The Sixth Annual Baltimore State of the Market

Demian Costa is a Partner at Weller Development Company, the lead developer for the Port Covington project in Baltimore City. As a Partner with Weller Development, Demian focuses on raising capital, leasing, and new business creation. Additionally, Demian serves as the Managing Director of Sagamore Ventures, the private investment subsidiary of Plank Industries. Demian began his career in the military. He is veteran having served 12 years as a US Navy SEAL.  Following his military career, Demian co-founded FX Studios, focused on building virtual and on-premise employee wellness programs globally. Additionally, Demian co-founded Sagamore Ventures, focusing on double bottom- line investments that drive positive economic impact in urban areas. He is currently focused on innovation and economic growth in Baltimore City and beyond. Demian holds an undergraduate degree in finance and an MBA from the University of Maryland’s Robert H. Smith School of Business.

Mark Pollak has practiced for more than 30 years with a focus on the public financing of complex real estate projects and sports stadiums. He also has experience creating public-private partnerships to develop central business districts. His clients include local institutions and companies as well as national corporations and major real estate developers and investors in the mid-Atlantic area.

Luke Mowbray currently works for the University of Maryland, Baltimore (UMB) as a manager in the Department of Capital Budget and Planning. His responsibilities include campus master planning, space management, and real estate development. He is particularly interested in the role large anchor institutions play in the revitalization of the urban core. Prior to coming to UMB, Mowbray worked at St. Mary's College of Maryland, where he focused in campus master planning, sustainability, and planning for long term deferred maintenance needs. Mowbray has an MS in Urban and Regional Planning.

Alex Dixon is the Vice President and Assistant General Manager of Horseshoe Casino Baltimore. Prior to this role he served as VP & Executive Associate to the President of Shared Services Division and Director of Enterprise Effectiveness for Caesars Entertainment. In this position, he managed the restructuring and reorganization of the enterprise (Project Renewal). Prior to joining Caesars, Alex worked as an investment banker focusing on mergers and acquisitions with Goldman Sachs and Silver Pacific Advisors in cities including: New York, London (UK) and Los Angeles. Alex’s significant transaction experience includes the $638M IPO of Jackson Hewitt and Disney’s $7.5B acquisition of Pixar. Locally, Alex is the Treasurer of Pigtown Main Street, former Treasurer of Habitat for Humanity Las Vegas, former President of the Las Vegas Urban League Young Professionals and was appointed by the Clark County Commission to serve on the Committee on Community Priorities. In 2003, Alex was awarded a BBA in finance from Howard University in Washington D.C. A native of Las Vegas, Alex is the husband of Yindra Dixon and proud father of Alex Jr. and twins Parker and Peyton.

Focusing on strategic planning and long-term goals, Scott oversees relations with financial institutions, government agencies, economic development organizations and industry groups. He joined the company in 1972. Scott is Chairman of the Board for the Maryland Economic Development Corporation and Maryland Business for Responsive Government, and sits on the Board and Executive Committee for the Economic Alliance of Greater Baltimore, the Young Life-Urban Baltimore Board of Directors, M&T Bank Greater Baltimore/Washington Director’s Advisory Council, the Baltimore County Economic Development Commission, and the Board of Trustees for Junior Achievement of Central Maryland. In addition, he is a member of the National Association of Industrial and Office Properties (NAIOP), the Institute of Real Estate Management (IREM) and the Urban Land Institute (ULI). He holds a Bachelor of Arts from Cornell University and an MBA from Loyola University in Maryland.

One of the most dynamic professionals in Maryland Real Estate over the last two decades, Billy Yerman has made a lifetime out of the safe transfer of real property. He is a past president of the Maryland Land Title Association and of the Greater Baltimore Board of Realtors. In his long career Billy was CEO of Fountainhead Title and The Strata Group, an organization that encompassed a residential real estate firm, two title companies, a mortgage group, and a personal finance company. In addition to his business pursuits, Billy has given back to the community as a passionate advocate for the next generation by serving on the Board of Trustees of Garrison Forest School and as a past Chairman of the Board of Junior Achievement of Central Maryland. Billy is a graduate of Emory University in Atlanta, and the University of Maryland School of Law.

JM Schapiro is the third-generation leader of Continental Realty Corporation (CRC), a diversified real estate company co-founded by his grandfather and father. JM has served as Chief Executive Officer of CRC since 2002. Headquartered in Baltimore and founded in 1960, CRC is a full-service commercial real estate investment and management company. The privately-owned firm owns and manages a diversified portfolio of retail shopping centers consisting of more than 3 million square feet of space, as well as apartment home communities featuring more than 8,000 multi-family apartment homes. Positioned throughout the Mid-Atlantic and Southeast, the value of the portfolio exceeds $1.5B. JM’s family connection to Baltimore extends back to his great-great-grandparents arrival from Europe in the early 1900s. JM was born in Baltimore and lived in Baltimore City until he was four years old on West Lanvale Street in Bolton Hill. JM graduated from Bucknell University in 1991 and joined CRC before leaving for several years to develop his own skills running the real estate department at Sylvan Learning Systems.Screen Shot 2015-11-03 at 9.43.05 AM JM received a Master’s Degree in Real Estate in 1995 from Johns Hopkins University. He rejoined CRC in 1998 and, after progressing up the ranks, was named President and CEO in 2002. Under JM’s leadership, CRC has more than doubled in size and acquired in excess of $1 billion in real estate. In addition to his role at CRC, JM currently serves as a member of the LifeBridge Health Board, the Board of Cristo Rey Jesuit High School, and the Board of The Park School, where he is also an alumnus. He is actively involved with The Associated Jewish Charities (‘The Associated’) where he serves on the Board of Governors and chaired its 2014/2015 Capital Campaign. Through The Associated, JM was named the recipient of the 2008 Julius Rosenberg Award and the 2010 Harry Greenstein Award. He is the Washington/Baltimore Chapter Chair Emeritus for the Young President’s Organization (YPO), the former Network Chair for the YPO Real Estate Industry Network, and was named a 2014 Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year in the Real Estate and Construction category. JM lives in Baltimore County with his wife, Mindy, and two sons, Landon and Harrison, where they are active members of the community and committed to philanthropic endeavors in the surrounding region.

Doug's love for Lego and block construction made it clear from an early age that he was destined for a career in real estate development. As the founding principal of WorkShop Development, Doug has channeled his creative leanings and passion to bricks and mortar projects in the rapidly changing urban landscape of Baltimore. After graduating from Duke University, Doug spent 16 years at CB Richard Ellis as a broker focusing on landlord representation and national corporate assignments. Doug co-founded Chesapeake Real Estate Group in 2005 and further honed his focus on urban and suburban development with the founding of WorkShop Development in 2014. Doug is also an expert in Brownfield development. Doug is active both in the Baltimore real estate industry and local community. He is the Vice Chair of the Southeast Community Development Corporation working to improve the lives of all Baltimoreans.

Adam Kleeman has more than 18 years of experience providing audit, accounting and consulting services in the commercial and multi-family real estate industries. Based in CohnReznick's Baltimore office, he has extensive experience working with investors, developers, owners and management companies of various sizes and complexities. This experience includes audits of publicly-traded real estate investment trusts (REITs) and Community Development Entities (CDEs). Most recently, Adam has focused his efforts on servicing clients that utilize New Markets, historic and low-income housing tax credits to subsidize the financing of real estate projects. He has also managed engagements as the external auditor for publicly traded companies and reported on internal controls over financial reporting as required by the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (PCAOB). Education: B.A. – Government and Politics, University of Maryland.