Houston's Urban Core: Downtown, Midtown & EaDo

Prior to joining Midway, Deans developed mixed-use properties for Thor Equities and earlier in her career was a design architect for Gensler. She holds a Bachelor of Architecture degree from the University of Texas, Austin and is a LEED accredited licensed architect in the state of Texas.

Since starting our office in 1990, we have engaged in a creative approach to each project by emphasizing the individual characteristics and personalities of the client, site, and program. The firm has designed residential and commercial projects throughout the Houston region, Texas, and the US. Much of the firm’s work has involved rehabilitation of existing commercial buildings into multi- family, retail, commercial and hospitality uses. In EADO and downtown, CityView, Sampson and Sanctuary Lofts were renovations of historic structures while retail and hospitality projects are throughout the Heights, Montrose, the Rice Village, Garden Oaks, and Spring Branch.

Mayra Guevara Bontemps is a bilingual real estate, nonprofit and compliance management executive with over 20 years of experience in federally funded program design, development, financing, and management. She currently serves as the Chief Real Estate Officer at Fifth Ward Community Redevelopment Corporation in Houston and oversees single family, multifamily and commercial real estate development. She also serves as the administrator for the Fifth Ward TIRZ #18. Throughout her career, Mayra has served in for-profit, nonprofit and local government roles that have allowed her to build relationships across sectors and increase efficiencies in the delivery of federally funded programs. Her time at both Harris County Community Services Department and City of Houston Housing and Community Development Department has allowed her a better understanding of how communities can leverage Federal resources to provide housing for all. Mayra holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Business Management from Franklin & Marshall College and held real estate licenses in both Texas and Pennsylvania. She currently serves on the Coordinating Team of the Houston Housing Collaborative and has served as a Girl Scout Troop Leader, Board member on the Franklin & Marshall College Alumni Association Board College and volunteers regularly to serve families and youth. Mayra lives in Needville, Texas with her husband Shane, their 3 kids, pets and farm animals. Together with her husband, she enjoys attending her children’s track, volleyball and baseball events. Mayra also enjoys spending time outside gardening and beekeeping.

Mike Pittman II, CCIM is a 2nd generation commercial real estate specialist and current Director of Brokerage Services at Cushman & Wakefield. PROFESSIONAL EXPERTISE • Tenant Representation, Landlord Representation, Acquisitions & Dispositions • Successfully completed hundreds of CRE transactions • Oversaw brokerage occupancy solutions for 3rd party owners/tenants of industrial, retail and investment assets inside of Houston’s 610 Loop. • Skilled in design build strategies and processes with architectural and contractor teams • Experienced in all stages of planning, permitting, delivery and occupancy • Knowledgeable on financial Excel modeling for development and stabilized assets • Experienced in project updates to financial partners

Alif Maredia, President of PA Hospitality, is a life-long Houston native with a passion for fostering growth and development across his teams and properties. With over a decade of experience in hospitality development and management and natural business acumen, he believes the key to driving results in the hospitality industry lies in building a strong leadership team and providing exceptional customer service. A strong, unwavering focus on these core values have led properties managed by PA Hospitality to consistently receive top tier accolades. Alif recently completed the construction of a 123-room Holiday Inn Express in Houston’s Memorial City area and is currently leading the development on PA Hospitality’s next venture, a 221- room dual-branded Home2 Suites | Tru by Hilton in Downtown Houston, next to the Toyota Center and George R. Brown Convention Center.

In 1983, geologist-turned-restaurateur Tracy decided to forsake the plotting of America’s geothermal energy fields for a more people-oriented profession when she opened her first restaurant, Backstreet Cafe, with her uncle in an old house on the edge of Houston’s River Oaks. It was the turning point of her career and life. She met and married Hugo Ortega, whom she hired to work at Backstreet Cafe, and together they have opened Hugo’s (2002), Caracol (2013) and Xochi (2017), and published two cookbooks: Hugo Ortega’s Street Food of Mexico (2012) and Backstreet Kitchen: Seasonal Recipes from Our Neighborhood Cafe (2013). The Houston native was inducted into the Texas Restaurant Association’s Hall of Honor in August 2020; is a four-time semi-finalist for Outstanding Restaurateur for the James Beard Foundation Awards; named Outstanding Restaurateur of the Year by the Texas Restaurant Association; and has been recognized by Houston Business Journal with a Most Admired CEO Award and Women Mean Business Award. She was also named Restaurateur of the Year at the Houston Culinary Awards, and selected to serve on a special three-person “She Means Business” panel event sponsored by Facebook. Tracy is currently a board member of the Better Business Bureau and the Houston Food Bank. Tracy is also co-operator of Third Coast Restaurant and conference center, located in the Texas Medical Center, and part owner of Prego restaurant in Rice Village and Origen restaurant in Oaxaca, Mexico. Tracy and Hugo were approached by celebrity chef Michael Mina in 2017 to do a “pop-up” concept at his Mina Test Kitchen in San Francisco, and Mi Almita was born. The concept is currently open in Honolulu and opening soon in Los Angeles. They and their team also created the menu for Hugo’s Cocina which is located in Terminal C at George Bush Intercontinental Airport in Houston.

Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner appointed Michael Heckman to the position of President & Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Houston First Corporation in August 2020. Houston First is the Houston region’s Destination Marketing Organization, which includes the responsibility of developing and implementing strategies to promote Houston around the world through sales and marketing initiatives, public relations, TV and film projects, conventions and major event hosting. Houston First also operates more than four million square feet of premier facilities, including the George R. Brown Convention Center and Houston’s world-class performing arts buildings. Furthermore, Houston First is developing and will open Lynn Wyatt Square for the Performing Arts in Houston’s Theater District in Spring 2023 in addition to owning the 1,200-room Hilton Americas-Houston hotel. Prior to assuming the CEO role, Heckman served as Chief Operating Officer of Strategic Initiatives for Houston First, responsible for developing a new strategic direction for the corporation. He has also served as the Senior Vice President of Partnerships and Event Development, with responsibilities ranging from major events like the Super Bowl to a portfolio of entrepreneurial enterprises. Heckman has a more than 20-year career with leadership roles spanning destination marketing and hotels, as well as sports and event management. He has been part of the Houston First team since 2009.

Lauren Amber Prestenbach, NCIDQ, LEED AP ID+C, EDAC, IIDA, is an award-winning commercial & healthcare interior design whose sharply honed skills stem from her experience on the vendor/client side and her extensive training and continuing education as registered interior designer over the past 20 years. Her innate design talent is complemented by her professional leadership as a highly committed and driven advocate for professional certification for her discipline. Lauren Amber’s impressive skill set, businesslike approach and leadership foster a client-centric working style. She is fully engaged with clients from the initial meeting, to research/information gathering, code compliancy, design, materials selection, and finally to installation. Lauren Amber creates designs that are functional, aesthetic, sustainable and sensitive to clients’ bottom lines. As a Registered Interior Designer, LEED Accredited Professional and a Center for Healthcare Design’s Evidence Based Interior Designer (EDAC), Lauren Amber has worked with Healthcare clients such as Kelsey-Seybold, Memorial Hermann, and UTMB. She was named to ENR’s 2021 National Top 20 Under 40 and she also is affiliated with CoreNet, IIDA, NAIOP, and the National Council for Interior Design Certification.

Ori is the New Development and Acquisitions Director for The Deal Company, as well as the Head of Leasing. Prior to joining DealCo in 2019, Ori Batagower was a hybrid broker at NewQuest Properties, specializing in Inner Loop property transactions, Multi-Family Land sales and acquisitions, and Retail Project Leasing. A native Houstonian, Ori has been a keen observer of our city’s growth for decades as both previously a residential and currently commercial broker/developer. He holds a keen interest and an affinity for Historic Preservation and Adaptive Re-use endeavors, highlighted by the Meow Wolf at Moncrief Lenoir project in Near Northside.

David’ real estate practice includes development, leasing, financing, acquisition, and sale of hotels, office buildings, multi-family residential properties, shopping centers, mixed-use developments, airports, convention centers, and sports and entertainment venues. His public law practice includes public-private partnerships, economic development, public information, entitlements, grants, and other local government matters. His practice focuses on the travel, convention, and visitor industry. This includes developing, leasing, operating, managing, and marketing of convention, sports, and entertainment venues and airport facilities. He serves in leadership positions with several professional organizations, including as a member of the Urban Land Institute’s national Travel Experience and Trends Council.