Philadelphia’s Emerging Neighborhoods

Craig has over fifteen years of experience in transformational "creative class" place-making and neighborhood revitalization. Craig spearheads the leadership, operations, management and development of mixed use / commercial real estate assets and ignites the creation of innovative communities with a focus on the entrepreneur, meticulously curating local and independently owned businesses. His expertise is in differentiating assets and neighborhoods through innovative marketing, targeted leasing efforts, hands on management and specialized development of his properties. Craig focuses at Arts & Crafts Holdings in leading its long-term strategic vision, community development and leasing and operational initiatives. Craig was the driving force behind the successful development of Midtown Village in Center City Philadelphia, which originally comprised of 24 properties and just over 400,000 square feet of commercial, residential and mixed-use space. Upon taking title to the properties, Craig managed the master planning, architectural and design process, and rehabilitation and construction initiatives. Focusing on luring Philadelphia-based entrepreneurs, start-ups, unique boutiques and food and beverage operators to the properties, Craig led the transformation of a two block blighted area of Center City Philadelphia on and around South 13th Street, once a "red light district," into one of the most exciting and popular live/work destinations in Philadelphia. Craig graduated from Brandeis University with a Bachelor of Arts in Philosophy in 1990 and received his Masters in Business Administration from Baruch College in 1998. Craig lives with his family in Center City Philadelphia.

Anne Fadullon is the Director of Planning and Development for the City of Philadelphia. She also chairs the Philadelphia City Planning Commission and the Philadelphia Redevelopment Authority board. Her cabinet-level department has a broad purview. It plans the City’s land use, promotes affordable housing, preserves historic resources, and supports public art. It assists for-profit and nonprofit developers as they move their projects through the approval process. The Department helps develop and implement the City’s zoning code. Most importantly, it engages Philadelphia’s residents. The Department’s mission is to promote well-planned neighborhoods with affordable housing options, protected historic resources and public art. Anne has 30 years of development experience in both the private and public sectors. She has developed affordable, mixed-income, market-rate and mixed-use projects. While in the private sector she was president of the Building Industry Association of Philadelphia. Anne has a bachelor’s degree in urban studies and economics from Lehigh University. She has a master’s degree in city planning from the University of Pennsylvania. When not promoting strong communities, Anne is looking for new places to kayak or wandering through the woods.

David is the Founder and Managing Partner at MMPartners, a vertically integrated commercial real estate development company having raised over $45M of capital and has invested in over $90M of real estate assets in the Philadelphia CBD market. David is responsible for fundraising, directing acquisitions and financing and leading the strategic direction of the team. David is a former University Merit Scholar at Boston University, from which he graduated with a B.A. in Urban Studies and Public Policy. David has also successfully completed New York University’s Real Estate Finance and Investment graduate level coursework. Previously, he worked at Switzenbaum & Associates and PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP. David is an active member of ULI.

Ms. Richardson, who earned a Master’s in Science from New Hampshire University, has been working on community development projects for most of her professional career, having developed annual programs and capital campaigns for small, mid-size and large non-profit organizations. She has written proposals that resulted in multi-million dollar grants, developed  individual donor drives resulting in the first federated fund in Pennsylvania dedicated to African American donors and donees where she managed a sales force and employee base of 60 people, developed a personnel handbook, and provided compliance in state, federal and local agencies for personnel management. As Executive Director for the African American United Fund, Ms. Richardson managed a $2 million construction project resulting in the first Avenue of the Arts North completed project, and developed a fundraising federation resulting in $300,000.00 in annual income. Ms. Richardson currently serves as the President of the Uptown Entertainment & Development Corporation (UEDC, Inc.), owners of the historic Uptown Theater in North Philadelphia. There she launched a Capital Campaign for $8 million, and provided oversight to the construction project, including supervising the construction project manager. In 2006, she produced a documentary on the Uptown Theater that was aired on PBS. Ms. Richardson has been instrumental in the current revitalization not only of the formerly dilapidated Uptown Theater but of North Philadelphia proper. She is a great resource in Philadelphia and a steadfast advocate of community-based development. She has provided research, objectives and implementation of youth, housing and economic development programs. Her role in revitalizing the Uptown is critical in keeping Philadelphia a Mecca for arts and culture.

Shift Capital (SC) is an urban real estate firm focused on producing strong economic returns while making stronger, more inclusive and sustainable cities. Our Mission is to provide the urban communities we invest in with employment, and other measurable social and economic impacts by acquiring and improving the existing real estate stock and re-tenanting those assets with businesses and individuals that share our common vision. We believe in minimizing displacement of communities, long-term residents and the creative community, through a strategic exit strategy to increase property ownership and preserve long-term affordability for all. Jeff Kahn has over 35 years of experience in commercial real estate managing over $4B+ in acquisitions, dispositions, and leasing during his tenure. Jeff was formerly Senior Vice President, Acquisitions/Dispositions, and member of the founding executive team at American Financial Realty Trust which had the Largest REIT IPO to Date in 2004. Prior Jeff was Partner and Vice President at Kahn & Co for 17 years. Kahn& Co. is the longest operating Philadelphia commercial real estate firm since 1909. Jeff also sits on the Board of the Philadelphia Police Athletic League.

Antoinette Marie Johnson is the CEO of Cohere, a creative agency on a mission to build better cities through impactful brand experiences. Cohere collaborates with clients in real estate, economic development, tourism, and hospitality to create spaces that transform our urban environments. Antoinette has been recognized as one of Philadelphia Business Journal’s “30 Under 30 Entrepreneurs to Watch” in 2012, and a bronze International Stevie Award winner for “Female Entrepreneur of the Year” in 2013. She is currently a contributor to Forbes.com and other publications as a thought leader in branding and placemaking.