Loudoun County Boom!
(And Cocktail Schmooze!)

Mr. Buchanan is a Principal of Buchanan Partners, a full service real estate development company in office, retail, industrial, residential, and large mixeduse planned communities. Mr. Buchanan is the President of the 2030 Group, an association of Washington metropolitan area business leaders focused on regional long-term decision-making and solutions. The mission of the 2030 Group is to advance a strong regional economy with new employment opportunities and sustainable prosperity for current and future residents of the Washington metropolitan area. Mr. Buchanan was recently recognized in the Washington Business Journal’s “Power 100” list of the region’s most influential business leaders. Until recently, Mr. Buchanan was chair of VisArts, a premier visual arts organization in the capital region that’s based in Rockville. His extensive past community involvement also involves Chair of Loudoun County Economic Development Commission and Founding Member of the Ballston Partnership.

Buddy Rizer is the Executive Director of the Loudoun County Department of Economic Development, the 2021 Economic Development Organization of the Year. During his tenure, Rizer and his team have attracted more than $50 billion in new commercial investment and more than 50 thousand new jobs. During this time, the growth in the commercial based has help lower the tax rate in Loudoun by more than 41 cents on the dollar, saving residents thousands of dollars annually on their tax bill. Mr. Rizer has been named a Tech Titan 7 times by Washingtonian Magazine, has been named one of the 50 most influential Virginians 6 times by Virginia Business Magazine, is a 4-time member of Virginia’s Power 500, and was three times named to the Washington Business Journal’s Power 100 as one of the most influential businesspeople in Washington, DC. Mr. Rizer is a Certified Economic Developer, a certified Entrepreneurship Development Professional, and a graduate of Virginia Tech's Local Government Management Graduate Certificate Program.

An Alexandria native and Falls Church resident, Andrew has cultivated a unique set of skills, knowledge, relationships, and expertise in the transactional aspects of real estate law. He has represented clients in 16 Virginia localities, from Arlington County to Winchester, and specializesin securing zoning approvals and providing counselto residential,commercial, and industrial developers and landowners, advises clients on all aspects of the land entitlement process and real estate matters, and frequently appears before planning commissions, town and city councils,county boards of supervisors, localcitizen groups, boards of architecturalreview, and civic and homeowners associations. Prior to joining The Land Lawyers in 2007, Andrew worked for two members of the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors, the County Administrator of Caroline County, Virginia, and former Virginia Governor (now U.S. Senator) Mark Warner. In 2004, Andrew worked for McGuireWoods Consulting, identifying business expansion opportunities and conducting comprehensive studies for public safety, education, and transportation construction companies across thecommonwealth. Andrew is an adjunct professor and teaches classes in political science, urban history, historic preservation, and city and regional planning at the University of Richmond and the University of Mary Washington. He also leads courses for public and private civil engineers on the land use entitlement process at the Engineers & Surveyors Institute to improve the quality of their plans and the process by which they are approved.Having studiedNorthern Virginia’s geography and chronicled itsland development history, Andrew’sextensive knowledge of the region has played a significant role in assisting clients and navigating issues related to development patterns, transportation concerns, and environmentalchallenges in multiplejurisdictions.

As the President of Rappaport, Henry Fonvielle oversees the leasing strategy for third-party landlord and tenant representation services and all shopping centers within the company’s extensive portfolio. Dedicated to reinvigorating, designing, and constructing top-tier mixed-use developments and shopping centers within the D.C. market, Henry utilizes over 35 years of experience in the retail industry to create well-organized and exceptional projects from conception to completion. With comprehensive knowledge in a wide array of retail types including urban, mixed-use, neighborhood, lifestyle, and power centers, Henry is recognized as a trusted retail advisor and an expert in the commercial real estate industry.  His ability to form and cultivate close-knit partnerships within his team and among his clients enhanced Rappaport’s reputation as a well-respected and experienced firm committed to cultivating places. Under his leadership, the company’s leasing and brokerage portfolio soared from 35 to over 170 properties. Prior to joining Rappaport, Henry was Senior Vice President and Retail Department Head for the Vornado/Charles E. Smith Commercial Realty.  Henry is Co-Founder of the Skyland Workforce Center Leadership Council, member of the Executive Leadership Team for the Alzheimer’s Association – Ride to End ALZ, Emeritus member of the Foundation Board and Ball Chair of Children’s National Hospital, member of the Bisnow Diversity Board, Board member for Tall Ship Providence Foundation, Board member and Gala Chair for Atlas Performing Arts Center, and At-Large member of the Board of the USTA-Mid-Atlantic. Henry formerly served as Vice-Chair for Washington Tennis and Education Foundation, Board member for Federal City Council and Washington DC Economic Partnership.

Taylor O. Chess is President, Development for Peterson Companies and serves on the Company’s Investment Committee. Taylor has developed retail projects valued over $250 million. He is a visionary, known for spotting acquisition opportunities, imagining the possibilities, divesting of property, acquiring land, and building joint ventures. Taylor has been instrumental in leading the company’s expansion into new ventures and development and looks at all disciplines of real estate to find the best use based on market conditions and social and economic changes. Prior to Peterson Companies Taylor was Senior Vice President, Investments at Regency Centers where he established the Mid-Atlantic and Northeast offices. During his eight years, he developed 11 centers valued at approximately $660 million and assisted in the acquisition of 140 centers. Taylor studied at California State University, Northridge. He serves on numerous philanthropic boards and committees including Joe Gibb’s Youth For Tomorrow, Fairfax County Sports Tourism Tax Force and mentors real estate students through ULI’s mentoring programs. He was recently appointed by Gov. Glenn Youngkin as a member of the Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority board of directors to help establish policy and provide direction to management for the operation of Dulles International and Reagan National Airports and the Dulles Toll Road. He served as ICSC’s State Director of Maryland, Washington D.C. and Virginia and has been a guest speaker for the GWU Real Estate Program. FUN FACT: While studying in California Taylor tried his hand at Hollywood and landed roles in popular television shows and movies like Dynasty, Matlock, Solid Gold and Space Balls to name a few. FAVORITE PROJECT: Creating new development opportunities. Once he’s achieved a goal, he looks forward to the next big thing.

Devin oversees acquisitions in five Northeast markets of the U.S. and is responsible for identifying, evaluating and structuring profitable retail development opportunities throughout the Mid-Atlantic and Northeast region. Devin joined Regency as Vice President in 2010. He has more than 20 years of experience in commercial real estate development, shopping center sales, and tenant and landlord representation within the Mid-Atlantic market. Previously, Devin served as principal at KLNB Retail, a leading commercial brokerage and management company in the Washington-Baltimore area for about 15 years. He served as a representative for many national and regional companies in their retail real estate needs to include leasing, sales, development and new store openings. Devin earned a Bachelor of Science in finance and business economics from the University of Southern California. He enjoys spending time with his wife and two children as well as skiing, golfing and coaching youth soccer. He is treasurer of the Arlington Soccer Association, a nonprofit youth soccer organization serving more than 6,900 kids in the Arlington, VA area. In addition, he is also on the board of New Community for Children, a Washington, DC inner-city nonprofit, which provides youth with learning experiences that build their academic, social and creative skills.

Ross Draber is the chief operating officer of United Bank, a subsidiary of United Bankshares, Inc., a $19.3 billion bank holding company. He is responsible for the performance and profitability of the Bank, directing commercial and consumer banking sales and service operations throughout the Washington, D.C. metro area. Draber oversees the region’s market presidents and works alongside them to drive growth and develop business strategy and execution plans. Draber has played an integral role in United Bank’s expansion since assuming the role in 2015. During that time, United Bank has grown to over 70 branches in Maryland, Virginia and Washington, D.C. It has the number one deposit market share among community banks in the Washington, D.C. Metropolitan Statistical Area. Draber is highly involved with the merger and acquisition team and was instrumental in the Bank’s successful acquisitions of Cardinal Financial Corporation and its subsidiaries George Mason Mortgage, LLC and Cardinal Wealth Services, Inc. (2017); Bank of Georgetown (2016); and Virginia Commerce Bank (2014). Draber previously served as a senior vice president of treasury and corporate finance. In this role, he managed the capital adequacy and regulatory risk of United Bankshares, Inc., serving on the Asset Liability Committee (ALCO) and stress test development team. He oversaw the mergers and acquisitions analysis and supervised commercial loan pricing and term sheet structuring within United Bank. Prior to that, Draber held several positions in treasury and credit administration. Draber is a CFA® charterholder and a 2017 Washington Business Journal 40 Under 40 honoree. He graduated from Washington and Lee University with a Bachelor of Science in Accounting and Business Administration.