Jon has been an executive in and advisor to companies making the world happier, healthier and wiser -- and he has a special combination of experience as Co-Founder & Co-CEO of a greylock-backed start-up (Guru.com, a pioneer in the online human capital space, ultimately acquired by Kronos), leader in the F500 world (VP/GM EA SPORTS Active Fitness & VP/GM Global ecommerce @ Electronic Arts), COO/Advisor for mid-market consumer wellness leaders (Rodan + Fields, Perricone MD), and as an advisor to consumer & health-tech innovators (The Bar Method, Peach, Trumaker, Zeel, Greatist, CellScope, etc.). Jon is currently the GM for the West @ WeWork. He is a graduate of Dartmouth College where he hosted the school’s daily news broadcast. When he’s not working he chases his three little ones around with his wife Lexi.

Scott is currently the Division President of the Mountain States/Southwest for Lennar’s Multifamily Apartment Division where he has been responsible for sourcing over $900 million of development since late-2012 in Denver and Phoenix and building a team of over 40 development, construction and property management professionals. With over 15 years of experience in multifamily, Scott previously served as the Managing Director of Mill Creek Residential Trust, where he sourced the development of over $100 million and established a successful development, construction and asset management platform in the Mountain States. He also was the Managing Director of Trammell Crow Residential and, along with his team, was responsible for the sourcing and development of over $500 million in luxury multifamily communities. Scott is a graduate of the University of Virginia (BA) and the University of Colorado (MBA).

Mr. Despard is a senior managing director and city leader responsible for project development, acquisitions/dispositions and asset management of projects throughout Colorado within the Southwest Region of the United States. Since joining the firm in 1999, he has contributed to the management of more than $700 million worth of development projects.

Despard graduated with a BBA from the University of Colorado at Boulder and he holds a master's degree in real estate development and finance from New York University.

Larry Braud is a Vice President, Asset Management with Dividend Capital Diversified Property Fund, a public reporting, daily NAV vehicle based in Denver, CO that invests in a diversified portfolio of commercial real estate assets. DPF owned 57 properties totaling approximately 9.3 million square feet in 20 geographic markets as of March 31, 2016. More information is available at www.dividendcapitaldiversified.com.

Paul is the President of Palisade Partners and has become a respected player in the multifamily market in Denver, Colorado. Currently, Palisade Partners is developing and co-developing three mixed use projects and a townhome project in the Five Points neighborhood, totaling $75 million. Mr. Books is also concurrently overseeing the development of Summit Sky Ranch, a 240-unit, high-end single family residential development in Summit County. Books recently completed an $9 million 27 unit for-sale town home project in Jefferson Park. In 2013, Books completed two new construction multifamily projects near downtown Denver for a combined investment of $20 million. In 2011, Books syndicated and gained financing for the purchases of four existing multifamily properties for a combined acquisition price of $5.4 million and a combined renovation budget of $1.8 million. Mr. Books graduated from the University of Denver: Daniels College of Business with a Masters of Science in Real Estate and Construction Management. Mr. Books received his bachelors of arts in Economics and Math with a Finance Sequence from Claremont McKenna College.

Jon has over 17 years of experience in finance and joined the predecessor company, MVG Development in 2006, which subsequently merged with Confluent in 2015. He is responsible for all financial and accounting aspects of Confluent Development, including investor and banking relations as well as property sales.

Prior to joining Confluent, he held multiple positions in corporate finance and investment banking with a focus on acquisitions and high yield debt financing. Jon worked in the Leveraged Finance group for Bank of America Securities for five years where he participated in structuring over $10 billion worth of financings for leveraged buyouts, M&A transactions, restructuring and refinancing transactions across a broad spectrum of industries.

Jon graduated magna cum laude with a B.B.A in Finance from James Madison University in Harrisonburg, VA.

Matt Joblon is a founding partner and serves as Chief Executive Officer for BMC Investments. Since

2010, BMC has acquired and managed over 8,000 multifamily units in metro Denver comprising an asset

value just over $1 billion. Also in that time span BMC has developed or is in the process of developing

over $500 million in projects, all in Cherry Creek. Some of the projects include market leaders such as

the Steele Creek luxury apartment project and the new Halcyon Hotel. Through those projects, BMC has

been instrumental in bringing world class retail and restaurant concepts to Cherry Creek including

Matsuhisa, Quality Italian, Le Bilboquet, Soul Cycle, CB2 and Departure. BMC currently has over 200

employees and is growing at a fast pace. Lastly, BMC has another $500 million in development projects

in the pipeline in Cherry Creek, Boulder and the Fitzsimmons Medical Campus, and is in the process of

sourcing thousands of multifamily units outside of Denver. Mr. Joblon received a B.B.A. in

Entrepreneurship and Real Estate Finance from Babson College and is on the Board of the Blue Sky Fund.

Chris Frampton is CEO of East West Partners, whose projects include Union Station,

Riverfront Park, The Landmark and Buckley Row at Boulevard One. Chris is also president of the board of

the Civic Center Conservancy. He and his wife, Yvette, are lucky enough to have three awesome kids and

a glorious golden retriever.

Austin Kane is Vice President, Regional Director working out of Denver,

Colorado. He oversees Unico’s real estate investments in Colorado and

Texas. Austin co-directs and executes asset strategies on more than 3.6M

rentable square feet of class A office and retail space and is Unico’s point of

contact for new business opportunities in his region.

Prior to joining Unico in 2013, Austin was a broker with the Frederick Ross

Company for more than 10 years. In this role, he worked with institutional

landlords from across the country. During his tenure with Frederick Ross,

Austin completed more than 250 lease transactions. He also worked closely

with management to mentor young brokers and connect with the larger

Denver community.

While with Unico, Austin has overseen multiple successful leasing efforts on

repositioned properties, setting a bar within individual competitive sets in

multiple markets and submarkets. Additionally, Austin has identified

multiple off-market office investment opportunities that have closed as well

as a significant off-market development play that is currently in progress.

Austin was elected President of the Denver Metro Commercial Association

of Realtors in 2013, and was the recipient of Allen P. Hackstaff Award for

outstanding community involvement. Austin serves on the Downtown

Denver Partnership Business Improvement District as Secretary and is a

member of the Executive Committee for the 5280/Downtown Loop. Austin

also is a member of ULI.

Austin believes that real estate is a service business, and he excels at creating

positive, lasting relationships.

Tucker Manion is President and Founder of Centre Point Properties, a real estate investment firm in Denver, Colorado. Centre Point has acquired and actively manages over 750k square feet of office, retail and industrial space in Denver and the surrounding area.

Having obtained his bachelor's degree in Business Administration & Accounting from Fordham University in Bronx, New York. Tucker worked in New York City for Credit Suisse, JPMorgan Investment Bank, and Fortress Investments where he honed his skills in commercial real estate valuation, asset management, and commercial debt originations on $100 million-plus properties.

A native Coloradoan, Tucker moved back to Denver in 2008 to establish a business focused on acquiring and operating commercial real estate investments with a strategic vision that delivers long-term value creation and stability. Tucker currently oversees Centre Point's strategies for acquisitions, operations and developments.

Chad Ellington is the owner and principal of Peak Development Group. He received his undergraduate degree in Construction Management from Colorado State University and his MBA in Real Estate and Construction Management from the University of Denver (DU.)

Chad went to work for a Colorado based commercial general contractor following his undergraduate work and was the lead on several high profile projects around the state including a 13-story condo building in Downtown Denver, the Green Valley Ranch Shared-Use K-8 School and Rec Center Facility, and a large mixed-use development in the mountain resort town of Breckenridge. That project, Main Street Station, won the 2002 ACE Award for “Project of the Year Over $40M.”

Chad was then Vice President with Oakwood Homes from 2004-2014 and headed up their land acquisition and development group focused on high profile residential and commercial master plan developments in Colorado, Nebraska and Salt Lake City. During this time Chad was also the lead as the “turnkey developer” on a $60M state of the art school project known as the Evie Garrett Dennis Campus for Denver Public Schools in NE Denver. The project is achieved LEED Gold and finished $6M under budget.

Since leaving Oakwood in May of 2015, Chad formed Peak Development Group and has been partnering with other like-minded developers on a variety of developments and projects in Colorado including “X @ Sloans,” a 58-unit ground-up apartment project at Sloan’s Lake.

Matt has been in the Denver Multi-family housing sector for the last 16 years. He has worked on a broad range of rental (market rate and affordable), for sale condos, student housing, and senior living projects. During that time, he has successfully taken complex urban sites through city entitlement, rezoning and permit approvals. Recently his work has included recapturing urban sites centered around TOD stations and the repositioning of existing assets to create vibrant communities with a mixed use focus. He is a strong leader in the development of sustainable construction practices working to improve the overall health and quality of life for the buildings occupants. His passion is for urban infill projects that contribute to the development of great cities. Matt lives in Northwest Denver with his family and is an active member in his local community serving on the City of Denver’s Board of Appeals, Highlands neighborhood association board and participating in revitalization efforts for an area church.

Jeff Hermanson is the CEO of Larimer Associates, the well-known Colorado development company that he founded in 1987. Jeff is the owner and steward of Larimer Square which he purchased in 1993. Through his leadership and place-making experience, the iconic Denver block has evolved into one of the most recognized collections of independently-owned stores and chef-owned and operated restaurants in the state, and consistently ranks as one of Denver’s top attractions.

Larimer Square is Denver’s first historic district and Jeff’s strong commitment to its preservation as well as his forward-thinking vision for the block, keeps the offering and experience fresh, ensuring that Larimer Square remains Denver’s most treasured historic asset.

A strong proponent of incubating skilled, local talent, Jeff has partnered with a number of Denver’s most notable chefs and restaurateurs including Troy Guard, Jennifer Jasinski and Lon Symensma to create some of the city’s most acclaimed restaurants, including Rioja, TAG, Euclid Hall, Bubu, Bistro Vendome, Cholon and others.

Paul Eckert was named the Managing Director of the AC/Le Meriden Denver Downtown in February 2016. He joined White Lodging in August of 2015 as a bench general manager to assist with task force assignments and special projects, and has spent the majority of time at the Indianapolis Marriott Downtown. Eckert has over 20 years of balanced leadership experience in luxury hotels and resorts, successfully driving associate engagement, guest satisfaction, market share and financial performance.

Prior to joining White Lodging, Eckert served Omni Hotels & Resorts for over 13 years in many different capacities, inclusive of three opening assignments, a multitude of task force projects, and he led two resort acquisitions. Positions held with Omni Hotels & Resorts included vice president of special projects, managing director of the Omni Scottsdale Resort & Spa at Montelucia, general manager of the Omni Amelia Island Plantation, general manager of the Omni Jacksonville Hotel, as well as director of operations, and director of food and beverage assignments. Eckert was recognized in 2004 as the Omni Hotels & Resorts Operations Executive of the Year, in 2006 as the March of Dimes Community Chairperson of the Year for Denver/Boulder, and in 2012 by the Jacksonville Business Journal as a Top 40 Under 40 for North Florida.

Eckert has a proven track record of community leadership previously serving in roles as president of the North Florida Hotel & Lodging Association, board member on the Scottsdale Convention & Visitors Bureau, board member of the Arizona Lodging & Tourism Association, executive board member of the Jacksonville Convention & Visitors Bureau, boardmember of the March of Dimes Denver/Boulder, the Gator Bowl Committee, and the Patrick Peterson Foundation.

Mark Witkiewicz is the Senior Vice President, Commercial Development with McWhinney.

Formally educated in engineering, he utilizes his expertise in both the development and construction sides of real estate development, asset management, capital raising and community Mark has previously worked for Corporex Colorado, LLC as Managing Director and with Silverman Development as Senior Vice President where he cultivated his real estate development skills in financing, deal making and negotiating contracts.

Two of Mark’s recent developments are the ART, a hotel in Downtown Denver and the Hyatt Hotel and Conference Center at Fitzsimons Village in Aurora, Colorado. Mark graduated Cum Laude from Michigan Technological University with a bachelor of science in Civil Engineering. He received his master’s degree in Manufacturing Operations from Mark resides in Highlands Ranch, Colorado with his wife, Monica, and four daughters. He and his family enjoy anything outdoors, including camping, hiking and skiing.

Raised in both Hawaii and San Diego, Troy Guard spent much of his youth in the ocean or the kitchen. His career

started in college at the famed La Costa Resort in San Diego. At the age of 21, Guard began his tutelage under

fusion legend Roy Yamaguchi in Hawaii. During their eight-year journey together, Chef Guard developed a

distinct multicultural style that would lead him to executive chef positions all over the world; from acclaimed New

York hotspot TAO and Doc Cheng’s in Singapore, to Richard Sandoval’s award-winning Latin-Asian fusion

restaurant Zengo.

Troy joined Yamaguchi for his next culinary adventure – the launch of Roy’s New China Max in Hong Kong. By

age 25, he was responsible for several Roy’s outposts throughout Asia. Troy spent eight years working closely

with Yamaguchi before taking the coveted post of Executive Chef at New York City hotspot, TAO. Leading a high-

volume operation with a large kitchen staff prepared him for his next calling at The Raffles Hotel in

Singapore—where, as Chef de Cuisine at the world-renowned Doc Cheng's restaurant, he developed his own

unique Pacific Rim style. It was at Doc Cheng’s that Troy met Richard Sandoval, the visionary behind award-

winning “Modern Mexican” concept restaurants across the United States. Together, Guard and Sandoval hatched

the idea of creating Denver’s first Latin-Asian fusion restaurant, Zengo, in the city’s emerging Riverfront area.

After life at Zengo, Troy led several other restaurants to success – including nine75 and Ocean. Still, the calling of

owning his own restaurant beckoned – and 2 years later, TAG became that reality. Chef Guard opened his

flagship restaurant, TAG, on Larimer Square in the bustling LoDo District of downtown Denver. A culmination of a

life-long dream, TAG embodies Guard’s unique vision of Continental Social Food – a combination of his Hawaiian

roots, his Pan-Asian expertise and fresh, local Colorado ingredients.

Since the opening of TAG, Guard has created that of a restaurant empire across Denver with concepts including

Los Chingones (“badass” Mexican), bubu (quick-casual), TAG Burger Bar (imaginative, handcrafted burgers),

Guard and Grace (modern American steakhouse), Mister Tuna (American eclectic), HashTAG

(breakfast/brunch) and FNG (neighborhood wood-fired eatery). In 2019, Guard will make his first move outside of

Colorado with the opening of Guard and Grace in Houston, Texas.

Bruce James has played a leading role over the past 25 years in some of the most notable real estate projects in the Denver area and a number of significant projects throughout the country. Practicing across a broad spectrum of real estate transactions, Bruce is best known for his expertise in public/private partnerships, hotel and resort properties and the acquisition, disposition and financing of commercial real estate portfolios.

In the public/private arena, Bruce served as lead counsel for the redevelopment of the historic Union Station train station in Denver, leading a deep bench of Brownstein lawyers who provided expertise on issues concerning construction, hospitality, public/private partnerships, historic tax credits and joint venture issues, among others. He has also served as lead counsel on many other impactful public/private projects in Denver, including the Colorado Justice Center, Colorado History Museum, Wellington E. Webb Municipal Office Building and Museum Residences.

In the hospitality sector, his recent projects include The Art Hotel in Denver, the Hyatt Fitzsimons Hotel and Conference Center in Aurora, the Marriott Lane Field Hotel in San Diego, The Maven at Dairy Block Hotel in Denver, Union Tower West in Denver, the Great Wolf Lodge in Southern California and the Eventi Hotel in New York City.

In portfolio transactions, Bruce has led the acquisition, disposition and financing of several large commercial real estate portfolios, representing several billion dollars in transactional value.