received national recognition and awards for Architectural Excellence, more than any multifamily developer in the country. Prior to joining Essex, Mr. Eudy was a Vice President in the Commercial Real Estate Investment Group of Crocker National Bank from 1980 to 1985, and Home Federal Savings from 1977 to 1980. He received a Bachelor of Science degree in Finance from San Diego State University in 1977, and is a graduate of the University of Southern California's Management Leadership School. Mr. Eudy is a member of the Urban Land Institute, National Association of Real Estate Investment Trusts and is a Board Member of the California Apartment Association.

Ella Shaw Neyland

President
Steadfast Companies

Ella Shaw Neyland serves as President and affiliated director of Steadfast Apartment REIT III. She also serves as President and an affiliated director of Steadfast Apartment REIT and Steadfast Income REIT, positions she has held since October 2012. From October 2011 to September 2012, Ms. Neyland served as an independent director and Audit Committee Chair of Steadfast Income REIT. Ms. Neyland has considerable experience in real estate investment, development and finance. Most recently, while with Montecito Medical Investment Company, she advised the company in the acquisition of 43 medical properties with over two million square feet in 13 states, as well as the acquisition of 8,300 apartments in 29 communities. From 2001 to 2004, Ms. Neyland served as Executive VP, Treasurer and Investor Relations Officer of United Dominion Realty Trust (“UDR”), where she was responsible for capital market transactions, banking relationships, and presentations to investors and Wall Street analysts. Ms. Neyland also was a voting member of UDR’s Investment Committee, which oversaw the repositioning of over $3 billion of investments. Prior to 2001, Ms. Neyland served as the CFO at Sunrise Housing, a privately-owned multifamily development company, and as the Senior VP of Finance and the VP of Troubled Debt Restructures/Finance for the Lincoln Property Company, a multifamily development and property management firm. In addition to her extensive real estate background, Ms. Neyland has held executive positions in the banking industry, including CIBC, BancOne and Frost Bank. Ms. Neyland is currently a Board member for the Investment Program Association (IPA) and she is a member of the Urban Land Institute (ULI). Ms. Neyland received a Bachelor of Science in Finance from Trinity University in San Antonio, Texas.

Barry Altshuler

EVP, Investments
Equity Residential

Barry S. Altshuler has been Executive Vice President - Investments of the Company since February 2015. Mr. Altshuler served as the Company’s Senior Vice President – Investments from January 2007 to January 2015, as Vice President of Acquisitions from April 2002 to December 2006 and as Vice President of Asset Management from January 1998 to March 2002. Mr. Altshuler serves on the Executive Committee of the Central City Association of Los Angeles and the University of Florida Real Estate Advisory Board and is a member of the Urban Land Institute. Mr. Altshuler also serves on the Board of Directors of the California Apartment Association.

Jerry Fink

Managing Partner
The Bascom Group

Jerome A. Fink is a co-founder & Managing Partner of The Bascom Group, LLC. Bascom has completed over $12.0 billion in multi-family and commercial value-added transactions since 1996 including more than 300 multifamily properties and 80,000 units. Bascom has ranked among the top 50 multifamily owners in the U.S. Bascom’s subsidiaries and joint ventures include the Southern California Industrial Fund, Rushmore Properties, Bascom Portfolio Advisors, Shubin Nadal Associates, Spirit Bascom Ventures, REDA Bascom Ventures, MHF RM Holdings, Bascom Northwest Ventures, Bascom Arizona Ventures, Harbor Associates, Village Partner Ventures, and the Realm Group. Bascom’s subsidiaries also include Premier Business Centers, the largest privately held executive suite company in the U.S. Prior to founding Bascom, Mr. Fink acted as Senior Acquisitions and Sales Manager from 1991 to 1995 for Pacific Mutual Life Insurance Company. His responsibilities included market assessment, property identification and negotiation, and the acquisition and disposition of real estate investments. Mr. Fink holds a Bachelor of Science in Electrical and Computer Engineering and a Master of Business Administration in Real Estate and Finance from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. He is a member of the Institute of Real Estate Managements (IREM) and Turnaround Management Association (TMA). Mr. Fink is a licensed real estate broker in the state of California, a Certified Commercial Investment Member (CCIM), a Certified Property Manager (CPM), a Certified Mergers & Acquisitions Advisor (CM&AA), and a Certified Turnaround Professional (CTP). He has appeared as a guest speaker at various functions, including those for the Urban Land Institute, University of California Los Angeles and Irvine, University of Southern California, and other assorted industry events. Mr. Fink previously served on the Board of Directors for the Wisconsin Real Estate Alumni Association and is currently a member of the USC Lusk Center for Real Estate Executive Committee.  He has previously served on the board for the Young Presidents Organization (YPO) California Coast chapter and is currently a member of the World Presidents Organization (WPO). In 2004, Mr. Fink was awarded the Apartment Executive of the Year by the Real Estate Conference Group, the industry's largest and most prestigious multifamily conference on the West Coast, and was later awarded the Rising Star award by the University of California Irvine Center for Real Estate in 2008. Mr. Fink was also recognized in the 2011 Multi-Family Executive Magazine. In 2016, Mr. Fink was awarded the Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year, Orange County.

Chris Payne

President, Multifamily Development
SARES•REGIS Group

Chris Payne is a Managing Director for SARES•REGIS Group, a vertically-integrated real estate investment company focused on developing, redeveloping, acquiring, and managing apartment communities and commercial properties throughout the Western United States. Mr. Payne oversees the residential platform with direct responsibility for new development activity as well as oversight of the investment, construction, and property management divisions. With over 20 years of experience in the residential industry, Mr. Payne has developed many residential product types including apartments, condominiums, seniors, single family, and affordable housing. Prior to joining SARES•REGIS Group, Mr. Payne managed the regional development activities for AvalonBay Communities in Southern California for 14 years. There he was responsible for multi-family development activity totaling over $1.5 billion dollars. Prior to joining AvalonBay, Mr. Payne managed new development activity in Southern California for Belmont Corp, a national provider of senior's housing and assisted living services. From 1996 - 1998, Mr. Payne was responsible for developing single family home communities with Greystone Homes. Mr. Payne was awarded a Master of Real Estate Development degree from the University of Southern California in 1996, and a Bachelor of Science degree in Finance from California State University Fullerton in 1991. Mr. Payne currently serves as an adjunct professor at the University of Southern California and is a licensed California Real Estate Broker. His professional affiliations include the Urban Land Institute and National Multi Housing Council.

Jonathan Slager

Co-CEO & Chief Investment Officer
Bridge Investment Group

Jonathan Slager serves as Co-CEO of Bridge Investment Group and CIO of Bridge Multifamily Fund Manager LLC, and has 31 years of experience in the real estate, finance, and software industries. Mr. Slager has been involved in underwriting, acquiring and managing over $3.5 Billion in assets including all ROC fund assets, and has been a key driver of asset executions and returns. From 2005 to 2009, Mr. Slager was with The Pacific Group USA, Inc., and with Bridge Loan Capital Fund. He was responsible for major acquisitions, development, and entitlements and financing of major real estate projects. For nearly a decade prior to that, Mr. Slager worked at The Koll Company and then Wells Fargo Bank. At these leading institutions he was responsible for the acquisition, development, asset management and disposition of commercial real estate assets. Mr. Slager played the leading role on large institutional commercial real estate projects ranging from resort, residential, office, industrial and retail projects. While at Wells Fargo, Mr. Slager negotiated purchase agreements, performed feasibility analyses, coordinated resolution of zoning and entitlement issues, arranged debt financing, oversaw construction, managed assets, and performed leasing and marketing services. During that period, his team acquired land and buildings valued in excess of US$700 million; managed multiple development projects of over 1.6 million square feet of commercial office, industrial, retail, residential, and resort real estate; and formed joint ventures with private and institutional partners, such as Aetna and John Hancock. Mr. Slager earned his Master in Business Administration in Finance and Marketing from New York University in 1985. He earned his Bachelor of Arts in English, Phi Beta Kappa and cum laude, from the University of Utah in 1981.

David Lynd

President & CEO ​
LYND​

​David Lynd joined LYND in 1997 where he served as the Chief Operating Officer (COO) for 16 years. During this time Mr. Lynd oversaw the collection of $250 million in annual rent collections which span across the country in 15 states and 50 different metros. Mr. Lynd has also acquired over $2.8 billion in total real estate value. As a Co-founder of the acquisition company known as Lynd Residential Properties, Mr. Lynd led joint ventures into both commercial management and the hospitality sector. This resulted in acquiring 50% of the Easton Group in 2007 which launched LYND to becoming the 7th largest manager of office and industrial space in Miami (7 million square feet). In 2009, the BC LYND Company was established. As one of its founders, Mr. Lynd created a hospitality group which currently operates 12 luxury hotels. Mr. Lynd received his Bachelors in Administration from Southern Methodist University and holds a CPM designation from the Institute of Real Estate Management, as well as, the CAPS designation from the National Apartment Association. Mr. Lynd also Co-founder LYND Development Partners who earned the prestigious “High-Rise of the Year” award from Multifamily Executive for their development project EnV in Chicago. Other impressive high- rise assets include The Bowie Austin and Joule Denver. Accepting his new role as CEO for LYND Opportunity Partners in 2016, Mr. Lynd leads a very skilled investment team that searches for and invests in opportunistic real estate transactions throughout the United States. LYND Opportunity Partners also serves as the investment advisor to American Veterans Housing CORP. This is a nonprofit organization that focuses on providing Veterans with affordable housing. Mr. Lynd has been the driving force for unit growth at LYND. Increasing the unit count from 1,100 units to over 34,000 units to date. This ranks LYND as the 34th largest property management group in the United States. In addition to his role as CEO, Mr. Lynd has committed 19 years to his real estate career. He has a vast understanding of all operational tasks needed to manage and operate real estate successfully.

Daryl Carter

Chairman & CEO
Avanath Capital

Daryl J. Carter is the Founder, Chairman and CEO of Avanath Capital Management, LLC, a California-based investment firm that acquires, renovates, and operates apartment properties, with an emphasis on affordable and workforce communities. Mr. Carter directs the overall strategy and operations of the Company. Since its formation in 2008, Avanath has acquired $2.5 billion of properties in 13 states in the U.S., comprising 12,000 apartment units. Avanath is vertically integrated and is an SEC registered investment advisor and an institutional fund manager, with capabilities that include acquisition sourcing and underwriting, construction, asset management, and on-site property management. Mr. Carter has 40 years of experience in the commercial real estate industry. Previously, he was an Executive Managing Director of Centerline Capital Group. Mr. Carter became part of the Centerline team when his company, Capri Capital Finance, was acquired by Centerline in 2005. Mr. Carter co-founded and served as Co-Chairman of the Capri Capital family of companies. He was instrumental in building Capri to a diversified real estate investment firm with $8 billion in real estate equity and debt investments under management. Prior to Capri, Mr. Carter was Regional Vice President at Westinghouse Credit Corporation and a Second Vice President at Continental Bank. Mr. Carter holds a Master’s in Architecture and a Master’s in Business Administration, both from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. He received a Bachelor of Science degree in Architecture from the University of Michigan. Mr. Carter serves on the Visiting Committee of the MIT Sloan School of Management. In 2015, Mr. Carter received the MIT Sloan School Distinguished Alumni Award and served as the 2015 commencement speaker for the Sloan School MBA graduation. Mr. Carter is a Past Chairman of the National Multifamily Housing Council. Previously, Mr. Carter served as an independent director on the boards of the following companies: Catellus Development Corporation (CDX), Silver Bay Realty Trust (SBY), and Whitestone REIT (WSR).

Al Pace

CEO and Vice-Chairman
Pacific Urban Residential

Mr. Pace is co-founder and Vice-Chairman of Pacific Urban Investors, a subsidiary of Marcus & Millichap Companies. He is a graduate of the University of San Francisco and a Certified Public Accountant (inactive). Mr. Pace spent fourteen years with multifamily pension fund advisor SSR Realty Advisors (now BlackRock) and its predecessor configurations (Fox, Metric, etc) culminating in the position of Managing Director, National Acquisitions. Pension advisory clients included CalPERS, CalSTRS, the Alaska Permanent Fund, City and County of San Francisco, Colorado PERA and others. Since 1986, Mr. Pace has been both an investment advisor and principal in the acquisition of apartment communities totaling more than 32,000 units and $8.5 billion dollars. Mr. Pace is a thirty-year member and Executive Director of the National Multi-Housing Council (NMHC), actively engaged in issues impacting the multifamily industry. In addition, Mr. Pace sits on the Multifamily Blue Council of the Urban Land Institute.

Mark Sanders

Co-Founder & Principal
Fifteen Group

MARK SANDERS is co-founder and Principal of Fifteen Group. While Mark and his brother Ian are the entrepreneurial spirit behind Fifteen Group which they founded in 1992, Mark’s primary role is evaluating potential new opportunities and overseeing the transaction side of the business. Mark’s responsibilities also include raising capital from investors and lenders and overseeing Fifteen Group’s West Coast operations. Under Mark’s leadership, Fifteen Group has completed more than 75 unique real estate transactions with an investment performance that is extraordinary by any measure. After assembling a portfolio of nearly 20,000 apartment units nationwide, Fifteen Group monetized the majority of its portfolio between 2005 and 2007. During the subsequent downturn Fifteen Group strategically deployed its capital in South Florida and Southern California across multiple property types and continues to be an early mover in emerging neighborhoods. Fifteen Group's transactions range from simple property acquisitions to acquisitions of distressed debt, complex land entitlements, land development and vertical development. Mark received a Bachelor of Science in Finance and Real Estate from the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania. He currently serves on the Board of Councilors of the USC Price School of Public Policy. He is active in a number of local and national philanthropies, and he leads the Fifteen Group Foundation with his brother Ian

Henry Manoucheri

Chairman & CEO
Universe Holdings

Henry Manoucheri’s successful real estate career spans over 30 years. Henry began his career at Marcus & Millichap in 1985 and became one of their top brokers, being recognized throughout California as well as nationally. He has brokered over $500,000,000 worth of transactions in apartment buildings, office buildings, industrial properties, shopping centers and land. After leaving M&M, Henry launched his own privately held acquisitions business, as principal. In less than six months the number of apartments owned grew 200% from 400 to 1,200 units. Having demonstrated a detailed knowledge of acquisitions, operations and construction, Henry was able to partner with Bank of America to acquire and renovate a large apartment community in Carlsbad, CA. The asset was acquired at a purchase price of $50,700,000 with $10,500,000 in equity from Bank of America and $1,200,000 of equity from high net-worth investors. After successfully renovating the property and enhancing day-to-day operations, Henry sold the property four years later for $78,000,000 generating a profit of nearly $9,500,000 for himself and his investors. From this point forward a career of buying significant, well located apartment communities in Southern California began, acquiring 100+ unit properties throughout Los Angeles, Inland Empire, Ventura and San Diego County. Trisail of Bank of America and Urdang Advisors completed 10 large transactions with Henry over a successful 10 year relationship with acquisitions ranging from 200 to 450 units on transactions of $20 million to $70 million. This provided the economic platform for Henry to grow the portfolio to over 4,000 units. Additionally, Henry continued improving and refinancing smaller apartment communities, delivering 400 – 800% total returns to his investors over time. Henry, supported by research and analysis, sensed a changing marketplace and began selling select assets at record prices and cap rates from 2006 to 2008. The vast majority of sales were not used in trade, but rather to fund future acquisitions during the next down-cycle and to provide returns to investors. With over 30 years of experience in the business, Mr Manoucheri has been able to successfully navigate the company through difficult times by focusing on value-add propositions, detailed operations, and favorable financing opportunities, thereby profiting even during down cycles. This devotion to discipline, hard work , continuous examination of operating results and a hands-on approach has enabled Henry to deliver an average return of 22% percent annually across numerous assets, based on cash flow, and a return of over 60% per annum on assets sold. Currently the company is engaged in expanding its current holdings by acquiring new, value-add opportunities from various sellers, troubled borrowers, and financial institutions alike. Henry holds a BS in Finance and Real Estate from Cal State, Northridge, CA.

Stephen Anderson

Senior Director
CityView

Stephen Anderson joined CityView in 2014 and is responsible for identifying new acquisition and development opportunities. He has 11 years of experience in real estate acquisitions, entitlements and development. Prior to joining CityView, Anderson worked at the Redevelopment Agency of Los Angeles for five years where he managed the approval and financing for more than 1,000 units of market and affordable housing across Los Angeles. Prior to that, he worked at Macerich leading the financing, entitlement and expansion of the firm’s regional mall portfolio. Anderson also worked for Tishman Speyer on acquisitions and development in San Francisco. He has a Bachelor of Science in Planning and Development, Minor in Architecture and a Master of Real Estate Development from the University of Southern California.

James Bloomingdale

Head of Acquisitions
JRK Property Holdings

In his capacity as a Senior Vice President of JRK Investors, James Bloomingdale is responsible for sourcing, analyzing, and financing all new acquisitions and managing the disposition process of owned assets. James started at JRK Property Holdings in 2005 as an Assistant Project Manager, helping with the renovation of Oceana Beach Club Hotel in Santa Monica, California. Since then, James has held positions in development, fund management and acquisitions, and most recently as Senior Vice President for JRK Investors.

Ryan Altoon

EVP
AndersonPacific

Ryan Altoon is Executive Vice President with AndersonPacific, LLC, a Los Angeles-based development company focusing on investment, entitlement and development of mixed-use infill projects that are transit-oriented and sustainable, creating livable and walkable communities. Anderson Pacific currently manages/owns over $1 Billion in projects in key Downtown areas throughout California. Mr. Altoon has over 16 years experience in real estate, strategic planning, management and finance. He is responsible for overseeing entitlement and development projects for the firm. Prior to joining AP he worked at George Smith Partners, Inc., a real estate investment bank and financing company, where he was responsible for underwriting debt and equity packages for acquisitions, development and refinancing myriad product types. Prior to GSP he was Managing Director of GFX Center, a design and reprographics firm he founded, serving the international real estate clientele of a professional services firm. Mr. Altoon also served as a Business Manager for Altoon + Porter Architects, LP. Mr. Altoon received an MBA from the University of Southern California, a Certificate of Architecture from the Harvard Graduate School of Design, and BA in Business/Economics and Art History from the University of California, Santa Barbara. He is a LEED AP, ULI-LA Advisory Board member, Chair of the Downtown Long Beach Alliance, and President of the Greater Toluca Lake Neighborhood Council.

Tyson Sayles

Prinicipal
Ensemble

An experienced real estate executive with an 18-year track record of delivering superior project investment returns, Tyson Sayles oversees Ensemble’s multifamily group and its commitment in developing inspiring, transformative places that people call home. Previously, Tyson was the Fund Manager for CityView Southwest Multifamily Partners, a fund that purchased and renovated apartments in the Southwestern U.S. Earlier, he worked with the residential division of The KOR Group, overseeing the acquisition, renovation, recapitalization, construction and/or disposition of over 4,000 multifamily units valued at approximately $1 billion. ROLES & RESPONSIBILITIES Tyson’s role at Ensemble is focused on urban multifamily and mixed-use opportunities, including re-use acquisitions and new developments. He researches, evaluates and analyzes options and information that will lead to optimal decision-making for real estate acquisitions and development. ACCOMPLISHMENTS Bachelor of Arts in Architecture, Minor in Business Administration, University of California, Berkeley; Chancellor’s Scholar; National Merit Scholar Involved in adaptive reuse of Eastern Columbia, winner of Los Angeles Conservancy’s 2008 Preservation Award; and Pegasus, winner of 2004 American Institute of Architects’ Los Angeles Design Citation Award

Shelby Istrin

President & CEO
Onyx Relocation

Onyx is a full-service tenant relocation company based in Los Angeles, California. Onyx consultants are experts in laws and regulations, budgets, timeframes, strategies and guidelines for buying-out tenants when landlords are seeking to redevelop existing apartment buildings or remove units from the rental market. Established in 2015, Onyx has relocated over 1500 tenants, accounting for nearly a quarter of all buyouts in the city (according to the Housing & Community Investment Department of Los Angeles) with a success rate above 85% on qualifying projects. Onyx acts as a mediator between landlords/buyers and tenants, and their method is straightforward - make fair offers, treat tenants respectfully, and be as flexible and as reasonable as possible, all while making sure both parties are following the laws. All tenant-relations staff at the firm are trained in building rapport with tenants and skilled negotiation, while keeping the budget and timeframe in mind. The founder, Shelby Istrin, brings five years of tenant buyout experience to the table, as well as relationships within the city, and among agents and vendors. She is happy to share her knowledge, experience and input with members of the industry and her consultations provide reassurance to landlords, buyers, broker agents and lenders that each project will be given individual attention and handled with caution and care. Onyx has built a system and hired the necessary staff to keep up with the company’s progressive growth. They have a reputation for success with all types of industry professionals including individual owners, development firms large and small, lenders, brokers, and investment fund managers. They’re looking forward to another great year in 2018 as they continue to obtain new business, grow their network connections and expand their team.

Sean Conway

CEO
Pillow.com

Sean Conway is an avid traveler and CEO and Co-founder of Pillow, a company that makes short-term rental hosting in Multifamily units easy, profitable, and compliant. Pillow is Airbnb’s exclusive Multifamily partner and working with Multifamily industry leaders which include Greystar, Lincoln Properties, Livcor and dozens more. Headquartered in San Francisco, the Company has raised $17.5MM and operates buildings in 25 cities across the US. Sean has a dream of making travel accessible for everyone and not just a luxury for some. Prior to Pillow, Sean was the Co-founder of Notehall, an online class and study notes platform, which was acquired by Chegg (NYSE: CHGG) in 2011.

Seth Grossman

Senior Managing Director
Meridian Capital

Mr. Grossman is a Senior Managing Director at Meridian Capital Group. He opened the firm’s San Diego office in May 2011 charged with expanding the company’s presence throughout the western and southwestern states. In his 10+ years leading the west coast for Meridian, Mr. Grossman has built a team that has originated and closed more than $12 billion of debt and equity transactions spanning more than 600 loans across primary and esoteric asset types. Prior to opening Meridian’s San Diego office, Mr. Grossman was a Structured Finance Analyst Fitch Ratings, a Principal at Mission Peak Capital, and worked in Meridian’s New York City office where he closed in excess of $3 billion. Mr. Grossman attended NYU, where he received a Bachelor of Science in Finance and Management. Industry Recognition: 2013: Named to Commercial Observer’s national list of “Top 20 Commercial Mortgage Brokers under 35” 2015: Named to Commercial Property Executive’s list of 17 national “Stars to Watch” in the real estate industry 2015: Named by Real Estate Forum as one of 20 “Tomorrow’s leaders of Southern California”

David Kersh

Executive Director
Carpenters/ Contractors Cooperation Committee

David Kersh is the Executive Director of the Carpenters/Contractors Cooperation Committee (C/CCC), a non-profit organization comprised of signatory contractors and the Southwest Regional Council of Carpenters. For over 19 years, Mr. Kersh has been at the forefront of regional efforts to promote the creation of good paying jobs, fair competition and high quality construction industry standards. He is actively engaged in the areas of land use entitlement, labor compliance, economic development, transportation and contracting policies, where he has focused on ensuring that construction projects are built by top-quality contractors who generate good paying middle class jobs and rewarding training opportunities. Mr. Kersh graduated with a degree in History from UC Santa Barbara and completed additional studies in Madrid, Spain. Born in Lima, Peru, he lives in Culver City with his wife Pilar and his teenage children.

Zach Murphy

Co-Founder
Pender Capital

Zach is the co-founder and Chief Investment Officer of Pender Capital. Zach co-founded Pender in 2015 and brings over 16 years of experience in both commercial real estate finance and capital markets expertise. Zach oversees the firm’s Investment and Research program which includes deal sourcing, research, and structuring and is a member of the Investment and Research Committee and the Management Committee. Prior to Pender, Zach served as Managing Director/ Senior Vice President for Liberty SBF, a commercial finance company based in Philadelphia, where he was responsible for establishing Liberty’s Western Regional HQ in Los Angeles and directed West Coast originations and operations. Zach personally originated over $60 million of commercial loans during the first year of operations on the West Coast. In 2008, Zach joined Silver Point Capital, LP in New York, a Goldman Sachs partner fund, where he was responsible for commercial real estate loan originations and insurance-linked securities trading. During his tenure at Silver Point, Zach traded more than $500 million in distressed commercial real estate debt, insurance-linked securities, and assets in the capital markets. From 2004 to 2008, Zach served as Senior Vice President/Division Director of Velocity Commercial Capital where he was the company’s highest grossing originator in e

Kitty Wallace

Executive Vice President
Colliers International

Kitty joined Colliers International as Executive Vice President in January 2010. She was named “Los Angeles County's Number One Multifamily Agent” by Pierce-Eislen. For 15 years, Kitty has delivered impactful solutions for her clients, servicing every facet of their multifamily real estate needs – from the sale of apartment buildings and residential land developments to condominium conversions, student housing, affordable housing and special assets. Her transactions have spanned throughout Southern California and the West Coast, with a heavy focus on West Los Angeles. Upon entering the commercial real estate field in 1997, Kitty quickly became an expert in her market and has since consistently set and exceeded performance goals within her organizations and the industry as a whole. During her tenure with Sperry Van Ness, she ranked as the company’s #2 agent in the nation for seven years in a row. Kitty now serves as Executive Vice President for Colliers International, where she has ranked #1 in the Greater Los Angeles region since joining the company 2010.

Scé Pike

CEO & Founder
IOTAS

Scé started her career in the 90s in Silicon Valley, designing and developing the 1st ecommerce sites for GM, HP, Blue Cross and others. Later she helped to pioneer smart phones at Palm. In 2007, Scé started her own company, Citizen, the 7th fastest growing company in Oregon which focuses on Internet of Things (IoT) products such as connected cars and connected health. While developing IoT products for these industries, she realized that there was a lack of enterprise-level Smart Apartment solution designed specifically for the Multi-Family-Home Industry. In 2014, she founded IOTAS, a smart apartment hardware and software technology company to help the MFH industry increase revenue, save costs, gather insights & monetize data from their portfolios. IOTAS has been recognized by Fortune, Wired, Gigaom, ABC, NBC, Chicago Tribune and more as the new way of automating apartments to attract tenants. Scé has spoken at Health 2.0, TechFest NW, WebVisions, NAA, and BISNOW on the impact of Internet of Things.

Perry Colligan

SVP
Bellwether Enterprise

Perry Colligan is a Senior Vice President with Bellwether Enterprise’s Los Angeles office. Prior to Bellwether Enterprise, Mr. Colligan was with Grandbridge Real Estate Capital and its predecessor in Los Angeles, Dwyer-Curlett & Co. Dwyer-Curlett & Co., was a Southern California based mortgage banking company founded in 1933. Mr. Colligan was a partner with that firm prior to its sale to Grandbridge in 2012. Mr. Colligan has been involved in commercial real estate for more than 35 years, with more than 30 years experience in mortgage banking. His prior experience included brokerage, development, asset management, acquisitions and entity level finance. During his real estate finance career, Mr. Colligan has structured and placed in excess of $3 billion in debt and equity in more than 350 finance transactions. Representative transactions include permanent loans, construction loans, joint ventures, mezzanine debt and investment sales These debt and equity financings have been placed with a broad spectrum of investors including life insurance companies, banks, pension advisors, investment bankers, credit companies, REITs and private investors.

Mike Akerly

VP & Regional Manager
Polaris Pacific

As a Regional Manager for Polaris Pacific, Mike leads the firms’ efforts in Southern California, Arizona, and Hawaii to support strategic growth and provide exemplary service to industry leading development clients. His extensive consulting, project management, and sales experience spans the complete arc of the development process from pre-planning to sell out. By keeping abreast of constantly changing market and demographic trends, he has gained a reputation for being an essential resource in his clients’ efforts to maximize value, overcome obstacles, establish successful projects and forge new markets. Mike earned his Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Southern California (USC) and his Juris Doctor with concentrations in real property and corporate law from the Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law. He is licensed in multiple states including CA, NY, MA, and WA and is a member of the Urban Land Institute. He has been quoted in the Wall Street Journal, the NY Times, the NY Post, The Observer, The Real Deal, Real Estate Weekly, and Habitat Magazine and his original writings have been widely published in the trades including a column on Business Insider.

Gerhard Mayer

Principal
GGLO

Gerhard is an architect and urbanist embracing a paradigm shift towards the walkable, multimodal, equitable, sustainable high quality urban living of our future. He has practiced architecture on four continents, with valuable lessons learned in many cultural environments. Gerhard is used to leading large complex developments, and he delights in connecting urban planning, landscape and building design to create holistic value for a specific location. He has been pursuing urban change through a variety of organizations he helped found, or been part of.

Anand Kapadia

Executive Vice President
Interwest Capital

Mr. Kapadia is a seasoned finance professional with a diverse background that spans over twenty-five years. At Interwest, he is focused in the areas of expanding the Company’s capital markets relationships, project and platform level financial structuring, developing new business ventures, strategic planning, and is a member of the Company’s investment committee. During his career, he has developed hotels and commercial real estate; been instrumental in creating a unique energy finance platform; and has provided consulting services to numerous principal owners, investors, and financial institutions, and to credit rating agencies. Mr. Kapadia has been an executive with major financial services companies, such as Credit Suisse, Donaldson, Lufkin & Jenrette and Oppenheimer. He has designed and implemented debt, equity and structured finance programs. In addition, Mr. Kapadia is responsible for originating over $8.5 billion in commercial real estate transactions. Mr. Kapadia holds a Post-Graduate Diploma in Real Estate Development from New York University and a Bachelor’s Degree in economics and in Finance also from NYU.

Michael Cohen

VP
CoStar

Michael Cohen serves as Vice President, Advisory Services with CoStar Group (CSGP), the leading provider of commercial real estate information, analytics and online marketplaces. Founded in 1987, CoStar conducts expansive, ongoing research to produce and maintain the largest and most comprehensive database of commercial real estate information. Our suite of online services enables clients to analyze, interpret and gain unmatched insight on commercial property values, market conditions and current availabilities. CoStar Group's websites attracted an average of approximately 40 million unique monthly visitors in aggregate in the second quarter of 2018. Headquartered in Washington, DC, CoStar maintains offices throughout the U.S. and in Europe and Canada with a staff of over 3,800 worldwide, including the industry's largest professional research organization. With views on markets in the United States, Canada and Europe, CoStar’s Advisory Services supports clients with independent expertise in real estate market analysis, real estate portfolio analysis, capital market conditions, investor communications and the design of actionable real estate investment strategies. Under Mr. Cohen’s leadership, Advisory Services provides a range of bespoke research services to a client list that represents a “Who’s Who” of global real estate market participants including commercial banks, insurance companies, Wall Street firms, government agencies, pension funds, investment advisors, real estate investment trusts, and private investors. Mr. Cohen regularly speaks to industry organizations, is often quoted in the national press, and has appeared on both CNBC and Bloomberg Television. Professional associations include the Pension Real Estate Association (PREA), National Multifamily Housing Council (NMHC) and National Apartment Association (NAA). Prior to joining CoStar Group, Mr. Cohen worked for leading analyst organizations in both the real estate and technology industries. He received his B.A. from SUNY at Buffalo, J.D. from Cornell Law School, and M.B.A. from the Carroll Graduate School of Management at Boston College. Mr. Cohen can be reached by e-mail at mcohen@costargroup.com.

Andre Bueno

Principal
Bueno Group

Since 1984 Bueno Group has been active in the affordable housing space involved in a wide array of products from LIHTC to transitional housing to workforce housing. Bueno Group is a vertically integrated, socially responsible company specializing in acquiring, administrating, and revitalizing urban communities. Prior to taking on the leadership of the organization, Andre was an analyst at Goldman Sachs and Morgan Stanley

Mindy Rex

Managing Director, Originations, Affordable Housing
CREA

Mindy Rex has been Chief Operating Officer for The Pacific Companies since 2013, prior to which she was a Vice President and a leading originator for Wells Fargo’s Community Lending and Investment Group for eight years. At TPC she oversees all development activities from application award until stabilized occupancy. Her primary focus is deal structuring and leading TPC’s development and construction teams through the initial financing closing at a pace of 12-18 executions per year. In addition to standard tax credit equity, construction and perm loans/bonds, and numerous public resources such as HOME, CDBG, and USDA, Mindy has personally overseen private capital raises in excess of $200 million for TPC’s pipeline of affordable and market rate housing developments.

Dani Evanson

Managing Director
RMA

Dani Evanson is a Principal of Align Finance Partners and Managing Director of RMA, Inc. Ms. Evanson has over 20 years of experience in real estate. Align Finance Partners, LLC is a private commercial real estate finance company that provides secondary bond financing in connection with the acquisition, renovation and development of affordable housing communities in the Western U.S. Dani and her partners at Align have extensive experience in financing with tax-exempt bonds (both senior and subordinate bonds), Section 42 Low Income Housing Tax Credits, and managing and leasing affordable housing. Dani manages the loan origination desk at Align.

Denny Zane

Executive Director
Move LA