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Speakers and Panels

Major Projects Changing The Region

Susan Mosey

Susan Mosey

President

Midtown Detroit

Paula Roy Carethers

Paula Roy Carethers

Detroit Development Manager

Ford Motor Land Development

Craig Kolstad

Craig Kolstad

Design Director

HKS Detroit

Mark Bennett
Moderator

Mark Bennett

Founder

MJBennett

Susan Mosey

President

Midtown Detroit

Susan T. Mosey has been the Executive Director of Midtown Detroit, Inc. (MDI) in Detroit, Michigan

for twenty nine years. This non-profit organization is responsible for community development,

marketing, real estate, small business development and arts programming within Detroit’s University

Cultural Center and New Center districts – an area now known as Midtown. MDI also manages public

space maintenance and security initiatives for the district. Projects that have been undertaken by the

organization under her direction include public improvements such as new streetscapes and park

development, greenway planning and construction, and residential and commercial real estate

development and management. MDI’s newest initiative is the Live Midtown Residential Incentive

Program that encourages employees of the anchors to move to Midtown. The organization also

produces a number of signature arts events, including Art X Detroit, DLECTRICITY and Noel Night.

Paula Roy Carethers

Detroit Development Manager

Ford Motor Land Development

Paula is a seasoned urban planning professional with experience in large-scale mixed-use developments and affordable housing. She leads the visioning, curation and implementation for Ford’s Detroit development project, including the restoration of Michigan Central Station, and the creation of a new center for mobility and innovation in Corktown. In her role, she will help guide the master planning activities and serve as a liaison with public partners and key stakeholders spanning mobility, sustainability, urban design and planning, public policy, arts and culture, finance, and creative technology development.

Prior to joining Ford in March 2019, Carethers served as the executive vice president for real estate at the New York City Housing Development Corporation, a public benefit corporation, which consistently ranks among the nation’s top multi-family bond issuers surpassing $1B in each of the last five consecutive years. In this role, Paula oversaw the Corporation’s real estate development and asset management departments responsible for all mixed-use new construction and preservation originations, as well as portfolio analysis, compliance, and lease up for a portfolio of over 200,000 projects and $9.8B in mortgages.

In previous roles, Carethers has led the consolidation and refinancing of the State’s Mitchell Lama portfolio, provided oversight of a 22-acre mixed-use the Atlantic Yards/Pacific Park development in Brooklyn, NY, and served as the President of the Queens West Development Corporation. She was also on the team that gained public approvals for the 2.8M sf redevelopment of the historic Domino Sugar Refinery and began her New York career steering large-scale planning efforts for the New York City Economic Development Corporation, including the post-911 lower Manhattan rebuilding efforts, the rezoning of 125th street, and planning for Brooklyn Bridge Park.

Paula holds a Masters in Urban Planning from the University of Michigan and a Bachelor’s degree from Michigan State University. Born and raised near Detroit, she is excited to return to the city with her husband and two children after 15 years living in New York.

Craig Kolstad

Design Director

HKS Detroit

During his 20+ years of international architectural experience with firms SOM, Gensler and HKS, Craig has learned that transformational projects begin with a collaborative culture that balances the needs of all project stakeholders – to produce a result that balances beauty and performance through research and evidence based outcomes. This integrated approach drives projects and the people who work on them, to reach their greater potential. As a “thinker-maker-builder” he believes that good design lives at all scales and that above all: Design Matters.

As Design Director, Craig is responsible for HKS’ overall design vision. He assists project teams to establish and execute an appropriate overall design strategy for each unique client and context. Craig operates as main point of contact & coordination between the client group and HKS project team members to ensure their incredible talents are maximized to deliver a memorable project experience. He is excited to contribute to the long-term success of Detroit 2.0, recognizing the value the built environment has on the community it serves.

Mark Bennett

Moderator

MJBennett

Mark is a real estate developer, financier and attorney with 30+ years of experience in

envisioning, structuring and executing complex and transformative market rate and

affordable multifamily and mixed-use developments. Since 2014, he has taken part in

the development and financing of 9 ground-up, existing and major rehab developments

including 2,000+ residential units with 7 developments in the City of Detroit. Combined

capital stacks exceed $300 million including 4 Qualified Opportunity Zone Funds (QOF),

and the first one in Detroit. Mark is an expert in creating non-profit Community Land

Trusts (CLTs), an innovative means of developing permanent affordable housing, with

six such developments underway in the City of Detroit. In law school, Mark founded

Toxicheck, later merging with Environmental Data Resources Inc. (EDR), today the

nation’s leading environmental information services company. Mark is a Member of the

State Bar of Michigan and practiced law at Miller Canfield, creating the firm’s Climate

Change Practice Group. He earned his BS in Economics, Phi Beta Kappa from

Michigan State University, and his JD from the Wayne State University Law School.

Navigating Costs

Tonja Stapleton

Tonja Stapleton

Managing Director

Parkstone Development Partners

Roger Basmajian

Roger Basmajian

President

Basco Development

Andrew Gutman
Moderator

Andrew Gutman

President

Farbman Group

Tonja Stapleton

Managing Director

Parkstone Development Partners

Tonja is a zoning and land use expert with over twenty years of experience in the public, private, and nonprofit sectors, most recently serving as the Zoning Administrator for the City of Detroit. Her core strengths include strategic and master planning, project management, land entitlements, and commercial development. She has helped launch over 40 small businesses, co-authored several ordinances for municipalities and served on the advisory committee for the City of Detroit’s recent Pink Zoning/Mixed Tape Zoning initiative. Tonja has a degree in Urban and Regional Planning from Michigan State University and is certified in Six Sigma Lean Processing. Tonja leads our Municipal Services Team.

Andrew Gutman

Moderator

Farbman Group

Andrew is responsible for all aspects of property management accounting, corporate accounting, construction accounting, financial services, asset management, information technologies, and human resources. Mr. Gutman's focus is on internal and external client services and the provision of timely and accurate client-required information and maximizing asset value. He has been responsible for direct oversight of over $100,000,000 in debt and equity vehicles for the organization and for clients.

Summary

  1. Ford’s purchase of the once famous Michigan Central Station is a major statement on their plans for Detroit. Will Ford’s commitment to Detroit and revitalizing urban areas, specifically Corktown be enough to attract young talent Ford is looking for?

  2. How will the increase in the cost of building material impact construction around the city?

  3. With construction beginning on the Gordie Howe International Bridge, it looks like the end of Delray. Will this new international bridge help to spark a revival of Detroit civilization?

  4. What strategies can developers take on to keep construction costs down, such as modular construction or innovative technology?

  5. Hudson's Tower, Detroit’s future tallest building is underway and updated plans recently came out, revealing that the building will be larger than originally planned. How is the project coming along and how can you still get a piece of the pie?

1. Ford’s purchase of the once famous Michigan Central Station is a major statement on their plans for Detroit. Will Ford’s commitment to Detroit and revitalizing urban areas, specifically Corktown be enough to attract young talent Ford is looking for?  2. How will the increase in the cost of building material impact construction around the city? 3. With construction beginning on the Gordie Howe International Bridge, it looks like the end of Delray. Will this new international bridge help to spark a revival of Detroit civilization?  4. What strategies can developers take on to keep construction costs down, such as modular construction or innovative technology?  5. Hudson's Tower, Detroit’s future tallest building is underway and updated plans recently came out, revealing that the building will be larger than originally planned. How is the project coming along and how can you still get a piece of the pie?

Agenda

Time Activity
11:30 AM
12:30 PM
Coffee & Networking!!
12:30 PM
1:15 PM
Navigating Costs

How are Developers Financing Projects Amidst Rising Overhead

1:15 PM
2:00 PM
Major Projects Changing The Region
2:00 PM
2:30 PM
More Networking!

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