Seattle State of the Market

A-P Hurd’s 25-year career spans real estate, finance and technology. Her experience running a real estate company and developing nearly $3B of new buildings in Seattle has made her a strong investment and risk manager—in addition to having a deep understanding of how her supply chain comes together to create value. A-P is known for her ability to innovate in a highly regulated industry and think strategically about how public policy and technology are shaping her sector. Since founding SkipStone in 2017, A-P has supported clients such as Sound Transit, the City of San Jose, the City of Bellevue, Community Roots Housing (formerly Capitol Hill Housing), as well as several private developers bringing projects to market. Prior to SkipStone, AP spent 10 years at Touchstone where she assembled a new leadership team and execute a merger/transition from a founder-led company. In 2014 Touchstone was successfully acquired by Urban Renaissance Group, and A-P became President until the completion of the portfolio of projects in August 2017. A-P was responsible for the company’s overall financial performance including operating P&L and investment returns. Under her leadership, the company earned several awards (including National Developer of the Year,) and completed projects that set the high-water mark in Seattle for largest commercial lease, highest sales price per square foot, and highest sales price overall for a single project. A-P has also been a Runstad Fellow and faculty member in the Runstad Real Estate Department at the University of Washington, and published The Carbon Efficient City with the University of Washington Press. Prior to Touchstone, A-P’s career was focused in operations and software development. She worked for an enterprise resource planning (ERP) software provider, and her work there (as well as much of her graduate research) concentrated on complex systems architecture. For a few years she also traded interest rate derivatives for Royal Bank of Canada, the largest Canadian bank. In that role, she worked closely with corporate treasuries and developed her risk management skills.

A Managing Director with JLL, Stuart brings over 28 years of commercial real estate expertise to his clients. Formerly a co-founder and Principal with Pacific Real Estate Partners, his expertise includes debt, equity and joint-venture financing for commercial properties and transactions. Involved in leasing transactions exceeding 6M SF and investment sales valued at over $5B, Stuart consistently ranks among the top sales and leasing brokers in the greater Puget Sound area. Prior to Pacific Real Estate Partners, he was a Principal at The Norman Company and managed all ownership leasing activity.

Roger Heeringa’s skill and passion for the structural engineering profession is evident in some of the most prominent buildings in the country. From the W Hotel in Hollywood and the 63 story Independent Tower in Austin to the recently completed 929 Office Tower in Bellevue, his expertise is apparent is all building types. After having earned a B.S. and M.S. from Washington State University, Heeringa started working for the then start-up firm, DCI Engineers in 1989. After 28 years, Heeringa’s career has seen him advance from a Project Engineer to becoming the President and COO at DCI. His experience in the design of economic structures has earned him many loyal, repeat clients among contractors, architects, and developers. Heeringa’s dedication to the overall development of a community is evident in his interest and participation in several committees dedicated to providing insight and a globally progressive engineering community. As a member of ASCE, SEAW, The Masonry Society, and The Council on Tall Buildings & Urban Habitat, Heeringa remains committed to national growth and industry advancement. His dedication to the community extends beyond his role at DCI, serving as a board member for the Seattle-based non-profit Childhaven. During his time away from work he enjoys spending time with his family and you can often find him swinging a golf club or backpacking with his two sons.

As CEO of Goodman Real Estate for more than 15 years, George believes the company’s mission, vision, and values has created a culture that has attracted extraordinary professionals and kept the company on a successful course. During his tenure, he has overseen the teams that developed, acquired, and disposed of over 350 assets in four countries. With experience spanning roles in finance, accounting, property management, asset management, and capital markets, George’s knowledge, experience, and skill move GRE in the direction of the future of real estate. George graduated from the University of Washington and earned his CPA, CPM, CCIM, and RPA real estate designations. George finds satisfaction by challenging his team to achieve their goals while ensuring each person is encouraged and has opportunities to grow. He considers every team member at GRE to be a leader and supports them as they develop an understanding of their strengths and how to use them within the organization. George firmly believes there is a significant shortage of housing nationwide due to questionable regulatory policies. He advocates for the removal of barriers that policy makers can influence, both legislative and regulatory, so that housing supply will increase for the benefit of current and future generations. George believes that a portion of profitable work should go toward those at risk in the community. This belief led George to create IMPACT—a company-wide program with a mission to provide a sense of place for all of GRE’s community by collaborating with local non-profits to serve the vulnerable with a focus on shelter, community, education, sustainability, and relief. He personally serves on several non-profit boards, including WBPA, CRISTA, V16, and the North Seattle College Real Estate Program. George and his wife have three grown daughters, live near the University of Washington, and like to spend time boating, skiing, traveling, and financially supporting local charitable organizations.