8:00 AM – 9:00 AM

Adding Diversity to Your Real Estate Organization

(This program has been approved for one hour of Elimination of Bias credit by the State Bar of California)

Many leading real estate organizations do not reflect Los Angeles’ diverse racial and ethnic population nor that of the broader global population. Yet diverse perspectives and backgrounds are essential ingredients to creating new products, improved service offerings and effective methods of problem-solving that are directly responsive to market needs. The lack of diversity translates to missed opportunities at many levels. However, diversity and inclusion in a business organization are not easy to achieve. Leading professionals who are on the front lines of increasing and maintaining diversity in the real estate profession will discuss effective tools and strategies for recruiting, training and keeping diverse managers and employees in your real estate organization as well as pitfalls to be avoided.

Moderator:
Paige Serden, Senior Vice President and Regional Manager, Real Estate Division, City National Bank
Ms. Serden is a Senior Vice President and Regional Manager with City National Bank’s Real Estate Division. Ms. Serden oversees the division’s Los Angeles Region, including Ventura and Santa Barbara counties, and is responsible for construction lending, operations, and business development. A recognized industry expert, Ms. Serden has been in real estate financing since 1985. She currently serves on the boards at Southern California Leadership Network, UCLA Ziman Center for Real Estate and co-chairs the bank’s Women’s Caucus.

Speakers:
Shedrick Davis, Regional Director, Western Regional Office, LAMBDA Legal
Mr. Davis is the Regional Director of the Western Regional Office for Lambda Legal, the oldest and largest national legal organization committed to achieving full recognition of LGBTQA civil rights. Mr. Davis served on the Lambda Board of Directors for seven years, with the last two as Co-Chair. He also served as Vice President and Assistant General Counsel at JPMorgan Chase in Los Angeles. Prior to that position, he was an associate attorney at Manning, Leaver, Bruder and Berberich and a Deputy District Attorney for the County of Los Angeles.

James Huang, Managing Partner, Founder BRC Advisors
Mr. Huang, president and CEO of BRC Advisors, founded the full-service commercial real estate brokerage firm over a decade ago with a vision for creating a brokerage with a fresh culture that embraces diversity, collaboration, and teamwork. This energized teamwork has grown to include over 100+ agents at five L.A. area offices, who specialize in investment sales and leasing, property management and capital finance. He is currently on the board of REAP LA and AREAA national commercial chair.

Luis Rodriguez, Immediate Past President, State Bar of California
Mr. Rodriguez was the 2013-2014 President of the State Bar of California. He has been practicing law since 1994 and was the first Latino to serve as President of the California State Bar. Mr. Rodriguez works in the Los Angeles County Public Defender’s Office. He has also served as President of the L.A. County Mexican American Bar Association, President of the California La Raza Lawyers Association, Chair of the California State Bar’s Council on Access and Fairness and has served on the California State Board of Education.

Michelle Smith-Ballard, Director, Community Affairs – Southern California, Turner Construction
Ms. Ballard is the Director of Community Affairs for Turner’s Southern California office, which includes Los Angeles and five surrounding counties. Ms. Ballard has 33 years of industry experience in the development and construction of numerous notable projects such as US Bank Tower, STAPLES Center, and currently on the record-breaking Wilshire Grand Hotel. In collaboration with the business development team, she is responsible for outreach to minority, women and small businesses, community relations, and labor and contract compliance.

Robert Williams, Partner, Sheppard Mullin
Mr. Williams joined Sheppard Mullin in 1977 and has been there ever since. His practice is focused upon construction lending, and in particular upon representation of lenders in conventional and tax-exempt financing of affordable housing projects. Since 2009, Mr. Williams has also served as Sheppard Mullin’s Chief Talent Officer with managerial responsibility for the recruiting, professional training and performance evaluation of the firm’s associates as well as for the firm’s diversity and inclusion activities.

8:30 AM – 12:30 PM

New Professionals Track

(Attendance limited to 45 pre-registered participants)

The New Professionals Track is designed and taught by experienced real estate lecturers at elite business and law schools, with the help of a professional new to real estate, and based on input from major employers on what new real estate professionals today need to – but often don’t – know. The panels of this separate track at the Crocker Symposium will tackle the key issues in the real estate business at an introductory level, through case studies illustrating the decisionmaking process. Participants will also engage in a hosted lunch networking session with the experienced professionals who participate in the general sessions of the Crocker Symposium. They will then rejoin the general session afternoon panels, armed with an overview of the afternoon topics that will make that advanced discussion accessible even for newcomers to the topics.

Introduction to Real Estate Finance and Valuation

Taught by Paul Habibi, tenured lecturer at UCLA’s Anderson School of Business, and lecturer on real estate finance at UCLA Law School and successful multifamily developer and investor. This session will examine two case studies that illustrate the concepts of valuation and financial decisionmaking in real estate transactions. Participants will work with Professor Habibi, in business school style, to develop an approach to solving the problem presented in each case study. The case studies will not require advance preparation though lawyers unfamiliar with financial analysis may find it helpful to read a short introductory handout.

Paul Habibi, Professor, UCLA Ziman Center for Real Estate and Principal of Grayslake Advisors
Professor Habibi is Principal of Grayslake Advisors, providing real estate expert witness services; a tenured Lecturer teaching for ten years at UCLA Anderson School of Management and two at UCLA School of Law; and, Principal of Habibi Properties, which owns and manages: Los Angeles multi-family apartments; Kansas City single-family homes; and almond and pistachio orchards in California’s San Joaquin Valley. Active in the community, he serves on the Board of Pacific Charter School Development.

Introduction to the Law Relevant to Real Estate Transactions

Taught by Kathleen Smalley, partner at the national law firm of Boies, Schiller & Flexner LLP and former lecturer on advanced real estate transactions at Harvard, Stanford, Yale, and UCLA Law Schools. This session will examine the legal issues presented by the case studies in the Introduction to Real Estate Finance and Valuation as well as overarching legal concerns in the real estate business. The goal of the session will be to ensure familiarity, both for lawyers and clients, with the legal risks that might affect business decisionmaking, to identify the potential traps for lawyers and their clients, and to identify the right time to bring the lawyer into the transaction.

Kathleen Smalley, Partner, Boies Schiller & Flexner
Ms. Smalley is a partner at Boies, Schiller & Flexner LLP. Her practice in sophisticated real estate transactions, high-stakes disputes, and governance for family-owned, privately held, and publicly held enterprises builds on 30 years’ experience. She was a law clerk to Justice Sandra Day O’Connor, a trustee of CalSTRS, and General Counsel to Trammell Crow Company and Catellus Development Corporation. She has taught Real Estate Transactions courses at Harvard, Stanford, Yale, and UCLA Law Schools.

Introduction to Development and Investment Decisions

Taught by Asuka Nakahara, Associate Director of the Zell-Lurie Real Estate Center at Wharton, lecturer on real estate at Wharton and former Chief Financial Officer and Regional Partner, Trammell Crow Company. This session will examine case studies requiring participants to make go/no-go decisions, drawing on the knowledge base developed in the earlier panels. Participants will discuss with Professor Nakahara how to evaluate and mitigate deal risks, while balancing the potential rewards. Again, case studies will not require advance preparation and will unfold in business school style.

Asuka Nakahara, Associate Director, Zell-Lurie Real Estate Center at Wharton School
Since 1999, Mr. Nakahara has served as Associate Director of the Zell-Lurie Real Estate Center at Wharton, University of Pennsylvania, where he has received numerous teaching awards. Mr. Nakahara co-founded Triton Atlantic Partners, an investment and advisory firm. He was CFO and Partner with Trammell Crow Company. Over a 20 year career, Mr. Nakahara served as CEO for the northeastern U.S., senior Philadelphia partner, and a partner in the Houston office, after beginning in leasing and development.

Career Management and Preparation for Crocker’s General Sessions

Moderated by Rocky Collis, a lawyer starting his fourth year in practice and beginning his work in real estate, this discussion will draw out the issues identified by employers and by senior professionals as critical to success. The leaders of the first three New Professionals Track panels, each with more than 20 years of experience in the real estate business, will share some of the hard lessons they learned in those years, to give new professionals a head start in managing their respective careers.

Rocky Collis, Boies Schiller & Flexner
Mr. Collis is an associate at Boies, Schiller & Flexner LLP, joining the firm in September of 2011. He handles high-stakes disputes and negotiations, focusing on real estate finance, sports, patents, government investigations, and general complex civil matters. He spends significant time on pro bono matters, including representing a coalition of elite international female athletes in seeking equal treatment from their sport’s governing body. He also served as a financial analyst for the California State Treasurer’s Office.

9:10 AM – 10:10 AM

Macroeconomic Forecast: Identifying Real Estate Opportunities through Economic Indicators

Leading UCLA Anderson School economist Stuart Gabriel will provide his perspective on economic fundamentals. This forecast will address a variety of macroeconomic factors and the impact those factors are likely to have on real estate, providing some perspective to get past the “noise” surrounding employment numbers, negative real interest rates and the effect of Quantitative Easing.

Speaker:
Dr. Stuart A. Gabriel, Professor, UCLA Anderson School of Management
Professor Gabriel serves as the director of the Ziman Center for Real Estate at UCLA. He is also the Arden Realty Chair and a professor of finance at the UCLA Anderson School of Management. His research focuses on topics of real estate finance and economics, housing and mortgage markets and urban and regional economics and macroeconomics.

10:10 AM – 11:10 AM

Morning Plenary: Questions & Answers with Kenneth Lombard

In this exclusive interview, Kenneth Lombard will discuss pension fund and other institutional investment in commercial real estate, investment in urban and minority communities, corporate strategy and branding, and other topics on which he has acquired expertise in his diverse career in financial, real estate and entertainment companies.

Speaker:
Kenneth Lombard, Vice Chairman, Investments and Partner for Capri Capital Partners, LLC
Mr. Lombard is Vice Chairman, Investments and Partner for Capri Capital Partners, LLC, and a member of Capri’s Investment Committee. Over his three-decade career, Mr. Lombard has amassed extensive experience in investment banking, economic development, corporate expansion and real estate investment. He co-founded Johnson Development Corporation with Magic Johnson in 1992 and later served as President of Starbucks Entertainment. An active member of the LA community, he has served on the City’s Fire Department Commission, the Charter Reform Commission, the Metropolitan Water District Board, and the board of the Department of Water and Power.

Interviewer:
Norma Williams, Partner, Williams & Associates
Ms. Williams practices in the areas of commercial real estate finance, purchase and sale and leasing transactions. A graduate of UC Berkeley School of Law, she has practiced in major law firms, in-house and in her own firm, the last from 1985-1998 and from 2003 to the present. She is a frequent speaker, articles author and legislative author on real estate legal topics and is a member and officer in national honorary legal organizations.

11:30 AM – 12:30 PM

Can New Regulations and Policies Help Revitalize Infill Development?

The demise of California’s Redevelopment Agencies removed many important incentives and greatly diminished local municipalities’ ability to address financing gaps related to environmental remediation and other issues. However, help is on the way as new CEQA regulations and pending legislation may make it easier for certain infill projects to move forward. Leading developers and land use attorneys will discuss the impact of environmental challenges and potential streamlined processes for infill development, including the opportunities for creating new partnerships with governmental entities to redevelop properties.

Moderator:
DJ Moore, Partner, Latham & Watkins LLP
Mr. Moore, a partner in the Environment, Land & Resources Department of Latham & Watkins, focuses his practice on obtaining and defending project-siting and environmental approvals for major development, energy and infrastructure projects. Since 2004, Mr. Moore has helped clients obtain approvals for projects across the development spectrum, including infill urban skyscrapers, mixed-use developments, hotels and power plants. Mr. Moore has been named a Super Lawyers Rising Star for the last three consecutive years.

Speakers:
Vince Bertoni, AICP, Director of Planning and Community Development, City of Pasadena
Mr. Bertoni is Director of Planning and Community Development for the City of Pasadena and has 25 years of professional planning experience. He previously served as the Deputy Planning Director for the City of Los Angeles and as Planning Director for the cities of Beverly Hills, Santa Clarita, and Malibu. Mr. Bertoni is a member of the California Planning Roundtable and has held several leadership positions with the California Chapter of the American Planning Association.

Chris Fraley, Principal and Founder, Evolve Real Estate
Mr. Fraley recently started Evolve, a real estate investment company focused on capturing the premium associated with the evolution of mixed-use environments. Prior to starting Evolve, Mr. Fraley was a Partner and national Head of Research for Rockwood Capital, where he worked for over 13 years. From 1999 through 2011, he was responsible for acquisitions and asset management on the East Coast, including sourcing transactions and negotiating joint venture partnerships.

Bea Hsu, Vice President, Development, Related California
Since 2006, Ms. Hsu has served as Senior Vice President of Related California, a full service real estate firm specializing in urban infill development including affordable housing, mixed income housing and commercial mixed-use development. She was the Senior Policy Advisor to then Council Member Garcetti from 2001-2005, and currently serves on the Board of Airport Commissioners and the Planning Program Advisory Board of the USC Sol Price School of Public Policy. Ms. Hsu is a graduate of Yale University.

Elisa Paster, Partner, Glaser Weil Howard Fink Avchen & Shapiro LLP
Ms. Paster is a partner at Glaser Weil with over 10 years of legal expertise representing developers, land owners, investors and municipal governments in all aspects of land use and entitlement matters, including CEQA compliance, government and regulatory matters and municipal law, including litigation in those areas. She is also a former professional urban planner and is active in statewide and national planning organizations, the President of the Westside Urban Forum and a Board Member of Menorah Housing.

Lost in Translation? Trends in Foreign Investments in U.S. Commercial Real Estate

Foreign dollars continue to pour into U.S. real estate from institutional investors and sovereign wealth funds from China, Canada, Abu Dhabi and Australia (to name a few), primarily targeting “trophy” assets. Why is this happening? Will it continue? Who will benefit and who will lose out? This panel will provide specific insights into the drivers of foreign investment in U.S. real estate – using case studies of significant foreign investments in Southern California, providing unique insights to tax and deal structuring approaches, risk/return parameters, challenges in bridging cultural barriers, and best practices for working with foreign investors.

Moderator:
Peter Gelles, Partner, Law Offices of Peter Gelles
Mr. Gelles advises U.S. and international clients in regard to real estate and business matters. He has been admitted to practice law in California, the U.K. and Hong Kong. Mr. Gelles is a past Chair of Los Angeles County Bar Real Property Section and the State Bar’s International Law Section, as well as a Past Chair of ABA Committees on International Real Estate Investment and International Secured Transactions and Advisor to the ABA’s Task Force on Transactional Legal Practice. Currently, he serves as Chair of InterCounsel.

Speakers:
Meryl Chae, Partner, Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom LLP
Ms. Chae has 20 years of legal expertise, is leader of Skadden’s LA real estate practice and is co-chair of Skadden’s national REIT practice. She’s been recognized as a “Key Individual” in Chambers Global’s Investment Funds: Real Estate and in Chambers USA. She has been named “a Top Woman Lawyer” and “Top Real Estate Attorney” by Daily Journal, and she was included among LA Business Journal’s list of “Who’s Who in L.A. Real Estate Law.”

I-Fei Chang, President & CEO, Greenland USA
Ms. Chang is the President & CEO of Greenland USA, with over two decades of experience in international real estate development. She guides the strategic vision and all corporate operations for Greenland USA, currently overseeing two acquisition developments, the $4.6 billion Pacific Park in Brooklyn and $1 billion Metropolis in Downtown Los Angeles, assembling a team of leading real estate professionals and consultants and actively seeking additional U.S. investment opportunities.

Michael Karlin, Partner, Karlin & Peebles, LLP
Mr. Karlin is an attorney with over 35 years of experience advising clients on the taxation of cross-border transactions and investments. He was admitted as a solicitor in England and Wales in 1977 and began his career as a solicitor in London at DJ Freeman (now Edwards Wildman & Palmer). Mr. Karlin was a partner at Morgan, Lewis & Bockius, LLP, spent three years as an international tax partner of KPMG LLP and started his own practice in 2001. He joined forces with Jane Peebles in 2007 to found Karlin & Peebles, LLP.

Matthew Strotton, Head of US Property Funds, QIC Global Real Estate
Mr. Strotton has been involved in AUD2.6 billion of international real estate transactions for QIC, with 19 years of real estate experience in Australian, US, UK and Asian real estate markets. Mr. Strotton was responsible for the establishment of QIC’s vertically integrated real estate platform in the US, focusing on identifying new US transaction opportunities and understanding the changing investment needs of capital partners from a variety of international jurisdictions.

Building for Tomorrow: How Changing Demographic, Economic, Political and Environmental Dynamics are Impacting Real Estate Development

Demand for California real estate is undergoing dramatic change. “Millennials” are emerging as significant consumers, with new tastes, demands, and expectations. Foreign investors are making large bets on U.S. real estate. Baby-Boomers are living longer and better, and, homeowners displaced by the Great Recession are making choices about where and how to live. This distinguished panel of experts in government, architecture, development and urban planning will explore the impact on development of these significant shifts, including design themes, density, use of space, amenities, access to public transportation, environmental concerns, affordability, and sustaining and expansion of ethnic communities in a time of gentrification and urbanization.

Moderator:
Seth Weissman, Partner, Jeffer Mangels Butler & Mitchell LLP
Mr. Weissman is Partner in the Los Angeles Office of Jeffer Mangels Butler & Mitchell LLP. For almost 20 years, Mr. Weissman has represented owners, operators, developers, and lenders in connection with office, retail, multi-family and industrial projects, including acquisitions and dispositions, equity and debt financing, land development, construction, leasing and land use. Mr. Weissman is an enthusiastic member of the Real Estate Section of LACBA and has served for a number of years on the Crocker Symposium Planning Committee.

Speakers:
Jim Andersen, Senior Vice President, Trammell Crow Company
Mr. Andersen serves as SVP for Trammell Crow Company’s LA office. Mr. Andersen previously served as President at NMS Properties. He was responsible for the acquisition, development, financing, deal structuring, management and operations and established himself as one of the leading multifamily developers in Greater Los Angeles. During his seven-year tenure with TCC, he held a variety of roles, including CFO and Executive VP. Mr. Andersen holds a BS in Accounting from LMU. He is a member of Urban Land Institute.

Evelyn Blumenberg, Professor and Chair of Urban Planning, UCLA Luskin School of Public Affairs
Professor Blumenberg is Professor and Chair of Urban Planning in the UCLA Luskin School of Public Affairs where she has been on the faculty since 1997. Her research examines the spatial structure of cities (the location of residents, employment, and services), travel behavior, and poverty. Professor Blumenberg holds a bachelor’s degree from the University of California, Berkeley, and a master’s degree and Ph.D. from the University of California, Los Angeles.

Brandton K. Leitze, Project and Sr. Manager, Madison Marquette
Brandton Leitze is Project and Sr. Manager for Madison Marquette. Mr. Leitze has an extensive background and knowledge in real estate development, finance, management, and leasing. Mr. Leitze has been an integral member in the adaptive reuse of the former Continental Graphics facility on La Brea transforming eleven vacant buildings into a thriving mixed-use retail and creative office project. Prior to joining MMRS Mr. Leitze worked with Westfield Group and General Growth Properties.

Aja Brown, Mayor, City of Compton
On June 4, 2013, Aja Brown made history as the City of Compton’s youngest elected Mayor at the age of 31. With over 10 years experience in economic development and planning, Mayor Brown has proven to be a strategic visionary and new millennial leader. Holding a Master’s degree in Urban Planning, the USC alumna is focused on progress and community empowerment, utilizing “New Vision for Compton” as her vehicle to re-establish the City of Compton.

Daniel Gehman, Principal, Harley Ellis Devereaux Architects
Mr. Gehman’s career has included a range of projects, including medical and retail, and he has focused for over a decade on mixed-use infill developments. His work has included every aspect of design, from programming to demographically–focused dwelling design. He is a contributor to trade journals and a speaker at industry events. His particular strength is in working with clients to elicit project vision, then crafting both narratives and solutions to bring it to life.

Jeff Gould, CCIM, LEED AP, Vice President, Colliers International
Mr. Gould is Vice President at Colliers International, with ten years of experience on commercial real estate investment sales and consulting assignments and a focus on add-value, urban in-fill, and redevelopment properties. Mr. Gould is also involved in sustainability and energy efficiency initiatives and is currently the Director of the Los Angeles Better Buildings Challenge. Through this program, Mr. Gould assists commercial property owners in the implementation of energy-efficiency initiatives as a strategy to add value on their portfolios.

12:30 PM – 2:00 PM

Luncheon Keynote: Miguel Santana, City Administrative Officer for the City of Los Angeles

Mr. Santana, has been the CAO for the City of Los Angeles since 2009. As chief financial advisor to the Mayor and the City Council, he conducts studies and investigations, carries out research and makes recommendations on a wide variety of City management matters. Prior to this position, Mr. Santana served as one of five Deputy Chief Executive Officers for Los Angeles County. Mr. Santana has more than 20 years of experience managing numerous legislative, political, and community issues. As one of the few city officers reporting to both the Mayor and the City Council, Mr. Santana has a unique perspective on the city and its future. In his luncheon keynote, Mr. Santana will discuss issues facing Los Angeles today and how we can move forward in the changing economic climate.

2:05 PM – 3:05 PM

Development Opportunities in Transitional Times – Oh Where, Oh Where Can They Be?

The Arts District. Silicon Beach. South Park. Broadway. New suburbs. These are some of the hottest places to develop today, but that wasn’t the case just a few years ago. What makes these neighborhoods appealing to developers, investors, lenders, workers and residents when just a few years ago they were considered blighted or too risky and therefore shunned? What tools and strategies are developers exploiting to successfully complete these new projects? Our panelists will explain what is driving developers and investors to these areas, what types of tenants and residents will likely be attracted, and where they think the next boom will occur.

Moderator:
Fernando Villa, Partner, Allen Matkins Leck Gamble Mallory & Natsis LLP
Mr. Villa is a partner in Allen Matkin’s Los Angeles Office. His practice focuses on land use, environmental law, local government matters, and real estate dispute resolution. He represents clients in land use entitlement, CEQA, and local government law matters involving a broad scope of entitlements for a variety of development projects, including mixed-use, industrial, residential, retail, master-planned, and commercial developments. Concentrating much of his practice on Brownfield development projects, Mr. Villa combines his expertise to entitle his clients’ development projects and help them manage environmental risks.

Speakers:
Bob Gardner, Managing Director, RCLCO
Mr. Gardner is a Managing Director based in RCLCO’s Los Angeles office (Santa Monica). RCLCO is a nationally recognized market and financial analysis and strategic planning advisory firm serving the real estate industry, and ranks among the largest independent real estate consulting firms in the nation. Locally, Mr. Gardner heads all residential, commercial, economic and litigation support assignments dealing with market evaluation, market positioning, economic development, financial feasibility, and fiscal implications of commercial and residential real estate projects. He has 41 years of experience, of which 29 are at RCLCO.

Scott Laurie, President and Chief Executive Officer, Olson Homes
Mr. Laurie joined The Olson Company in 2007 and oversees the organization’s administrative and operating groups, including strategic planning, acquisition, finance, construction, legal, and human resources. Olson is one of the largest private builders in California, focusing on affordable, transit-oriented, urban and infill housing, in partnership with municipalities. Mr. Laurie started in the homebuilding industry in 1996, and he was previously with KB Home for 9 years, holding various executive positions at both the corporate and division levels.

Arturo Sneider, CEO and Co-Founder, Primestor Development, Inc.
Mr. Sneider is a founding partner and CEO of Primestor Development, Inc., one of the nation’s leaders in urban development and re-development, with a focus in dense low/moderate income communities. His primary responsibilities include the sourcing of key acquisitions and project inceptions, project conceptual design, capital structuring and corporate management. He is an active member of Young Presidents Organization, a member of the Board of Trustees of the International Council of Shopping Centers, founding Chair of the Hispanic Initiative of ICSC, and President of the Los Angeles County Capital Asset Leasing Corporation. He has served as an advisor to the City of Los Angeles’ Economic Development Department.

Martha Welborne, Executive Director of Countywide Planning, Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority
Ms. Welborne has served as Chief Planning Officer at the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority (Metro) since 2010. In this role, she leads a staff of over 200 in planning the long-range future of transportation in the County, including the design and environmental review of all new transit corridors. She also oversees Metro’s real estate department, regional capital development activities, and a variety of strategic initiatives such as the Master Plan of the historic Union Station property.

Public Finance for Large-Scale Commercial Development

Creative alternative financing structures are emerging in the wake of the disappearance of the Redevelopment Agencies. Our industry experts will address the latest public financing approaches for catalytic projects throughout California. The panel will explore the economic development tools available, including New Market Tax Credits, Section 108 loans, transient occupancy tax rebates, project-based incentives, conduit bond programs and public-private partnerships. The panel will also discuss new developments, such as Governor Brown’s changes to current infrastructure financing districts, and other policies and actions by public bodies and officials aimed at revitalizing economic development.

Moderator:
Carolyn Hull, Executive Director, LA PLAN, Los Angeles County Economic Development Corporation
Ms. Hull is the Executive Director of The Los Angeles County Public Landowners Assistance Network, which partners with the public sector in Los Angeles County to implement real estate and financing transactions. Previously, she was CFO at Genesis LA, a real estate based investor that directs its capital and strategic advisory services to projects located inner city communities. Ms. Hull served as the South Los Angeles Regional Administrator for the Community Redevelopment Agency for the City of Los Angeles for seven years.

Speakers:
Teveia Barnes, Executive Director, California Infrastructure and Economic Development Bank
Ms. Barnes is the Executive Director of the California Infrastructure and Economic Development Bank. Ms. Barnes was commissioner at the California Department of Financial Institutions from 2012 to 2013. From 2005 to 2012, Ms. Barnes was a partner at Foley and Lardner LLP. She has 35 years of finance and regulatory experience representing banks and other financial institutions as well as profit and not-for-profit companies.

Doug Praw, Partner, Goodwin Procter LLP
Mr. Praw is a partner with Goodwin Procter’s business law department and a member of the firm’s real estate capital markets group with 12 years of experience. He is active across a range of real estate and public finance matters and provides counsel to the spectrum of real estate investors, from developers, owners and borrowers to underwriters and municipalities, special districts and other governmental agencies. Mr. Praw focuses his career on projects that are truly place-making.

Jim Simon, President, RSG Inc.
Inspired to improve the quality of life through community development, Mr. Simon delivers intelligence, innovation and passion to government financing, real estate and economic development projects with RSG, a consulting firm to California public agencies. Mr. Simon joined RSG in 1991 and has served as a Principal and shareholder since 2001. As President of RSG, he leads RSG’s team of inspired professionals serving nearly 100 California communities. He is an active member of the NAOIP and an Advisory Board member of the California Association for Local Economic Development.

José Vera, Managing Director, Stifel
Mr. Vera is an investment banker who has processed and managed the issuance of more than 150 bonds representing $4.5 billion for multiple public agencies in Nevada and California. His financing experience includes Redevelopment Bonds, Mello-Roos CFD Bonds and Special Assessment Bonds, Lease Revenue Bonds, and Utility Revenue Bonds. José earned a Bachelor’s of Science degree in economics and a minor in mechanical engineering from the M.I.T. in 1999. Mr. Vera is a Paul Harris Fellow and the President–Elect of the Rotary Club of Los Angeles.

How Today’s Disruptive Technologies will Shape the Future of Real Estate

Technological innovations spawned by the Internet are profoundly shaping all areas of real estate. Widespread consumer acceptance and runaway growth of eCommerce is causing a complete revisualization of retail and warehouse/distribution properties. Cutting edge websites such as Airbnb that capitalize on the new “sharing economy” are shaking up traditional businesses. Some of these changes may be here to stay – potentially significantly altering the investment and development landscape. Our diverse panel of industry leaders will help attendees understand the short- and long-term impact of these game-changing new technologies, and share their predictions for the future.

Moderator:
James R. Maddox, Principal, Avison Young
Mr. Maddox is Principal of Avison Young, where he specializes in strategic advisory and capital markets solutions for major real estate companies. Previously, he was Managing Director of Real Estate for Kibel Green, Inc. a leading turnaround advisory firm. Mr. Maddox has 30+ years of real estate finance expertise, including with Citicorp, Weyerhaeuser, and ARCS Commercial Mortgage. He is a UCLA Ziman Center board member, and holds an MBA from UCLA and a BA from Claremont McKenna College.

Speakers:
Barbara Emmons, Vice Chairman, CBRE
Ms. Emmons is a Vice Chairman for CBRE with 25 years’ experience and is a leading investment broker specializing in industrial, office and land sales. Ms. Emmons has been among the firm’s Colbert Coldwell Circle, an elite group that is comprised of the top 3% of producers in the entire company. Ms. Emmons and her partner, Darla Longo, are part of the National Partners within CBRE handling the West Coast investment sales for the partnership.

Rick Kirkbride, Partner, Paul Hastings LLP
Mr. Kirkbride represents real estate development companies, institutional lenders, investment banks, opportunity funds and other capital providers, owners and operators. His practice encompasses the development, acquisition and sale, finance, leasing, operation, licensing, roll-up, foreclosure, workout and restructuring of hotels, condo-hotels, resorts, branded condominiums, private residence clubs and timeshare projects, spas, restaurants, casinos, golf courses, stadiums, theme parks, and other hospitality businesses in North America, Latin America, the Caribbean, Europe, Asia and the Middle East.

Robert O. York, President, York Consulting Group, LLC
Since 1989, Mr. York has worked on real estate projects throughout the U.S. and internationally, providing services to public and private development firms, retailers, governments, business districts and investors. Mr. York has significant experience in retail and entertainment projects, lifestyle and mixed-use developments, regional malls and downtown revitalization projects, notably the Third Street Promenade in Santa Monica. His extensive knowledge of these industries provides creative yet practical approaches to retail and mixed-use real estate projects.

3:25 PM – 4:25 PM

The Great California Drought: Development Impacts and Solutions

California is experiencing the worst drought on record, and Governor Brown has declared a state of emergency. State and local water agencies are instituting new water quality and storm water rules for new and existing developments that require new, sometimes costly, constraints. Litigation regarding water supply and water quality is rampant. These issues don’t just impact new development on the fringes, they also impact the purchase and sale of existing properties, infill development, underwriting, and new construction. This panel will discuss how key players in the public and private sectors view the ongoing water issues at the state and local level and what property owners and developers should look out for when conducting business.

Moderator:
Alfred E. Smith II, Partner, Nossaman LLP
Mr. Smith, Chair of Nossaman’s Water Practice Group, is a recognized expert in water and environmental law. A graduate of Harvard Law School, Mr. Smith has secured more than $500 million in contamination settlements and successfully litigated before the California and the United States Supreme Court. He was named as one of Los Angeles’s Top 100 Lawyers by the Los Angeles Business Journal and a “Super Lawyer” in 2008 – 2014 by Los Angeles magazine.

Speakers:
Joseph Byrne, Partner, Best Best & Krieger LLP
Mr. Byrne is Of Counsel at Best Best & Krieger. He provides general counsel legal services to special districts and advises both public and private sector clients on water law. He served as counsel and chief advisor on water issues to the Speaker of the Assembly from 1991-92. He has served on the California Water Commission since 2010 and was reappointed to the Commission by Governor Brown in July 2014. He is currently the chair of the Commission and has served in that capacity since January 2013.

Mark J. Dillon, Partner, Gatzke Dillon & Balance LLP
Mr. Dillon specializes in representing public and private sector clients on land use, natural resources, and environmental matters, including trial and appellate practice. Mr. Dillon’s background involves substantial experience with issues and litigation arising under CEQA, NEPA, and Clean Water Act. California Lawyer named Mr. Dillon a California Attorney of the Year in 2004. The prestigious California Lawyer Attorneys of the Year award was for his outstanding achievements in the field of land use/real estate/water law.

Julie Riley, Deputy City Attorney at City of Los Angeles, Department of Water and Power
Ms. Riley started working at the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power in 2001. She currently serves as the section leader for the Los Angeles City Attorney’s Water and Environment Section. Her practice focuses on a variety of natural resource matters, especially those arising out of the City’s Aqueduct. Ms. Riley has represented the City’s interests on several groundwater litigation matters.

Scott S. Slater, President and CEO, Cadiz, Inc.
Mr. Slater is a shareholder of Brownstein Hyatt Farber Schreck, a member of the firm’s Natural Resources Group and serves on the firm’s Executive Committee. In December 2008, he was appointed General Counsel to Cadiz Inc., became its President in 2010, joined the Board in February of 2012 and now serves as CEO. Mr. Slater is the author of the California Water Law and Policy treatise and has taught at many universities in the United States and internationally.

Real Estate Crowdfunding: From Impossible to Inevitable

Crowdfunding has emerged as a potentially disruptive force in the real estate market, offering developers a new and cost-effective platform to finance their projects while at the same time providing retail investors with opportunities that were previously unavailable. This panel of finance experts, including representatives from crowdfunding websites, will take a deep dive into this new world, examining the risks, opportunities and future potential of this rapidly expanding financing innovation.

Moderator:
Lew Feldman, Founding Board Member and Chairman, UCLA Ziman Center for Real Estate, Partner, Goodwin Procter
Mr. Feldman founded Goodwin Procter’s California offices in 2006, is a member of the firm’s Real Estate Capital Markets Group, and co-chairs its Crowdfunding Practice. Selected for inclusion in Chambers USA: America’s Leading Lawyers for Business every year since 1999, Lew has advised clients on over $100 billion in debt and equity raises, including JOBS Act compliant crowdfunding. Mr. Feldman recently keynoted the Ziman Center’s Real Estate Crowdfunding Today Symposium in Los Angeles, was a featured speaker on real estate crowdfunding at The Lendit Conference in San Francisco, and keynoted at CFGE’s Crowdfunding Investment and Alternative Finance Summit in NYC.

Speakers:
Fred Bryant, COO, WealthForge
Mr. Bryant founded WealthForge in 2009 and serves as Chief Operating Officer. WealthForge is the only licensed broker-dealer offering a full suite of online investment products that touch on every aspect of the new, online private equity marketplace. More than $50 million dollars has been invested using WealthForge’s platform. Mr. Bryant is a graduate of the US Army Ranger School, deployed in support of Operation Enduring Freedom, and is a recipient of the Bronze Star Medal.

Elizabeth Braman, Chief Production Officer, Realty Mogul
Elizabeth is the Chief Production Officer at Realty Mogul and sits on Realty Mogul’s Investment Committee. An award winning finance executive and CCIM with 15 years of experience in commercial real estate, Elizabeth is responsible for leading all equity and debt real estate investment opportunities. Previously she was with ReadyCap Commercial, where she headed originations for a national small balance commercial real estate platform. Elizabeth earned her JD and MBA from George Washington University.

Tom Lockard, Vice President of Real Estate Investment and Institutional Sales, Fundrise
Prior to joining Fundrise, Mr. Lockard was a Partner at the California investment bank Stone & Youngberg and then a Managing Director at Stifel Nicolaus after a sale of Stone & Youngberg to Stifel in 2011. Over his 30 year banking career Mr. Lockard has structured more than 500 municipal bond issues representing more than $6 billion in financings.

Ron Suber, President, Prosper Marketplace
Mr. Suber is responsible for developing and executing the business development strategy to attract borrowers to Prosper.com, as well as ensure a balance between institutional and retail investors on the Prosper platform. He brings more than 20 years’ experience in sales, marketing and business development across the hedge fund, broker dealer and registered investment advisor industries. Before to joining Prosper, he was Managing Director at Wells Fargo Securities, President of Spectrum Global Fund Administration, and spent 14 years at Bear Sterns.

Kevin Swill, COO, The Carlton Group
Mr. Swill oversees the day-to-day operations of Carlton as well as plays both a key role in growing the firm’s high net worth equity syndication business and in expanding Carlton’s investment sales division. Mr. Swill has 23 years of commercial real estate and investment banking experience. Prior to Carlton he was the President of Westminster Capital and Kushner Properties. Mr. Swill has previously held positions at Merrill Lynch, CIBC, Deutsche Banc, and Citicorp/Citibank.

Carlo Tabibi, CEO, Patch of Land
Mr. Tabibi is Patch of Land’s CEO, executing the company’s vision of bridging the gap between traditional real estate financing and the new world of crowdfunding. For 20 years he has been operating, developing, and investing in real estate. Mr. Tabibi has founded or invested in multiple online retail businesses including Tabcom.com and Perks.com where he is currently Chairman. He holds a Bachelor’s degree in Real Estate & Finance from USC and studied at Loyola Law School.

Rapid Fire: Hot Topics for Dealmakers

Back again by popular demand! Attend this fast-paced information-packed panel to get the latest cutting-edge insights you need to close your deals in 2014 and beyond. Our experts will provide bottom-line information on the latest developments, including earthquake insurance and regulatory issues, doing business with successor redevelopment agencies, changes in the limited liability company laws, energy disclosure requirements, an update on Title 24 energy efficiency compliance and use of letters of credit in leasing transactions, and more. Sample contract provisions will be provided and the impact of these new developments to lending, purchase, sale and leasing transactions will be covered.

Moderator:
Pam Westhoff, Partner, Shepard Mullin Richter & Hampton LLP
Ms. Westhoff represents clients in a wide range of real estate transactions, with an emphasis in acquisitions, dispositions, commercial leasing, and technology issues affecting real estate. She has developed expertise in data center leasing, telecommunications issues in real estate transactions and the representation of radio and television broadcasters in real estate-related matters, including broadcast and communications tower licensing. Ms. Westhoff has served on the Board of Directors of the Southern California Chapter of the Commercial Real Estate Development Association since 2010.

Speakers:
Dave Barksdale, Partner, Ballard Spahr LLP
Mr. Barksdale is a partner with Ballard Spahr, a national, full-service law firm with more than 500 lawyers. He leads the firm’s Private Equity Real Estate practice advising private equity funds and other investors in the investment and deployment of capital, whether as debt or equity, in real estate assets. He also represents lenders in the origination, and special servicers, lenders, and investors in the workout and restructuring, of real estate financing.

Andrew Fogg, Partner, Cox, Castle & Nicholson LLP
Mr. Fogg has spent over 15 years representing developers and public entities in processing administrative land use actions, including the negotiation and approval of numerous entitlement documents, development agreements, owner participation agreements, disposition and development agreements, subdivision approvals, conditional use permits, variances, and zoning and general plan modifications. Mr. Fogg has co-chaired LAEDC’s State and Local Policy Committee since its inception in 2011. He was named one of Southern California Super Lawyers Rising Stars in 2009 and 2010.

Alexandra Glickman, Managing Director, Insurance & Risk Management, North America, Arthur J. Gallagher & Co.
Ms. Glickman has 31 years of experience representing virtually every asset class and ownership structure in the real estate industry. She has pioneered many real estate specific insurance products and services and lectures frequently. Ms. Glickman has been recognized by Risk & Insurance Magazine as a “Power Broker” for 5 of the past 7 years and named one of Real Estate Forum’s “50 Outstanding Women” for the past 3 years. Ms. Glickman graduated from U.C. Berkeley.

Trudi Lesser, Partner & Founder, Law Offices of Trudi Lesser
Ms. Lesser is a commercial real estate and finance attorney with almost 30 years of practice, working exclusively in commercial real estate transactions for the last 17 years. She represents commercial property owners in the acquisition, finance and disposition of real estate assets, entity formation and operation for holding and managing real estate assets, and commercial landlords, tenants and hoteliers in all types of leasing and hotel management transactions.

Karl Lott, Partner, Holland & Knight LLP
Mr. Lott is a partner in the Real Estate Group of Holland & Knight LLP, based in the firm’s Los Angeles office. Mr. Lott specializes in the areas of real estate transactional matters and real estate finance, including joint venture formations, loan transactions, acquisitions and dispositions, leasing, and assistance with forming and structuring new entities in connection with real property ownership or acquisitions.

Steve Norris, President, Norris Realty Advisors
Mr. Norris is the Principal of Norris Realty Advisors, a consulting firm that provides services to pension funds, complex estates, government, and taxation/major litigation issues. Mr. Norris has the MAI designation, and the CRE designation of the Counselors of Real Estate. He is the VP of the local Chapter of the Appraisal Institute, and serves on the National Ethics and Education Committees of the Counselors, and instructs Argus Cash Flow Modeling at UCLA.

Susan Orloff, Principal, Ryan
For over ten years, Ms. Orloff has been involved in all aspects of general real estate valuation, with primary emphasis on ad valorem issues. She has been involved in assessment appeals of commercial, industrial, retail and hospitality properties. Her strengths are in negotiations and relationships with the local assessing authorities. Ms. Orloff’s extensive experience valuing investment grade property in California has qualified her to appear as a witness before Assessment Appeals Board throughout the State.

Jenny Scanlin, Assistant General Manager, City of Los Angeles Economic and Workforce Development Department
Ms. Scanlin serves as the Assistant General Manager of Economic Development for the City of Los Angeles’ Economic and Workforce Development Department. Prior to taking this position, Ms. Scanlin spent the past two decades working in the public sector at both the political and programmatic level, affecting positive change in Bay Area and Los Angeles County communities. Most recently, Ms. Scanlin spent ten years as a Project Manager and then Regional Administrator for the Community Redevelopment Agency of LA.

4:30 PM – 5:30 PM

The Business of Real Estate: A View from California’s Top Leaders

Roger Vincent of the Los Angeles Times will moderate a discussion among the leaders of some of the top real estate companies headquartered in Southern California. The panelists will share their insights and perspectives on the current state of the real estate market and the prospects for continued recovery in real estate and will share their thoughts on such issues as which major players are poised to profit from the upswing, which asset classes will be at the forefront of the recovery, how investment strategies have shifted and current opportunities for real estate investment.

Moderator:
Roger Vincent, Contributor, Commercial Real Estate, Los Angeles Times Business Section
Roger Vincent covers commercial real estate for the Business section of the Los Angeles Times. He is a longtime observer of the industry who served as the first real estate columnist at the Los Angeles Business Journal in the mid-1980s. He was also founding editor of the California Real Estate Journal. He has been with The Times since 1996.

Speakers:
Bradley Cox, Senior Managing Director, Trammell Crow Company
Brad Cox serves as Senior Managing Director for Trammell Crow Company where his primary focus is raising capital, setting investment strategy, creating deal flow, and overseeing the day-to-day activities for the Los Angeles Business Unit. Trammell Crow Company is a 66 year national development company, a wholly owned subsidiary of CBRE, with offices in 15 cities.

Robert Goodman, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, The Resmark Companies
Robert N. Goodman has over 35 years of real estate finance experience. Since establishing Resmark in 1995, he has guided more than 170 equity investments, with over 27,000 units of residential single-family and multifamily real estate. Comprised of three business divisions—Resmark Land and Housing, Resmark Apartment Living, and Resmark Impact Ventures—Resmark currently manages over $1 billion in investment capital. Mr. Goodman has served on the boards of four publicly traded companies, including two REITs.

Steven C. Gordon, Chairman, Domino Realty
Mr. Gordon has been a principal owner of Domino Realty, a holding company for a multi-faceted international trading company, apparel manufacturing and a real estate holding company since 1970. He has also been principal owner of Domino Realty Management Company for over thirty years during which time he has been actively involved in the acquisition, development and management of California real estate consisting of commercial, residential and industrial properties valued at over one billion dollars.

Timur Tecimer, CEO, Overton Moore Properties
Mr. Tecimer is CEO of Overton Moore Properties. He joined OMP in July 2000 as President and COO. OMP is one of the most active industrial developers in the region. He is responsible for overseeing all of the firms operations including acquisitions/investments, development and management. Since 2000 under Mr. Tecimer’s leadership, OMP has acquired and developed more than 16 million square feet representing nearly $975 million in value. The firm’s investment activities are focused on Southern and Northern California and Arizona. The firm also manages over 6 million square feet on behalf of institutional owners.