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Speakers and Panels

Opening Keynote

The Energetic Champion of Cobb’s Growing Economy

Tim Lee

Tim Lee

Chairman

Cobb County

Tim Lee

Chairman

Cobb County

Under Lee’s leadership the Public Safety department has implemented a strategic plan that put more

police officers on the street, strengthened recruitment and retention policies across public safety

departments, doubled the number of annual police academies and implemented cutting edge

technologies to help all first responders keep Cobb County safe.

Chairman Lee is widely recognized for the leadership role he played in bringing the Atlanta Braves to

Cobb County in 2017. This historic move and precedent setting public-private partnership is a game

changing development that will positively impact Cobb County for decades to come.

Lee is an energetic champion of growing Cobb’s economy. Since he has been Chairman, more than

13,000 jobs have been created or retained and there has been more than $2 billion of private

investment.

Live, Work, & Play

"Game" Changing Development

Mike Plant

Mike Plant

President & CEO of Development

Atlanta Braves

Jeff Fuqua

Jeff Fuqua

Founding Principal

Fuqua Development

Malaika Rivers

Malaika Rivers

President & Founder

Pontem Resources

Holly Quinlan

Holly Quinlan

CEO

Cobb Travel & Tourism

Mike Hall
Moderator

Mike Hall

SVP

JLL

Mike Plant

President & CEO of Development

Atlanta Braves

Mike Plant is in his 15th season with the Atlanta Braves, and in 2018 was

named President and CEO of Braves Development Company. Plant joined the

organization as Executive Vice President of Business Operations in November of 2003.

As part of the Braves executive leadership team, Plant was instrumental in the Braves’ efforts to secure and

oversee construction, leasing, financing and management of SunTrust Park and the adjacent mixed-use

development, The Battery Atlanta, which opened in Cobb County in April 2017.

Plant joined the Braves after having served as Executive Vice President of Turner Sports since February 2002.

In that position, he was in charge of the day-to-day operations of the division, a $500-million acquisition,

promotion and production company that at the time broadcast approximately 1,200 hours of sports programming

on various Turner networks.

Before becoming Executive Vice President of Turner Sports, Plant was President of Ted Turner’s multi-sport

event, The Goodwill Games, and Vice President of Events for Turner Sports. He was responsible for the overall

direction and management of The Goodwill Games, as well as all sports properties acquired by Turner Sports.

Prior to joining Turner Sports, Plant was Owner and President of Medalist Sports, a full-service sports

marketing company he founded in 1988. Medalist Sports created and operated premier professional cycling

events in the United States and China. In addition, Plant was the Associate Executive Director of the United States

Cycling Federation in Colorado Springs, Colo., from 1986 to 1988 and the Executive Director of the Canoe and

Kayak Team from 1985 to 1986.

Plant was a member of the 1980 U.S. Olympic speedskating team in Lake Placid, NY, and a six-time member of

the U.S. World Championship speedskating teams. Since 1980, he has been appointed to numerous committees

and boards for the U.S. Olympic Committee (USOC), the U.S. International Speedskating Association, International

Cycling Federation, and USA Cycling. Plant served on the Atlanta Committee for the 1996 Olympic Games (ACOG)

Board of Directors and the Board of Trustees for the Salt Lake City Olympic Bid Committee for the 2002 Winter

Games.

Plant served two eight-year terms on the USOC’s Board of Directors and Executive Committee (1984-1992 and

2003-2011). He was Chairman of the USOC Athletes Council, and Chairman of the Athlete Performance Group

(1992-1996). Plant was President of USA Cycling, the National Governing Body for Olympic cycling, from 1995 to

2002, and is the current President of U.S. Speedskating.

Internationally, Plant served on the International Cycling Federation’s (UCI) Executive Committee for 20 years,

and was President of three different commissions. In 2009, Plant was elected U.S. Olympic Chef de Mission for

the Olympic team for the 2010 Vancouver Olympic Games.

He and his wife Mary have two daughters, Erika and Maddie, and a son, Drew.

Jeff Fuqua

Founding Principal

Fuqua Development

Jeffrey S. Fuqua is the founder of Fuqua Development, LP. He was previously Board Member, Partner & President of The Sembler Company. In his nearly 25-year tenure there, Fuqua developed in excess of 14 million square feet in over 80 projects valued at $4 billion. During Jeff's tenure with Sembler, The Atlanta Business Chronicle named The Sembler Company Top Developer for eleven consecutive years since 2000. Major real estate projects include The Prado, Town Brookhaven, Edgewood Retail District, Lindbergh Plaza, Perimeter Place, Lenox Marketplace in Atlanta. In Florida, Fuqua developed Legacy in Palm Beach Gardens, and Boynton Beach Town Center.

Malaika Rivers

President & Founder

Pontem Resources

Malaika Rivers is the Founder & President of Pontem Resources. She helps businesses and governments work together to imagine and build great places. She works with a wide variety of changemakers — from CEOs to city mayors — to find cost-sharing strategies for pressing development needs.

With a focus on transportation, mobility, connectivity, and placemaking, Malaika’s work builds physical infrastructure as well as sustainable organizations to support it. Having worked for and with real estate developers, consulting firms, governments, and planning organizations, she crafts strategies that bring vision, process, funding, and politics together to achieve healthy ROIs.

Malaika’s work includes the billion-dollar, sports-anchored, mixed-use development models of Centennial Yards (Atlanta Hawks) and The Battery Atlanta (Atlanta Braves). She is the foremost expert on Community Improvement Districts (CIDs). Having formed and led CIDs over decades, Malaika advises on how these development tools effectively channel infrastructure funding into commercial centers.

Malaika is a 100 Influential Women to Know, a Georgia 500, and a 25 Power Women to Watch. She received her B.S. from Virginia Tech and her C.M.E. from Harvard Business School. She frequently contributes to various media outlets and publishes forward-thinking reports, including how CIDs may be positioned at the forefront of smart cities and digital transformation.

Malaika’s drive to conquer challenging terrain for her clients extends to her personal life. Whether hiking mountains or exploring deserts, Malaika is in constant pursuit of the way forward.

Holly Quinlan

CEO

Cobb Travel & Tourism

Holly Bass Quinlan became the CEO of Cobb Travel & Tourism in December 2010. She is responsible for the organization’s operations, including strategic planning, finance, sales and marketing. Cobb Travel & Tourism is responsible for promoting and generating tourism, convention, trade show and sports development activity throughout Cobb County.

Previously, she was Chief Operating Officer for the Cobb Chamber of Commerce. Very active in the community, Quinlan is a member of the South Cobb Branding Project and chairing the selection committee for the Tribute to Women by the YWCA. She is also a member of the Marietta Kiwanis Club and is co-chairing Economic Development and Tourism Day for the 2017 Leadership Cobb class.

Quinlan was named a 40 Under 40 by Georgia Trend magazine, 20 Under 40 by Cobb Life magazine and has been given the Up and Comers Award by the Atlanta Business Chronicle. She has also received the prestigious YWCA of Northwest Georgia Women of Achievement Award.

She was a Volunteer Probation Officer for Cobb County Superior Court for 13 years. She is a graduate of the Regional Leadership Institute, Leadership Cobb and Honorary Commanders.

A native of Cobb County (GA), she graduated from the University of Georgia. She is a mother of seven-year-old twin daughters.

Mike Hall

Moderator

JLL

Mr. Hall is a Senior Vice President for Jones Lang LaSalle in the Southeast Region and is currently leading the

development of the Braves new ballpark in Cobb County and providing day to day leadership of the JLL team that is

delivering and overseeing the Battery development.

Previously he led the development of a 22 acre site in Alpharetta that includes the new city hall, future retail and

commercial development. He has provided leadership on the master planning and initial development of an urban project

for a private/public partnership in Charlotte covering 6 city blocks that included both the City of Charlotte and

Mecklenburg County.

Mr. Hall was the Development Director for the $180 million Georgia Tech Technology Square Complex in Midtown

Atlanta, GA. that completed in 2003 and was awarded the ULI International Project of the Year award. He has

developed a 12,000 seat amphitheater for the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra and was the Project Executive for the

Orchestra’s new symphony hall.

Mr. Hall has 30 years’ experience in architecture, planning and construction in a variety of project types. He has

managed the design and construction of education and cultural facilities, retail and experiential spaces, offices and multi

use facilities, research centers and laboratories. His past work includes extensive work internationally.

Mr. Hall maintains his license as an architect in the State of Colorado. He holds a Master’s of Architecture degree from

the University of Colorado, and a Bachelors degree in Architecture from the University of Wisconsin- Milwaukee. Mr.

Hall has been a guest lecturer on multiple occasions at the Georgia Institute of Technology and Clemson University and

a guest panelist at the University of Colorado and Atlanta Tribune Magazine.

The Rise In Occupancy

A New View From The Office

De Little

De Little

Founder, Managing Principal

Greenstone Properties

Bob Voyles

Bob Voyles

CEO

Seven Oaks Company

Thad Ellis

Thad Ellis

Senior Vice President

Cousins

Connie Engel

Connie Engel

Partner

Childress Klein

Alex Demestihas

Alex Demestihas

VP

JLL

Kathryn Zickert
Moderator

Kathryn Zickert

Partner

Smith Gambrell & Russell

De Little

Founder, Managing Principal

Greenstone Properties

Prior to forming Greenstone Properties in January of 2005, De was a principal with Pope & Land Enterprises, Inc. from 1988 through 2004. De is a graduate of Wake Forest University and holds a MBA from The Babcock School of Management.

Bob Voyles

CEO

Seven Oaks Company

Bob Voyles

Principal, Chief Executive Officer

Bob Voyles founded Seven Oaks Company in 2004 and is responsible for the strategic direction and deal sourcing for the company. Bob’s portfolio of projects at Seven Oaks and in his former position as Senior Development Officer at Hines, include the following:

Developed over 3 million SF of Class A award-winning, mixed-use and office-oriented development throughout metro Atlanta, Developed headquarters facilities for King & Spalding, InterContinental Hotels Group, MCI-SE Region, and HomeBanc, Acquired three Class A office projects totaling 1.7 million SF, and asset managed over 6 million SF of Class A commercial office, Developed land projects in Georgia, Tennessee and Florida totaling approximately 1,800 acres and nearly $1 billion in total development value, Structured finances of nearly $1 billion in real estate projects with institutional partners such as GEAM, GM Pension Trust, Calpers and GE Capital, as well as entrepreneurial partners such as The Brookdale Group, St. Joe and the DeMoss Foundation. Bob holds numerous positions in local civic, community and charitable organizations:

Perimeter Community Improvement District (CID) Board; Founder and Chairman (2004-2010), Georgia Regional Transportation Authority; Member; Chair, Land Development, Metropolitan Atlanta Chamber of Commerce; Board of Advisors Member, Cobb-Marietta Coliseum and Stadium Authority; Board Member; Chair, construction Committee, Metropolitan Atlanta CID Coalition; Co-Chair, Livable Communities Coalition; Board Member, Young Life-Africa; Board Member, Church of the Apostles; former Vestry Member and Church Warden.

Thad Ellis

Senior Vice President

Cousins

Thad, who leads Cousins’ Atlanta, Dallas, and Raleigh office portfolios,

has more than 30 years of real estate expertise including development,

leasing and property management for the Cousins’ Class A office portfolio.

Thad began his real estate career in 1984. He joined Peterson Properties

in 1986 and was a senior executive at Carr America through its 1996

acquisition of Peterson Properties. Thad was the Managing Director for

CarrAmerica’s Atlanta and Florida offices. At CarrAmerica, Thad was

directly involved with the acquisition, disposition and/or development of

the office product and was a member of the firm’s Investment Committee.

Prior to joining Cousins in 2006, Thad was the Managing Director of GVA

Advantis’ Atlanta office and a member of the firm’s executive committee.

Community Involvement

Thad is an advisory board member and past president of the National

Association of Industrial and Office Properties (NAIOP) and is on

the board of the following organizations: the Buckhead Community

Improvement District, the Executive Committee for the Midtown

Alliance, Boys and Girls Club of Atlanta and the Corporate Campaign

Committee for Woodruff Arts. He is also the past Chair for Washington

& Lee’s Annual Fund.

Education

Bachelor of Arts degree from Washington & Lee University.

Connie Engel

Partner

Childress Klein

Ms. Engel is an accomplished commercial real estate executive. Her broad strengths include business development and commercial real estate development, personnel management, sales management and product marketing. Ms. Engel’s leadership abilities have been recognized by organizations, corporations and foundations. She is the immediate Past-Chair of the Kennesaw State University Foundation and in 2011 Connie was named Executive in Residence for the Coles College of Business at Kennesaw State University. Previously she was President of the National Association of Industrial and Office Properties of Georgia (NAIOP) and she is a Past President of Commercial Real Estate Women.

Ms. Engel additionally has a wide understanding of current issues, obstacles and opportunities facing our country in foreign policy and national security which she has received through her membership in and involvement with Business Executives for National Security. (BENS).

Ms. Engel is a Partner in the Atlanta Office Division of Childress Klein Properties and has been in charge of development and leasing at the prestigious Atlanta Galleria, for over twenty years. Responsibilities include lease negotiations (legal and economic issues), development and implementation of advertising, marketing strategy and preparation and implementation of the budgets for approximately 2,000,000 square feet of Class A office space in five high rise office buildings.

Ms. Engel has been frequently recognized as a leader in her industry. In 2010, NAIOP of Georgia honored Ms. Engel with the Award of Excellence for dedicated service to the commercial real estate industry. Twice she was the Top Producer in office leasing in the greater metropolitan Atlanta. In 2015, Ms. Engel was inducted into the inaugural Kennesaw State University Business School Hall of Fame in recognition of professional accomplishments, contribution and leadership in the community.

Ms. Engel’s community involvement responsibilities include being an elected Board Member in 1998 and Treasurer (2000 – 2008) of the Cumberland Community Improvement District, which is responsible for allocating a special property tax collected from commercial property owners for transportation and other improvements in Cobb County. The CCID has leveraged over $100 million of private assessments to over $1 billion in transportation and streetscape improvements.

In 2005, Ms. Engel was selected to serve on the Board of Trustees for Kennesaw State University, the third largest and fastest growing university in the state of Georgia. In 2006, she was asked to increase her involvement by becoming a member of the Executive Committee and in 2007 she became Chair of the Real Estate Committee. In 2008, the Real Estate committee spearheaded the purchase of 100 acres of land for future sports/stadium areas for Kennesaw State University. She has received the Erwin Zaban Award and the Clarice Bagwell Award from Kennesaw State University for outstanding contribution and leadership within the KSU Board of Trustees. In October of 2009 she was elected Vice Chair of the Foundation and in October of 2010 she was chosen Chair Elect of the Foundation. She became Chair of The Foundation in October 2012 and completed her term in 2014. Currently she is immediate past chair of the Foundation.

In 2011, Georgia Governor Nathan Deal appointed Ms. Engel to the Georgia Board of Dentistry, consumer representative.

Ms. Engel graduated from the University of Iowa with a B.A. in Communications and an area of concentration in Public Address. She is an MBA graduate of Kennesaw State University’s Coles College of Business.

Ms. Engel’s interests include golf and flying: she is a certified multi-engine pilot of 18 years. Ms. Engel has been married to Pete Watson for over twenty-five years and has three children: Jacqueline Watson Grech, Esq.; Sarah Oddsen DeCaro, M.D.; and Ellis Watson, a graduate of the University of Georgia.

Alex Demestihas

VP

JLL

Alex Demestihas is a Vice President for JLL’s Project and Development Services group in Atlanta. Alex provides leadership for the Variable Project Management Group whose team focuses on commercial interior projects. In this role, Alex is responsible for the team’s oversight in delivering various projects from concept to closeout. He also focuses on new business leads and supporting the Atlanta commercial brokerage teams at JLL. Alex is currently providing leadership on JLL’s Atlanta based projects including the new NCR headquarters (680,000 SF) in Midtown as well as providing support on projects for Interface, an Atlanta based account.

Prior to joining JLL, Alex served as a Construction Manager at Jamestown, LP, a national developer with many high profile properties where he oversaw construction on a 44 acre ground up mixed use development in Charleston, SC. He also supported the firm’s adaptive reuse portfolio in the southeast by providing construction oversight on capital improvement and tenant improvement projects ranging from high end retail shops such as Anthropologie, Lululemon, and J. Crew, to restaurants and various office tenants. Alex has also previously worked at CBRE, Inc. where he served as the project management main point of contact for CBRE Global Investor’s Atlanta portfolio for tenant and capital projects.

Summary

Bisnow is overly excited to announce our 2016 Cumberland Expansion as the official update on one of Atlanta's hottest area's for new developments & investments.

Our esteemed panel of community executives, developers, and economic development authorities will fill you in on the biggest projects and the initiatives underway in this vibrant and growing community.

Sign up now to join the best of the Atlanta business community for what promises to be the event of the year in Cumberland!

Venue

Cobb Galleria Convention Center
2 Galleria Pkwy SE
Atlanta, GA 30339

Ballroom: Ballroom A, 2nd floor


Complimentary self-parking onsite

Agenda

Time Activity
11:30 AM
12:30 PM
Coffee, Breakfast, & Networking
12:30 PM
2:00 PM
All-Star Panel Discussions
2:00 PM
2:30 PM
Post Game Networking