Boston Construction & Development

Bruce A. Percelay is chairman and founder of The Mount Vernon Company, a real estate investment firm considered among the leading apartment landlords in Massachusetts. The company has grown over the past 30 years to include approximately 1,600 apartments, 5 hotels, as well as select commercial and vacation properties. The company received the Community Excellence Award from the Rental Housing Association of the Greater Boston Real Estate Board, the Paragon Award for Industry excellence by the National Apartment Association, Best Landlord in Boston by Boston Magazine and Best Places to Work in Boston by the Boston Business Journal. Percelay created the Allston Green District, an eleven building assemblage which was the largest new construction project in Allston in over half a century. The three centerpiece buildings in the Green District set a new standard for environmentally sensitive living and have won over nine awards for their forward- thinking sustainable design. Percelay began his career in advertising and helped manage the marketing efforts for Parker Brother's Games, Keds Sneakers, and Converse Athletic Shoes. He is also credited with the development of the idea for Sunkist Orange Soda, the most successful new soft drink launch in the history of the industry. Combining his marketing savvy with his real estate experience, Percelay next authored the top selling business book, Packaging Your Home for Profit, published by Little Brown and Company. The success of the book prompted appearances on CNN, Good Morning America and over 50 newspapers and magazines around the country. Percelay pioneered the concept of marketing and staging homes for sale and has used the theories in his book to build The Mount Vernon Company to where it is today. Percelay has recently created a boutique hotel division of The Mount Vernon Company including 21 Broad, rated by Conde Nast as the top new boutique hotel in the world. The hotels are strategically located in resort communities including: Nantucket, Newport, Portsmouth, New Hampshire and Camden, Maine as well as a 200- room hotel in Boston. Extremely active in support of the communities in which he lives, Percelay was the driving force behind the construction of Nantucket's new whaling museum, the most significant new building on the island in the last 100 years and is chairman of the $120 million capital campaign for the new Nantucket hospital. He is also a Presidents Council Board Member of Massachusetts General Hospital. Percelay was the chairman of the Massachusetts chapter of the Make-A-Wish Foundation, helping it to become the most successful in the country, and chairman of Habitat for Humanity in Boston where he launched the largest urban project ever built in America during his tenure. Percelay is the publisher of N Magazine, a publication he co-founded 15 years ago. The magazine is the leading publication of its kind on the island, has won national awards for its quality and boasts the highest income demographic of any seasonal magazine in America In recognition of his significant service to his community, Percelay was the recipient of the Ten Outstanding Leaders award from the Boston Chamber of Commerce, as one of Boston’s top leaders in The Boston Globe’s Leaders of Boston book and received the Outstanding Achievement Award from YouthBuild Boston. Percelay received a special commendation by former Senator John Kerry for his contributions to Boston which appear in the permanent archives of the United States Congressional Record and was recently honored by the Children’s Advocacy Center for his support of children’s issues. Percelay currently serves on the board of the Rappaport Institute at the Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University and is honorary chairman of the Nantucket Cottage Hospital capital campaign. Bruce shares his time between Nantucket and Boston with his wife Elisabeth and two sons William and Charlie. He is an avid boater, tennis player, and is a collector of vintage automobiles.

Sarah Lemke, Esq. manages all aspects of the development of new real estate projects, from conceptual design through construction completion. Ms. Lemke draws on her expertise in the acquisition, financing, permitting, and leasing of mixed-use and commercial real estate projects across the Northeast in overseeing consultant teams, managing the design and entitlement processes, and project budget. She is currently focused on managing the redevelopment of CambridgeSide from an urban, retail center into a mixed-use center with 1,000,000 square feet of new first-class lab/office space, retail/restaurant, and residential uses. Prior to joining New England Development, Sarah was a partner at the law firm of Hinckley Allen and began her career as an attorney at Goulston & Storrs. She is a graduate of Northeastern University School of Law and Middlebury College where she studied Sociology and French and played field hockey, winning the NCAA Division 3 National Championship during her sophomore year. Ms. Lemke is a seven-year member of the Medfield (MA) Planning Board, a Member of NAIOP and CREW, and a Middlebury College Alumni Interviewer.

Throughout his 28 years of experience in construction, Jim has led over $15B of projects nationally, with $10B being within the Boston marketplace. A few of his most notable local projects include the Encore Casino, Four Seasons at One Dalton, The Mandarin Oriental Boston, Mass College of Art Tree House Dorm, and Brigham Building of the Future. Over the last ten years, Jim has delivered more than 12,000 residential units, 5,000 student housing beds, 10,000 hotel keys, and 3,000,000 square-feet of office, lab, research, and clinical space.

Jason co-founded ARCO National Construction’s New England office and has been in the construction industry for over 10 years. His emphasis on building long-term client relationships and excellence in construction has contributed to ARCO’s success as the 7th largest design/build general contractor in the United States. Jason is expertly skilled in industrial construction including distribution, cold storage, ecommerce, last mile delivery, and speculative development, and he looks forward to expanding ARCO’s portfolio in the industrial industry and beyond. Jason holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Civil Engineering from Western Michigan University.

Peter is a trial attorney specializing in construction, surety, malpractice, commercial and bankruptcy cases. Peter has tried to verdict or decision in excess of 150 cases throughout the United States representing general contractors, subcontractors, architects, engineers, lenders, sureties and owners, among others, on a wide array of commercial, construction, surety and bankruptcy disputes. In particular, Peter has represented clients on numerous and diverse construction and related disputes, including litigation involving defects and project mismanagement arising out of the construction of a nuclear power plant, defending the officers and directors of a defunct subcontractor for claims by a general contractor arising under the federal law successfully trying a real estate partnership dispute involving a $3 billion development and construction project, and prosecuting and defending claims arising out of failed or failing construction contractors and subcontractors. Peter has also represented contractors, subcontractors and developers on all aspects of commercial and multi-family residential projects. Within the past year, Peter has assisted both contractors and developers in commercial and multi-family construction projects valued at over $600 million located throughout New England, the Eastern Seaboard and in Florida. A frequent lecturer, Peter has presented lectures on litigation, construction, bankruptcy and surety law to numerous organizations, including the Boston Society of Civil Engineers, the Engineering Societies of New England, Massachusetts Continuing Legal Education and New England Law Institute, the Northeast Construction Expo., the Construction SuperConference™, the National Academy of Forensic Engineers, the Associated General Contractors, ALI/ABA, Lorman Education Services, Halfmoon Education Inc., Thompson Reuters and the American Bankruptcy Institute. Peter is also the founder of the New England Construction & Real Estate Risk Management Conference™, an annual conference focusing on effective ways to manage risk on construction and real estate development projects. Peter has also presented lectures on construction law and litigation for Northeastern University and the University of Wisconsin.

Josh Billings is a Vice President of Construction at The HYM investment Group. Josh has 18 years of experience as an architect on projects ranging from high-end corporate workplace interiors to large and complex mixed-use projects. He has broad experience across all phases of a project, including permitting and approvals, concept and design development, construction documentation, construction, and post-occupancy evaluations.

Matt Lattanzi, Esq. serves as the Director of Planning and Development for the City of Everett as well as an Assistant City Solicitor. In his role as Director of Planning and Development, he works collaboratively with developers, local departments and boards, and outside consultants to ensure that proposed developments throughout the City align with key municipal objectives. His primary focus has been centered on the revitalization of underutilized areas of the City, attracting private development to remediate highly-contaminated parcels, create a robust and thriving neighborhood to live, work, and recreate, and elevate areas to their highest and best use. Matt is a “Triple Eagle”, graduating from Boston College High School, Boston College, and Boston College Law School

William Halter is a Vice President at Elkus Manfredi Architects with 25 years of experience in architectural design for complex mixed-use, high-rise residential, and institutional projects. He is a skilled designer, project leader, and firm representative to city agencies, community groups, and his clients. Prior to joining Elkus Manfredi, William worked for 13 years in Seattle, Washington, creating environmentally sustainable designs for higher education institutions in that region. Since joining Elkus Manfredi in 2005, William has been involved with mixed-use, retail, and urban design projects in North America and internationally, including master planning and design for the Shops at Hudson Yards in New York City and a new 240-acre mixed-use city center in Santa Clara, California. Completed projects include the flagship Neiman Marcus stores in Massachusetts and Long Island, as well as the award-winning mixed-use Paramount Center at Emerson College. He is currently project director for the design of The St. Regis Residences, a 22-story retail and residential tower in Boston’s Seaport District. Designed for LEED NC-Silver certification and seeking Gold, The St. Regis is a model of sustainability and resiliency, employing measures to combat the effects of climate change and sea-level rise. William is a registered LEED AP-certified architect and member of the American Institute of Architects, the Boston Society of Architects, and the US Green Building Council. He earned his Bachelor of Architecture degree from the School of Architecture & Environmental Design at Kent State University, in addition to a Bachelor of Science degree from Kent State.