Future of the Burbs

As Senior Vice President of School Development, Bill Pierquet is responsible for planning school growth in new and existing markets, securing real estate and Franchise Owners for each new location, and managing the design, development, and remodeling of all Primrose Schools across the country. Bill has more than 30 years of experience in the multi-unit development business. He has managed all aspects of new unit development and remodeling for both large and small companies, including franchise sales, real estate, architecture and engineering, repair and maintenance, and property management. Previously, Bill was Senior Vice President of Development for Sonic ® where he managed a team that was responsible for opening 150 to200 new restaurants per year. He was also a partner in an area development group that developed both Boston Market ® and Einstein Bro’s Bagels' ® locations throughout the Midwest and New England. Bill earned a bachelor’s degree in Industrial Education, Architecture and Building Construction, from the University of Wisconsin, Stout and an MBA in Finance from Loyola University in Chicago. He is a member of the International Council of Shopping Centers and the Urban land Institute. He currently resides in Acworth, Georgia, with his wife, Sam. He has two grown children and a number of pets, including two horses and seven dogs.

Eric Pearson brings 18 years of experience in casino operations, marketing, hospitality management and development to his position as president and chief executive officer of Valley Forge Casino Resort. Born to casino employee parents, Pearson began his career in the gaming industry at the age of 16 as a bus boy in the steakhouse of a Laughlin, Nevada resort casino. After holding several positions in food & beverage, valet and slots, he advanced quickly through to ranks to leadership roles focusing primarily on gaming operations and marketing. Throughout his career he has provided leadership expertise at several major resort casinos throughout the country, mostly recently with Foxwoods Resort Casino in Mashantucket, Connecticut where he led gaming operations, strategic marketing, amusements and attractions and iGaming operations and development for the largest resort casino in North America. Pearson also held senior leadership roles at Northern Quest Resort and Casino in Spokane, Washington, at several Las Vegas strip properties with MGM Resorts International, and with the three Gila River Casino properties in the Phoenix, Arizona metropolitan area.   “Given the wealth of high-quality amenities, which are unmatched by its closest competitors, Valley Forge Casino Resort is well positioned to grow as a preferred resort and gaming destination in the region”, according to Pearson. “I’m proud to lead such a customer-centric team that continually works to identify new ways to differentiate Valley Forge Casino Resort’s offerings and deliver new, exciting and unexpected guest experiences”, he said.

Tom, a results-driven leader with over 30 years’ experience, directs the leasing and development of Keystone’s New Jersey and Pennsylvania assets. Prior to Keystone, he held leadership roles at Liberty Property Trust, JLL, and Trammel Crow Company. Tom has seen it all in this ever-changing industry. His unique perspective and deep understanding of industry trends informs his innovative approach to real estate, perhaps best exemplified by repositioning 30 Knightsbridge—a former data center and Fortune 500 HQ—into Middlesex Science Center to accommodate the growing life sciences sector in New Jersey. A proud Villanova graduate, Tom holds an MBA from NYU and the prestigious CCIM designation, and is a CPA and LEED Accredited Professional.

As Executive Vice President of Madison Apartment Group, Greg Curci oversees all operations of Equus Capital Partners’ national apartment portfolio as well as the firm’s investment management efforts. To date, he has been directly responsible for successfully executing the acquisition and disposition of approximately $2 billion of multifamily investments nationwide on behalf of the firm's investment partnerships and funds. Greg also assists in the evaluation, design, and stabilization of the firm's multifamily development opportunities. During his 13-year tenure at Equus, Greg has held multiple responsibilities including the acquisition, redevelopment, and asset management of commercial office, retail, and residential properties throughout the U.S. Prior to joining Equus, he was a Vice President and Foreign Currency Trader at Mizuho Capital Markets Group in New York City. Greg holds a B.A. in Japanese Language and International Economics from Connecticut College and an M.B.A. from The Pennsylvania State University. He is a member of the Board of Directors of the East Falls Development Corporation where he serves as Chair of its Real Estate Committee. He also is a member of the Board of Advisors for Roman Catholic High School.

Mr. Thomson is a Senior Managing Director and co-head of the HFF Philadelphia office with more than 10 years of experience in commercial real estate. He is primarily responsible for originating investment sales and equity placement transactions throughout the northeastern United States, in addition to overseeing the day-to-day operations of the firm’s Philadelphia location. Mr. Thomson has executed more than $3 billion in commercial real estate transactions in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeast. Mr. Thomson joined the firm in December 2013. Prior to HFF, he was Vice President of Investments and Director of Marcus & Millichap’s national multi-housing group specializing in the sale of multi-housing assets in the Mid-Atlantic region. Prior to his departure, his team was the highest producing multi-housing team in the Mid-Atlantic.

As President of Bozzuto Construction Company, Mark Weisner leads the strategic direction of the organization. Since joining the Bozzuto team in 2005, Mark has been instrumental in developing business with new and repeat clients. His expert insight and recommendations on construction planning, scheduling, budgeting, and technology have greatly contributed to Bozzuto Construction’s expansion into new product types, geographic markets, and delivery methods—helping grow the company’s project portfolio to more than $7 billion.

With more than 25 years in public accounting, George devotes most of his time serving clients in the Real Estate Industry. These include developers, commercial and residential operators, hotels, property and asset managers, home builders, private equity funds, and individual investors. In 2009, he took on the lead role of the legacy LarsonAllen firm’s Real Estate practice and has brought that experience forward focusing on further developing the firm’s capabilities in advisory, assurance, and tax services available to clients in the real estate and hospitality space. He also is a lead resource in the firm helping clients in real estate workout transactions. Technical experience: • Assists clients in selecting entity status, advises on partnership and LLC formations, helps with modeling IRR calculations and waterfall provisions, and forecasting distributions and allocations under IRC Subchapter K • Provides consulting and expert services related to performance, cash flow, and operations of commercial real estate and hotel operations, including litigation support • Helps clients assess the benefits of cost segregation studies, repair studies, change in accounting methods, as well as help facilitate closely-held business strategic planning initiatives, and design and implementation of succession plans Education/professional involvement: • Bachelor of business in accounting from Temple University, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania • American Institute of Certified Public Accountants • Certified Public Accountant in the state of Pennsylvania Speaking engagements: • Pennsylvania Bar Institute panelist on Distressed Real Estate transactions • Testified in Federal Bankruptcy Court (Trenton, NJ) on feasibility of petitioner’s plan.