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Event Host

Wells Fargo Center

Wells Fargo Center

Located within the iconic Wells Fargo Center with its contemporary main lobby and multitude of tenant amenities, the 18th floor showcases the potential for modern office space that meets the needs of forward-thinking companies working to create interesting and productive work environments for their employees. Natural light, open ceilings, and a flexible, efficient floorplate are highlights of the 18th floor, and space throughout Wells Fargo Center!

Speakers and Panels

RiNo Rising: The Future of the River North Arts District

What's Next for Denver's Trendiest Neighborhood?

Fiona Arnold

Fiona Arnold

President

Mainspring Developers

Cathy Mossman

Cathy Mossman

SVP

Beacon Capital Partners

Karen Gerwitz

Karen Gerwitz

President & CEO

World Trade Center Denver

Paul Zeckser

Paul Zeckser

SVP, Consumer Product

HomeAdvisor

Stephen Dynia
Moderator

Stephen Dynia

Principal

Dynia Architects

Fiona Arnold

President

Mainspring Developers

Fiona Arnold is a long time corporate attorney and real estate investor. After seven years as an executive vice president at Vail Resorts, Inc., she launched MAINSPRING Developers focused on residential and commercial urban real estate redevelopment in Denver with the guiding principle that development must have at its core the obligation to create unique, enduring and community centered spaces.

Fiona is a native Australian but adopted Colorado and Denver as her home in 2001, where she lives with her husband and two children.

Cathy Mossman

SVP

Beacon Capital Partners

Ms. Mossman is based in San Francisco and oversees asset management of properties in the Bay Area and Denver and has been with Beacon for 9 years. Prior to joining Beacon, Ms. Mossman was a Senior Research Assistant at the Federal Reserve Board of Governors in Washington, DC. While at the Board of Governors, she researched, analyzed, and monitored the US residential and commercial mortgage markets and products. Ms. Mossman holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Economics and Mathematics from the University of Georgia and a Masters of Business Administration from the Haas School of Business at University of California, Berkeley.

Karen Gerwitz

President & CEO

World Trade Center Denver

Karen Gerwitz brings 30+ years’ experience in international business to the organization in the private, public and non-profit sectors. She currently serves as Chair for the WTCA's Member Advisory Council on Trade Services for the Americas. Her enthusiastic vision for how Denver can become a more globally-conscious city is what is driving the organization to its new development in the Fox Park neighborhood near downtown. With business development, strategic growth and marketing as her main functional expertise, Karen has served overseas in Ghana and Austria, and in Colorado in multiple sectors including: IT, Aerospace, Lumber, Science, Mining, and Government. Her protocol and international cultural expertise prepared her well to host the official visits of the Emperor and Empress of Japan, the G8 Summit, the Western Hemisphere Ministerial Summit, and hundreds of other delegations. She earned her Bachelor of Science Degree in International Business and her Masters of Public Administration from the University of Colorado.

Stephen Dynia

Moderator

Dynia Architects

Stephen Dynia, FAIA is the Design Director of the firm of his founding with the

goal of making buildings and spaces inspired by the phenomena of nature, fueled

by innovation, and motivated by the essence of architecture in society and

culture. He received degrees in Fine Arts and Architecture from the Rhode Island

School of Design, a place that taught the value of ideas, the rigor of design

investigation, and the craft of making buildings, spaces, and objects of all scales.

Dynia moved to Jackson, Wyoming after working in the design department of

Skidmore Owings & Merrill in New York and founded the practice in 1993.

The energy of that environment – both SOM and Manhattan – still serves as a

model for the exhaustive design investigation within the Dynia Architects studio,

and for the integrity of what we know as modern work. The desire to design

larger commercial and multi-family projects led him to Denver, Colorado. Dynia

established an office in the River North Arts District (RiNo) in 2010. The firm has

completed the design of eight buildings in a collaborative process with Zeppelin

Development, three of which are currently under construction.

Dynia Architects’ residential, commercial, and institutional work has been

recognized with over 40 design awards from the American Institute of Architects.

They have been widely published in books, magazines, digital media, and

Stephen has presented his work at design conferences nationally. Stephen Dynia

was admitted to the American Institute of Architects College of Fellows in 2013.

Downtown Developments & Design: The Next Decade of Denver

Projects in the Pipeline, Tenant Perspectives & More!

Jeff Hermanson

Jeff Hermanson

Larimer Square

Scott Heimes

Scott Heimes

CMO

SendGrid

David Sternberg

David Sternberg

EVP

Brookfield Properties

Dan Cohen

Dan Cohen

SVP

McWhinney

Harsh Parikh

Harsh Parikh

President

Parikh Stevens Architects

Bruce James
Moderator

Bruce James

Shareholder

Brownstein Hyatt Farber Schreck

Jeff Hermanson

Larimer Square

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.

Scott Heimes

CMO

SendGrid

Scott Heimes serves as Chief Marketing Officer, where he is responsible for SendGrid’s brand strategy, driving demand for its solutions and leading global marketing operations. Scott oversees corporate marketing, demand generation, corporate communications, partnerships and alliances, international expansion and SendGrid’s community development team. Before joining SendGrid, Scott was the Chief Marketing Officer of Digital River, where he led marketing and demand gen, communications, strategic planning, partnerships and managed Digital River’s marketing services businesses including the company’s direct-response marketing agency and its BlueHornet email service provider. Prior to joining Digital River, Scott was the Chief Marketing Officer for WebMD Health Services, where he ran the company’s marketing, product management, and long-term strategic planning. In prior positions, Scott served as a senior marketing executive at OptumHealth, a UnitedHealth Group company; Target Corporation and Target.com.

David Sternberg

EVP

Brookfield Properties

A highly successful senior executive with a thirty year track record managing high-end commercial real estate portfolios and 40+ million sf in assets. Effective team leader who maximizes financial performance, business growth, capital planning and relationships. Consistently demonstrates superior judgment in all decision-making matters and crisis management situations. A proactive community leader combining a strong sense of civic loyalty and authentic interpersonal skills to guide major change initiatives.

Dan Cohen

SVP

McWhinney

Dan Cohen serves as the Senior Vice President of Community, Development &

Acquisitions for

McWhinney, a diversified independent real estate development,

investment and management company in Denver, Colorado. Dan is responsible

for identifying, structuring, planning and entitling new mixed-use deals.

His

focus is on acquiring outstanding urban infill real estate in the Front Range and

western states that represent unique opportunities for long-term value creation

and exceptional placemaking, many of which will be part of public-private

partnerships.

Prior to joining McWhinney, he was the founder and principal of Urban Investment

Group, LLC, where he led, partnered and advised on urban infill, transit-oriented

and mixed-use development projects in Colorado and throughout the U.

S.

Prior to founding his own company, Dan served as the Vice President of Planning

and Development for Catellus Development, the mixed-use development division

of Prologis, a Fortune 500 real estate investment trust (REIT). In that role he led

the company’s national land acquisition efforts, specializing in public-private

partnerships. He also had companywide oversight of land planning, design and

entitlements for a nationwide portfolio of complex mixed-use retail and office

assets. Previously, Dan served as the Director of Planning for Catellus’ Mission

Bay project, a $2 billion, 300-acre mixed-use and transit-oriented development in

San Francisco.

Prior to joining Catellus, Dan worked for 15 years as a planning and development

consultant to private sector developers on large-scale urban projects on the West

Coast. His experience also extends to Tokyo, where he prepared land planning

and urban design schemes for one of Japan’s largest architecture, engineering

and construction firms.

Dan is very involved in the communities in which he lives and works, including

serving on numerous nonprofit committees and civic bodies. He currently sits

on ULI Colorado’s executive board and is co-chair of ULI Colorado’s

Transit-Oriented Development committee. He is chairman of the Boulder

Urban Renewal Authority board and is a former Boulder County Planning

Commissioner.

Harsh Parikh

President

Parikh Stevens Architects

Harsh Parikh is known for his inclusive and intellectual approach to architecture. He firmly believes that

the key to good architecture lies in the architect having a firm grasp on a vast variety of knowledge and

skills. To tackle the complex design process one needs, not simply a keen eye for the contemporary

aesthetic, but also a deep understanding of current construction technologies, the intricacies of building

codes, cutting edge sustainable practices, navigating contentious entitlement processes, and advanced

design software. Because of his great expertise in these very divergent but equally important arenas,

Mr. Parikh has deservedly earned the reputation for being one of the most ‘complete’ architects in the

region.

Under his leadership, Parikh Stevens Architects have fashioned a rich portfolio of more than 50

affordable, market-rate, & senior housing projects involving more than 6,000 dwelling units, most of

them in Denver. Several of Mr. Parikh’s designs have won local, regional, and national awards and are

well recognized local landmarks.

Bruce James

Moderator

Brownstein Hyatt Farber Schreck

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.

Summary

From chic restaurants to ultra-luxury apartments, Downtown Denver is the essence of urban. Over the past decade, LoDo has attracted top chefs, major tenants and a multitude of new developments. As the cranes continue to rise, what are latest real estate trends disrupting the downtown scene?

Find out this and more at our Future of Downtown Denver event this September! Denver's biggest developers and tenants will disclose what's next for LoDo, how Denver compares to other cities and why development activity continues to remain strong. Denver continues to be a hot spot for tenants, urbanites and developers alike, making way for a prosperous and exciting decade to come.

Questions? Comments? Contact Sarah, our Denver Event Producer, at sarah.rotholz@bisnow.com 

Share your comments, post your photos and ask questions using #BisnowDenver on Twitter and Instagram, and follow us at @BisnowDenver on Twitter for more local news.

Venue

Wells Fargo Center
1700 Lincoln St.
Denver, CO 80203

Ballroom: Suite 1800, 18th Floor


Parking Garage
Self-Parking $17/day
1700 Sherman Street
Denver, CO 80203

Agenda

Time Activity
1:30 PM
2:30 PM
Breakfast & Networking
2:30 PM
3:15 PM
RiNo Rising: The Future of the River North Arts District
3:15 PM
4:00 PM
Downtown Developments & Design: The Next Decade of Denver
4:00 PM
4:30 PM
Post-Panel Networking