Midtown + Downtown Debrief

Kevin has been a City of Atlanta resident for over 25 years, working for much of that time to advance livability and economic opportunity in Atlanta. He was previously Executive Director of The Clean Air Campaign, a Georgia non-profit working in partnership with employers to implement programs to improve air quality and reduce traffic. Prior to that, Kevin was Vice President of Environmental Affairs with the Metro Atlanta Chamber of Commerce, where he worked to implement water resource stewardship and land use initiatives. Kevin managed public-private initiatives that resulted in the creation of the Metropolitan North Georgia Water Planning District, and the Livable Communities Coalition, where leaders work collaboratively to advance smart growth in Atlanta. He serves on the Leadership Atlanta Board of Trustees, the Board of the Atlanta Convention & Visitors Bureau and is a member of the Rotary Club of Atlanta.

A.J. Robinson is President of Central Atlanta Progress (CAP) and the Atlanta Downtown Improvement District (ADID). CAP is a private business association founded in 1941, and it remains one of the most effective advocacy and economic development organizations in the city. In 1995, CAP created ADID and its Ambassador Force to address public perceptions of Atlanta, enhance cleaning efforts, and stimulate capital projects. Robinson manages the overall strategic functions of CAP and ADID, two groups committed to making the “product” of the Atlanta community—specifically Downtown—more livable, vital, and diverse. Robinson has consistently been recognized as one of Georgia Trend’s 100 Most Influential Georgians, as well as one of the Atlanta Business Chronicle’s 100 Most Influential Atlantans. Before joining CAP, Robinson was President of the multi-dimensional real estate company Portman Holdings, where he managed all aspects of the firm’s real estate development and property management processes. Robinson received his MBA in 1980 from Harvard School of Business and his BBA degree in accounting from Emory University in 1977. A native of Knoxville, Tennessee, he is married to Dr. Nicole Ellerine, a pediatrician, and they have three children: Micaela, Ethan, and Nathaniel.

Ms. Rivers is a Partner with Lexicon Strategies, focusing her practice on public and government affairs, commercial real estate, infrastructure, public finance, community development and organizational management. Clients include commercial real estate owners and developers, governments, community improvement districts (CIDs) and civic organizations in pursuit of successful public-private partnerships. Her attention to technical, political and financial strategies leverages resources and drives value. Through these partnerships, complex initiatives are successfully – and cooperatively – delivered. Throughout her career, Ms. Rivers played instrumental roles in public-private partnerships such as Truist Park, the Atlanta Braves’ $1.3B stadium and mixed-use development; the Northwest Corridor Express Lanes, an $875M segment of Georgia’s managed lanes system; and numerous roads, bridges, parks, trails, and other community improvements. Ms. Rivers easily migrates between the disparate interests of business, politics and planning to keep collective efforts moving forward. A leading expert on CIDs, Ms. Rivers is deeply familiar with both the policy and practice of these uniquely powerful public-private mechanisms. She guides commercial real estate owners of all sizes – from institutional REITs to small property owners – along with local, state and federal governments through the complicated process of jointly managing infrastructure needs. Ms. Rivers oversaw the formation of the Chamblee Doraville CID and continues as its Executive Director. She advises local governments on CID feasibility and oversees their engagement with the private sector. She also spent more than two decades at the helm of the Cumberland CID, developing it into one of the most successful in the country. Under her leadership, Cumberland successfully leveraged $140M in commercial real estate value into more than $2B in capital improvements, allowing the submarket to grow an additional 6M square feet, or $3B worth of commercial and multifamily real estate value. A four-time ‘Notable Georgian, by Georgia Trend Magazine, Ms. Rivers also was honored with a ‘100 Influential Women to Know’ distinction by the American Council of Engineering Companies, a ‘25 Power Women to Watch’ by Atlanta Woman magazine, a ‘40 Under 40’ by both Georgia Trend Magazine and Atlanta Business Chronicle, and a ‘Woman of Achievement’ by the YWCA. Ms. Rivers completed a series of executive leadership programs at Harvard Business School and will receive her Certificate of Management Excellence in Fall 2020. She has been an appointee of the Speaker of the Georgia House of Representatives as well as held various board seats with the Georgia Chamber of Commerce, the Council for Quality Growth and the Urban Land Institute Atlanta. She’s a member of Lambda Alpha International, a land economics society, as well as a graduate of the Regional Leadership Institute. In earlier capacities, Ms. Rivers was with regional planning agencies and boutique consulting firms in Atlanta and Washington, D.C. She holds a B.S. from Virginia Tech and is an avid hiker, an enthusiastic world traveler, and a volunteer helping to feed, clothe and house those in need. She lives in Atlanta with her two children.

Jeff DeHart is a partner at S.J. Collins Enterprises and has been with the company since 2009. He handles the day-to-day operational management and project financing for the firm’s robust development portfolio. Jeff has been in the commercial real estate and leasing industries since 1986. Since that time, he has developed almost 60 retail center sites in eight states. Jeff’s strengths include detailed financial analysis and capital relationships. He received his bachelor’s degree in finance from the University of Georgia. Jeff currently serves on the Ben Franklin Academy board of overseers. Previously, he has taught as a Sunday school teacher at the Peachtree United Methodist Church and served as a scout master for Atlanta’s Troop 232. Originally from North Carolina, Jeff resides in Atlanta with his wife Jessica. The couple has three adult sons.

Amy Fingerhut is a First Vice President in CBRE’s Atlanta Retail Services Group. Her duties include project leasing and tenant representation with a specialty in street retail, restaurant site selection and the backfill of existing restaurant spaces. Ms. Fingerhut is responsible for the marketing, leasing and pre-leasing of new and existing developments ranging from mixed-use in-town developments, high street retail and specialty centers. She also represents several national, regional and local tenants in site selection and expansion in metro Atlanta and the state of Georgia. Prior to joining CBRE, Ms. Fingerhut was a leasing representative with Colliers International where she gained experience in successfully leasing all types of retail developments from ground-up, grocery-anchored centers to unanchored strip centers. Ms. Fingerhut has worked closely with landlords throughout all phases of the retail development lifecycle from inception to completion, including building design, proforma analysis, tenant mix, market analysis and lease negotiations. Ms. Fingerhut also gained experience as a leasing representative for Pellerin & Salomon Real Estate Services, a shopping center development company. Before starting on the brokerage side, Ms. Fingerhut spent five years with Deloitte Tax LLP as a Senior Property Tax Consultant, appealing commercial real estate values all over the Southeast in order to reduce the tax liability for the owners.

Jim Irwin is the President of New City, LLC and directs the company’s real estate development and consulting operations, as well as new business pursuits. Over the course of his career, Jim has been responsible for over $500 million of new investment around the United States. Prior to founding New City, Jim served as a Senior Vice President at Jamestown Properties, leading the development of Ponce City Market, a 2.1 million square foot former Sears, Roebuck & Co. distribution facility that was originally constructed in the 1920’s. During its redevelopment, the project was one of the largest and most significant historic renovations underway in the United States. Jim began his career in real estate working for Atlanta-based Barry Real Estate Companies. Among other projects, Jim managed the development of a FBI Regional Headquarters, a $60 million-build-to-suit project in Minneapolis, and Harrison Square, a 16 acre mixed-use development in Fort Wayne, Indiana, anchored by an 8,000 seat minor league ballpark associated with the San Diego Padres. Since it opened to the public, the ballpark has been named “best overall minor league baseball experience” in the country four separate years. Jim earned a Bachelor of Arts from Dartmouth College, where he played football for four years. After college, he served as a legislative aide to two U.S. senators and a U.S. representative before returning to Atlanta to pursue a MBA with a concentration in real estate finance at Emory University’s Goizueta Business School. Jim and his wife, Elisabeth, have three young children.

With a Bachelor Degree in Environmental (Real Estate) Development from Southern Polytechnic State University and a Master Degree in City Planning from Georgia Tech, Edrick Harris brings expertise and experience to his role as a Senior Vice President of Development for the Prestwick Development Company. Edrick focuses on new development and redevelopment opportunities throughout the Southeast and leads the team responsible for development of affordable multifamily, independent senior living, and tax credit acquisition and rehabilitation. Edrick has more than 15 years of experience in real estate development, and has worked under industry giants, including Herman J. Russell. His experience has necessitated the ability to manage multiple elements in a single project and his portfolio holds several key mixed income and mixed-use, and revitalization projects. This project experience includes: The Villages of Carver Total Redevelopment cost: $63 Million including market, PHA, LIHTC, and Tax Exempt Bond financed units. Former 105 acre former Atlanta Housing Authority Project Developed into: 220 Multifamily Units Townhome Components Community Center with Baseball Academy (now the Carver YMCA) Historic Westside Village Total Development Cost: $21 Million 150 Family Units The Legacy at Castleberry Hill Total Development Cost: $75 Million 17 Family Units 200 Room Hotel Restaurant Space Sky Lofts Total Development Cost: $31.3 Million 208 Family Units

Serving clients for three decades, Craig provides sophisticated local, state, multi-state and federal corporate and partnership tax and consulting services. He works with public companies, private entities, and partnerships – from very small to very large. Craig’s industry experience is vast, and he provides high-level tax services to commercial real estate operators, developers, foreign investors, domestic investors, commercial real estate investors, and institutional investors. In addition to traditional tax services, Craig helps clients who are trying to increase their efficiencies and operations and be more profitable. He often helps to structure transactions, analyze the possible formation of partnerships, calculate complex partnership allocations, provide merger and acquisition related services, review inbound and outbound foreign investment requirements and opportunities, and conduct cash flow and operational analyses. Craig has provided support for several local community and not for profit organizations and enjoys fast pitch travel softball, including coaching for 6 years. He is a member of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants (AICPA), Georgia Society of CPAs (GSCPA), National Council of Real Estate Investment Fiduciaries (NACREIF), and National Association of Real Estate Finance Professionals (NAREC).

Over the past two decades, Malloy has worked in a variety of capacities within the development industry, including development planning and execution, marketing and branding, leasing, and public relations. Today, Malloy is a senior leader within Selig Development Company, a subsidiary of Selig Enterprises. Malloy is focused on the development of Selig’s mixed-use developments including: The Works at Chattahoochee, 1105 West Peachtree, City Springs, and 1200 Spring Street. In addition to her experience executing developments, Malloy possesses a strong marketing, branding, and communications skill set, which allows her to provide a unique perspective to any development. Prior to joining Selig, Malloy spent 12 years with Carter where specialized in the development of complex, large-scale urban mixed-use projects. The majority of these projects were public-private partnerships (P3). Malloy also led Carter’s Advisory Services business unit and all of Carter’s internal and external corporate and project-level marketing and communications teams. Prior to earning her MBA, Malloy worked at Morgan Stanley where she performed financial analysis and played a large role in client relations, providing her with a solid understanding of the investment banking and securities.

David Marvin, founder and president of Legacy Ventures®, was an early believer in downtown Atlanta’s resurgence. Since making his first investment downtown in 1994, Marvin has developed $500 million in downtown real estate. Atlanta tested Legacy, but the firm has expanded its footprint regionally. In addition to development, Legacy today has hotel and restaurant operating divisions that employ roundly 1,000 people. Legacy’s in-house financial, marketing, design and construction teams represent collaborative resources for its development, asset management, and operations initiatives. Marvin’s professional career began as a graduate engineer on the docks of Electric Boat Naval Shipyard. Ten years into his career, Marvin transitioned from construction to real estate. He earned a Bachelor’s degree in Civil Engineering from the University of Vermont, an MBA from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute and a Master’s of Science degree in Real Estate from Massachusetts Institute of Technology. He is a licensed Professional Engineer and is active on several civic boards, including the Atlanta Rotary Club, Central Atlanta Progress, the Atlanta Downtown Improvement District Board, Chair of ADID Interagency Law Enforcement Task Force, the Atlanta Convention and Visitors Bureau Board, the Atlanta Hospitality Alliance, the Georgia State University School of Hospitality’s Advisory Board, Partners for HOME Board and is the Founder/Chairman of the Centennial Park District®.

Brian McGowan is the President of Centennial Yards Company building the most exciting sports, entertainment and business district in the UNIVERSE - in the coolest city in the United States. McGowan has over 20 years of economic development experience working at all levels of government. He was appointed to senior economic positions in both the Schwarzenegger and Obama Administrations and was the CEO of Atlanta’s economic development agencies where he served under two Mayors. He was also the Executive Vice President/COO of the Metro Atlanta Chamber and Principal with the global law firm Dentons. He was also the founding CEO of Greater Seattle Partners which promoted and grew one of the most economically influential regions in the world. McGowan is currently a Non-resident Fellow at the Brookings Institute.