Denver State of the Market

Born in Denver in 1937, Mickey Zeppelin has seen the city grow from a western town dominated by streetcars and 75-foot high building limits to the modern city that we see now. As a young man, Zeppelin had a brief stint in the US Coast Guard and practiced law until 1972, when he entered into real estate development full time. In the 1980’s he founded Zeppelin Development with the primary purpose of developing strong and dynamic repurposed urban projects in Denver. With a keen eye for his surrounding environment and a vision for what his city could be, Zeppelin began transforming districts with limited potential into neighborhoods, workspaces, and active and engaging communities. Serving on various boards and steering committees, Zeppelin has had a hand in many urban renewal projects across the city, including TAXI and The Source in RiNo.

David co-founded Zocalo spurred by a commitment to development that balanced investment returns, community impact and environmental respect. David focused on downtown development as soon as he arrived in Denver in 1990.  David’s first project was the Lofts over the Wynkoop Brewery. Since the Wynkoop, David established the vision for historic conversions such as the Downtown Denver and Downtown San Diego Courtyards by Marriott, which utilized the Historic Investment Tax Credit. In Denver, David was one of the first developers to work through, develop and sell deed-restricted, for-sale units at Silver State Lofts, a program that codified in the Inclusionary Housing Ordinance.  Since formation, Zocalo has quickly become among the best respected development companies in Colorado, recognized for thoughtful, innovative, well-timed and skillfully-executed projects.  As a LEED-Accredited Professional, David oversees all aspects of project development and management to ensure they meet project specifications, budgets and timelines.  As recognition, David received the Denver Business Journal's Developer of the Year award for 2012. David received his MBA from the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia. He is interim board chair of the State Housing Board and was chairman of the board of directors of community jazz station KUVO and co-chair of the Downtown Denver Partnership's Housing Council.  David co-founded the University of Denver's Affordable Housing Conference and co-chaired the Conference's first five years. David has an appointment to Mayor Hancock's Task Force on Affordable Housing.  He received the Affordable Housing Leader of the Year Award for 2006 from the Denver chapter of the Enterprise Foundation.

Taking everything previously understood about the “hotel restaurant”—stale concepts comprised of generalized menus, occupying lobbies across America—and flipping that on its head, Peter Karpinski innovated and reconstructed the common lodging amenity in launching Denver-based company, Sage Restaurant Group, in 2005. “Hospitality is much more than merely serving somebody,” he says, highlighting the heartfelt philosophy that drives his bold vision. “It distills down to creating memorable moments and stirring genuine emotions in everything we do.” As co-founder of Sage Restaurant Group—a subset of Sage Hospitality, in which he also serves as a partner. Karpinski develops and manages independent hotel-adjacent restaurants, elevating the drinking and dining scene in often-overlooked markets. With a degree in hospitality administration from Cornell University, Karpinski took on the scene as a food and beverage director with Four Seasons Hotels and Resorts as well as director of restaurants for Caesar’s Palace. He joined Sage Hospitality in 2005 to co-found Sage Restaurant Group after a successful stint in Philadelphia leading corporate operations for Starr Restaurant Organization. Karpinski applied his innovative spirit to help Sage open community-minded restaurants that raise the caliber of hotel dining, including The Corner Office in Denver; Kachina Southwestern Grill in Denver and Westminster; Mercat a la Planxa in Chicago; The Original Dinerant in Portland, OR; Hello Betty Fish House in Oceanside, CA; Urban Farmer Steakhouse in Portland, Cleveland, Philadelphia, and Denver; Departure Restaurant + Lounge in Portland and Denver; and most recently, The Emporium Kitchen and Wine Market in Fort Collins, CO and Savannah, GA. With a similar approach, he also has a hand in new hospitality mixed- use developments and investments. The goal, be it a restaurant or hotel, remains to bring sophisticated, eclectic, yet approachable cuisine and experiences to neighborhoods with emerging reputations, raising the profile of the destination while offering culture and opportunities to locals and visitors alike. The thought leader has earned numerous recognitions for his groundbreaking work, including Food & Wine’s “40 Big Food Thinkers Under 40” in 2011; publications such as Forbes and Restaurant Hospitality, among others, have also taken note of his talents. Karpinski resides with his family in Colorado, where they enjoy taking advantage of the abundant opportunities for outdoor recreation.

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.

Chad McWhinney has been a visionary leader in the real estate industry for more than 25 years. As Chief Executive Officer and Co-Founder, Chad is responsible for establishing the company’s purpose of creating great places for people and its promise of providing fabled experiences to its customers. Since 1991, McWHINNEY has developed and planned over 6,000 acres of land, and developed more than 10 million square feet of office, industrial, medical, retail, hospitality and residential properties, including more than 2,500 units of multifamily apartments. McWHINNEY currently has over $2.5B of assets under management. McWHINNEY is a fully integrated, diversified, real estate company that creates and owns, for the long-term, large-scale, multi-use projects, and develops, owns, and manages income-producing properties primarily for its own account. The company is evergreen, prospering in all phases of the real estate cycle and developing “win-win” business strategies. Chad has been named 9NEWS Leader of the Year by Colorado’s KUSA- TV, Bravo! Entrepreneur of the Year by Northern Colorado Business Report, Rising Business Star by Fort Collins’ Coloradoan and NAIOP Developer/ Owner of the Year. McWHINNEY and the Denver Union Station Alliance were honored with the prestigious 2015 Urban Land Institute Global Award for Excellence, and Chad also received a commendation from the Colorado House of Representatives for his work on Denver Union Station. He is a past chair of the Teach for America Regional Board of Directors, and previously served as a member of the Board of Directors for Downtown Denver, Inc., the Colorado State University System Board of Governors, the Board of Directors for the Poudre Valley Health System Foundation, National Association of Industrial & Office Properties (NAIOP) Colorado Chapter, Northern Colorado Economic Development Corporation, Centennial Bank of the West, Guaranty Bank & Trust Company, was a member of the Urban Land Institute and Colorado Forum, and the Denver International Airport Management Advisory Council. Chad’s personal mission is “to create a better world”.

DENVER (Aug. 4, 2015) – The Opus Group (Opus) announced today that Mark B. Johnson has joined Opus Development Company, L.L.C. as senior director, real estate development in the Denver office effective Aug. 3, 2015. In his new role, Johnson will pursue new office, industrial, multifamily, and retail projects throughout the surrounding Denver market. “We’re thrilled to welcome Mark to the Opus team as we continue to grow our reach in the Denver market,” said Peter Coakley, senior vice president and general manager, Opus Development Company, L.L.C. “His impressive real estate development background, including market analysis, site selection, negotiation, entitlements and project management from a national perspective, will bring added depth to our development team.” With more than two decades of real estate development and end user experience, Johnson brings a breadth of knowledge to Opus. Most recently, he was director, real estate services at Xcel Energy, where he worked with Opus on the new Xcel Energy headquarters in downtown Minneapolis and Amarillo, Texas. Johnson also held principal roles at J.R.E.A, LLC; JMW Development, L.L.C.; Wallace Enterprises, Inc.; and Dayton Hudson Corporation, Target Stores Division, completing more than 7 million square feet of new buildings across 22 states. He has also managed significant portfolios of real estate for Xcel Energy and Target Corporation. “I’m looking forward to joining the Opus team and leveraging my experience to expand the already- impressive company portfolio,” said Johnson. “It’s been a pleasure working with Opus on the Xcel Energy projects in Minneapolis and Amarillo and I’m excited to support the team’s efforts to grow the Denver market.” Johnson graduated from the University of Wisconsin-Madison with a Bachelor of Science in Landscape Architecture and became a registered landscape architect in the state of Minnesota. He earned his Master of Business Administration from the University of Minnesota’s Carlson School of Business. In addition, he recently obtained the Master of Corporate Real Estate (MCR) designation as an active member of CoreNet. He maintains a real estate broker’s license, and has completed certificate coursework in commercial real estate financing in investment analysis and feasibility at the University of Wisconsin.

Ryan Good has been a driving force in Denver’s real estate industry for more than 17 years. As Managing Partner of Good Investment Partners, Ryan provides the vision for the firm’s leadership and operational teams while building strategic partnerships with investors and key stakeholders. Known for his ability to align the right opportunities with the right partners, he leverages longstanding relationships to source opportunities in various market sectors and segments. Prior to founding Good Investment Partners, Ryan served as Executive Vice President and Partner for the largest privately held real estate firm in Denver. He was instrumental in the significant growth of the company and ultimately disposition of all assets that led to multiple record-setting sales. Through this process, Ryan developed a deep understanding of what next-generation businesses need to grow and succeed. Over his career, Ryan has been involved in more than 1,000 real estate transactions valued at over $1.5 billion dollars. Awards and Affiliations  Leadership Denver Class of 2015  2019 Denver Business Journal’s 40 Under 40 Winner  2020 NAIOP Sherman R. Miller Trailblazer Award  Active member of ULI, DMCAR, SIOR and NAIOP

As President and CEO of one of Colorado’s premiere real estate investment firms, Chris is responsible for driving the company’s investments, strategic planning and overall operations. He has successfully acquired, developed and overseen projects in excess of $1.5 billion in Land Development, Office, Retail and Industrial building. One of Chris’ greatest strengths is in finding and creating value in under-managed and ill-conceived properties. Along with his experienced team, he has created investment opportunities utilizing both traditional acquisitions, and forward-thinking financial structuring. Working closely with various state municipalities, urban renewal authorities, metropolitan districts and complex entitlement processes, Chris has been able to get the most complex of deals successfully structured. By proficiently and intelligently understanding the financial opportunities in the acquisition process, Chris has been able to create deal structures which make the investments valuable to all parties involved. With over 35 years in the commercial real estate business, Chris holds a long term and understands the importance of having focus on value creation and stability. Through his leadership, DPC has grown continuously through both good ties and down turns. Before his tenure at DPC, Chris worked for a local Denver developer where he was responsible for project management and leasing of the company’s office, industrial and retail portfolio, and in the banking industry handling OREO work outs. Chris holds a Bachelor of Science Degree from Colorado State University with an emphasis on finance and economics.

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.

Rhett started his career as a Tenant rep and Landlord broker at JLL in NYC in 2011 where he worked on a team of six including VTS Co-Founder Ryan Masiello and VTS Head of Business Development Andrew Flint. Rhett assisted in the leasing of a 2.5 million square foot portfolio in Downtown and Midtown Manhattan, while also advising technology and financial services clients in their real estate decisions. It was at JLL where Rhett found his love for real estate and technology, and from there he decided to make the jump to the start up world. Rhett officially joined VTS in the spring of 2013 and moved back home to Dallas in January of 2014 to open the Dallas office and oversee the Southeast Region. Rhett resides in Dallas, Texas but is in an airport or on an airplane about 50% of the time.