Event Host

New Center One

This office building is centrally located at the heart of New Center and the northern end of Midtown Detroit, offering up to 29,000 square feet of contiguous space. It is connected by a walkway to 2 million square feet of office space that serves approximately 2,000 employees daily. The property is conveniently situated near Wayne State University and the Henry Ford Hospital campus, with the QLINE station just steps away, providing fast access to the Central Business District (CBD).

Speakers and Panels

Opening Keynote

Rich Haddad

COO, Detroit Pistons

Mixed Use, Multifamily, and More

Exploring the Potential and Possibilities of Asset Class Combinations

Roger Basmajian

President, Basco Development

Donovan Smith

Chair, Planning Commission, City of Detroit

Sarah Ogelsby-Battle

President, Beztak

Eddie Carrington

Founder, Flux City

Darnell Adams

Vice President, Detroit Community Initiatives, Gilbert Family Foundation

Michael Poris

Founding Partner, McIntosh Poris Architects

Moderator

Andrew Gutman

President, Farbman Group

Designing Detroit's Destinations

Trends Shaping Placemaking and Urban Renewal

Beth Kmetz-Armitage

Director, Michigan Central

Corey Breton

Head of Venues, Cosm

Philip Kafka

Philip Kafka is the President of Prince Concepts. Prior to moving to Detroit, Kafka graduated with a degree in philosophy then spent six years building Prince Media Co, a billboard company, in New York City. After developing and marketing sign locations across Manhattan, Brooklyn, San Francisco and Los Angeles Kafka sold Prince Media Co to LAMAR, the largest billboard company in the country. Kafka began purchasing real estate in Detroit in late 2012 and finally sold his company in New York in August of 2015. Since then, Kafka hasn’t stopped. Kafka has focused his work across a previously blighted and 99% abandoned neighborhood in Detroit, Core City. He currently owns 25 contiguous acres where he has completed the development of 200,000 SF of land, the renovation of 70,000 SF of previously derelict, slated to be demolished buildings, imagined and built 30 new units of housing across three award winning projects and crafted over 60,000 SF of beautified public space… and counting. This work has occurred across a variety of programs and manifests as small projects knit together with a consistent attitude - one that promotes and prioritizes high quality space - public and private. Across these projects, over 750 trees have been planted. Kafka has also taken his development philosophy to Fort Worth, Texas where he completed the award winning PS1200 project. Each of Kafka’s projects has been generously awarded at the highest levels in the Architecture world; the portfolio also maintains a 97% occupancy rate. In 2021, Kafka’s company, Prince Concepts was named Best Developer in the Midwest by Architect’s Newspaper, and in 2022, Prince Concepts was named one of the ten most innovative architecture focused companies in the world by Fast Company. Kafka has served on the board of MoCAD in Detroit and actively serves on the MCHAP prize board. He is frequently invited to lecture in the architecture departments in the USA, Europe and the Middle East. He is yet to be invited by a business school, however…

Prince Concepts

President

Philip Kafka

President, Prince Concepts

Jen Cross

Landscape Architecture Studio Lead, HDR

James Renne

Jim Renne is a Senior Vice President and National Sports Director at JLL with more than 25 years of experience in creating innovative Sports & Entertainment districts and destinations ,and world class sports and athletic facilities. With his extensive sports planning and architecture experience, Jim understands the multi-faceted objectives of stakeholders in the industry and works closely with his clients to make their vision a reality. Jim was recognized in 2020 and 2016 by Sports Business Journal as one of the top 50 Power Players in Sports Design and Development. As National Director, Jim leads a dedicated team of experts who are passionate about representing the best interest of their clients in the sports, university athletics, and entertainment industry. His strategic approach to advising and collaborating with his clients, representing their interests in leading large scale developments and managing projects ensures their vision and business objectives are met, maximizing the highest return on investment, and greatest impact for their constituents. Experience Prior to joining JLL, Jim was Sports Principal for ROSSETTI. His responsibilities included managing the company’s Sports & Entertainment group domestically and in East Asia; Project Executive for numerous clients; and led an internal team focused on fan experience innovation and sports business analytics. Most notably, Jim’s strategic approach to sports design led to the reimagination of one of the most recognized venues in the U.S. at the Daytona International Speedway. Jim directed the design team on the $400M Daytona Rising project (SBJ 2016 Sports Facility of the Year), creating a new era of fan experience and sponsorship integration for NASCAR. Jim’s background in retail, master planning and urban design combined with sports gives him unique expertise in mixed-use and sports and entertainment anchored development projects. Education, Speaking and Media Engagements, and Affiliations Jim received a Bachelor of Architecture degree and a Master of Architecture degree from the University of Michigan. Jiim continues to be invited as an expert panelist and speaker for numerous organizations; and interviews on numerous media outlets. Member of ASLD’s Board of Advisors, Detroit Sports Operating Committee Associate Board; and University of Michigan’s School of Sports Management Advisory Board.

JLL

SVP & National Sports Director

James Renne

SVP & National Sports Director, JLL

Jennifer Janus

President, Pophouse

Chris Martella

Christopher R. Martella is a Member of Dawda, Mann, Mulcahy & Sadler, PLC, practicing in the areas of real estate, cybersecurity, and corporate matters. In addition to his real estate and corporate background, he focuses on structured finance and medical practice “roll-up” sales. Prior to joining Dawda Mann, Christopher worked at a boutique firm that advised midmarket qualified professional asset managers on the acquisition of commercial real estate and alternative investment vehicles. Christopher has extensive experience working with industrial developers and the United States General Services Administration and its real estate service providers. Prior to his boutique practice, he worked in the State of Kuwait and the United Arab Emirates for the local office of a multinational law firm. While he was in the Middle East, Christopher’s practice focused on real estate acquisition and development, cross-border mergers and acquisitions, and Islamic and traditional finance. In addition to Christopher’s real estate and finance background, he is a leading advisor to many small and medium-sized businesses on legal issues related to pre- and post-electronic data breach mitigation strategies, data security, data privacy, and National Institute of Standards and Technology and ISO/IEC 27000 data security and management compliance. Christopher has been selected by his peers for inclusion in The Best Lawyers in America© 2021 in the field of Real Estate Law (Copyright 2020 by Woodward/White, Inc., of SC). He is also a 2018-2020 Leading Lawyer in the categories of Data Privacy, Real Estate Law: Commercial, and Real Estate Law: Finance, Super Lawyers 2024, and DBusiness 2024 and 2025 Real Estate. Prior to becoming an attorney, Christopher was a founder and the chief operating officer of Microweb Inc., a mobile phone software company based in Hong Kong, which was sold to a Chinese technology company in 2002.

Dawda, Mann, Mulcahy & Sadler

Member

Moderator

Chris Martella

Member, Dawda, Mann, Mulcahy & Sadler

Why You Can't Miss This Event

What We'll Cover:

Construction and Architectural Modernization
- The trends shaping modern development, and the key players involved
The State of the Repositioning Market
- Exploring adaptive reuse concepts across all product types
Detroit Multifamily
- A closer look at one of the city’s leading asset classes
Policy and Politics
- Tax and financing incentives driving and impeding Detroit’s expansion
Investment and Capital
- The financial realities of investment in an evolving market

How You’ll Do More Business:

Detroit’s resurgence as a modern metropolis serves as an inspiration and testament to the power of community investment, private capital, and a shared vision for the future. This year, join Bisnow in conversation with the real estate leaders, public officials, local leaders and more who make it possible, as we offer a closer look at the future of one of the nation’s proudest and most ambitious markets.

Who You'll Network With At This Event: Owners, developers, investors, brokers, business consultants, architects, engineers, designers, lawyers, accountants, bankers and city and government officials.

Why You Should Attend This Program:

Bisnow events convene the biggest power players in the industry to help you grow your business across a complex market. With engaging discussions, exclusive networking opportunities, and the largest and most equipped audience in the field, Bisnow’s unique perspective on the challenges and opportunities of the market makes attendance a value add for any CRE professional.

Questions about your ticket purchase or interested in sponsoring?

Reach out to customerservice@bisnow.com for customer support. For questions, recommendations, comments or press inquiries please email our Chicago event producer Will Follett at will.follett@bisnow.com. To request disability-related accommodations, please contact janet.fernandez@bisnow.com no later than seven business days prior to the event.

Venue

New Center One
3031 W Grand Blvd.
Detroit, MI 48202

Parking Information:

Complimentary valet parking off of 2nd Avenue, located at the Henry Ford entrance.
Complimentary self parking located at 47-81 Lothrop St. Detroit, MI 48202.

Get Directions

Agenda

Time	Activity
8:00 AM 9:00 AM	Breakfast & Networking
9:10 AM 10:10 AM	Mixed Use, Multifamily, and More Exploring the Potential and Possibilities of Asset Class Combinations
10:10 AM 11:00 AM	Designing Detroit's Destinations Trends Shaping Placemaking and Urban Renewal
11:00 AM 11:30 AM	Closing Networking

WANT THE ATTENDEE LIST FOR FREE?

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Purchase the post-event summary and get the highlights sent to you in a post-event summary. Purchase here.

Call:	202-684-2034
Email:	eventregistration@bisnow.com

Detroit State of Market

Community, Capital and Development Trends for a Successful 2025

Event Host

New Center One

Speakers and Panels

Opening Keynote

Rich Haddad

Mixed Use, Multifamily, and More

Exploring the Potential and Possibilities of Asset Class Combinations

Roger Basmajian

Donovan Smith

Sarah Ogelsby-Battle

Eddie Carrington

Darnell Adams

Michael Poris

Andrew Gutman

Designing Detroit's Destinations

Trends Shaping Placemaking and Urban Renewal

Beth Kmetz-Armitage

Corey Breton

Philip Kafka

Jen Cross

James Renne

Jennifer Janus

Chris Martella

Why You Can't Miss This Event

Venue

Agenda

Sponsors

WANT THE ATTENDEE LIST FOR FREE?

Want to get a recap of everything covered at the event?

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