Annual Retail & Mixed Use Forum

Before starting at Wilson Meany, Greg worked at CBRE, Inc., where he was responsible for numerous large-scale retail developments including MGM Studios (China), Paramount Studios (Japan), Runway (Playa Vista, CA), Shoppes (Chino Hills, CA) and Crystals at City Center (Las Vegas, NV).

Kacy Keys launched Praxis Development Group (www.praxisdevgroup.com) in 2019 with the express intent of “Building with Purpose.” She comes to the endeavor with 25 years of experience in large and complex development projects, with a track record of success. Kacy has overseen the development of more than $1B in real estate assets (exclusive of land value) with experience in residential, retail, office and mixed-use product types. Praxis partners with institutional and legacy land owners, to help realize vision and value, and is currently building out the Family Life Center for West Angeles Church, as well as partnering with a local family on Crenshaw Blvd. to build multi-family apartments. Specializing in urban infill, Kacy has a passion for projects that result in a positive impact, with an eye towards simultaneous value creation and neighborhood enhancement. With her multi-disciplinary background as a land use/real estate attorney and developer, she looks at opportunity as “what can be” versus “what is.” Understanding the regulatory and entitlement framework, and seeing opportunity in creative solutions, she brings her business savvy and creativity to everything she does. Prior to forming Praxis Development Group, Keys was Senior Vice President for Seritage Growth Properties, overseeing all development for the company in the Western United States. Prior her role at Seritage, Keys was Head of Development and General Counsel for JH Snyder for over a decade. Also having practiced law for several years and worked for the Mayor’s Office of Economic Development, Keys brings depth and varied experience to her work.

Richard Rizika is a Vice Chairman with the Global Retail Services Team at CBRE—the first retail services professional outside of New York City to achieve this Vice Chairman distinction. Richard leads a team of professionals who offer industry-leading strategy and services to owners, retailers and investors of commercial real estate. By providing a dynamic environment for his colleagues, Richard is a team- builder who strives to inspire by example. The unique team approach allows Richard to access accurate and timely information from all corners of the market. His clients, by extension, benefit considerably and are empowered to make well- informed decisions based on the industry’s best combination of information and expertise. Richard and his team have developed a series of best-in-class processes to ensure their clients receive the resources of a large firm with the personal services and individualized solutions of a boutique. Richard fosters an exceptional level of trust among his peers and clients, many of whom consider him a partner in their real estate business. His knowledge of his clients’ unique brands, his capacity for understanding space from the customer’s point of view and his ability to bring the same high-level of detail to each of his team’s assignments earned him an unmatched reputation for assisting major national specialty retailers a diversity of retail real estate to satisfy their requirements. Richard Rizika achieved the company’s highest production honors and is consistently a top producing CBRE Retail broker throughout his 28-year career. In addition, he has been the top producer in the western United States for each of the past eight years. Richard has ranked within the top five in the country of all CBRE retail sales professionals over the past eight of ten years. For multiple years, Richard has also been a member of CBRE’s Colbert Circle, which recognizes the top 15% of all sales professionals worldwide. Richard has successfully completed more than 1,500 transactions, valued at a total of nearly $2.2 billion in gross consideration. His proven expertise in lease/sales negotiations, market and financial analysis and store placement strategy make him a go-to advisor for clients both regionally and across the country. As recognition of these achievements, Richard has been awarded numerous honors, which include: the highest producing retail sales professional in Los Angeles County by the Los Angeles Business Journal as well as The Wall Street Journal for his sales/leasing performance; the recipient of CBRE’s distinguished Gary J. Beban Teamwork Award, which recognizes a team or individual responsible for exceptional client solutions by coordinating significant multi-office as well as multi-disciplinary approaches; and is consistently ranked as one of the top retail sales professionals worldwide. Richard has been a guest retail real estate lecturer at both USC Marshall School of Business and UCLA Anderson School of Management. Richard is a member of the Young Presidents Organization and is on the executive committee of the Young Presidents Organization Real Estate Network.

Brian is the Global Sector leader of DLR Group’s Retail/Mixed-Use studio. He collaborates with DLR Group design and business development professionals to meet the needs of developers and retail brands in markets across the country and overseas. Brian brings over 20 years of experience working on complex wide-variety of commercial projects including retail power centers, mixed-use and entertainment, hospitality, restaurants and workplace. He focuses on innovative design solutions and leadership to the teams he leads and provides solving complex design issues in today’s urban retail environments. Brian is known for his collaborative nature, client service oriented approach and management style which encourages all design team members to offer innovative solutions which are grounded in constructability and budgeted parameters.

Michael E. Wise oversees administration, legal tasks, property management and capitalization of both debt and equity. His responsibilities also include reporting and accounting oversight of J.H. Snyder real estate holdings, as well as investor communication, correspondence and meetings. Mr. Wise began his real estate career with the J.H. Snyder Company 35 years ago. In 1978, he left The Company to form his own real estate company, developing and managing commercial and residential projects as a principal and founder of L&S Property Management and The Regency Group. The companies built and managed numerous retail centers, office buildings, industrial properties and over 12,000 apartment units in Southern California. In 1988, armed with this additional expertise, Mr. Wise rejoined the J.H. Snyder Company. He has since used his entrepreneurial experience to build a strong management team that has guided the company through its pursuit of office, retail and mixed-use development growth. Mr. Wise's projects include the structuring and capitalizing of more than $1.5 billion of debt and equity for Snyder projects, including the $115-million construction loan for Water Garden II. He has further enhanced Snyder growth with creative acquisition structures designed to minimize land cost and maximize profits. Mr. Wise is an Advisory Board Member and former President of the Boys & Girls Club of Venice. He also has served on the Board of The National Conference for Community and Justice, and the Midnight Mission. Community service awards include Spirit of Life from the City of Hope and Champion of Youth from the Boys & Girls Club of Venice. Mr. Wise graduated from the John Carroll University in Cleveland, Ohio in 1970 with a Bachelor of Science degree in finance.

Allison Lynch joined Watt in 2004. As Vice President of Asset Management for Watt Properties, Allison is responsible for all aspects of asset and property management on a portfolio of 60 properties comprised of retail, office, industrial and multi family. Prior to joining Watt, Allison was Vice President of Asset Management for CNA Enterprises where she managed a portfolio of 30 assets throughout the Southwestern United States. She has worked in various Asset Management and Property Management positions overseeing all types of commercial real estate for real estate firms such as Burnham Pacific, CB Richard Ellis, MBK Northwest, and Terranomics Retail Services. Some of her key accomplishments include implementing policies and procedures and Y2K compliance for over 100 properties throughout the Western United States for Burnham Pacific and working on the team that managed the $52 million Jantzen Beach SuperCenter redevelopment project for MBK Northwest. Allison obtained a B.A. in liberal studies from Mount St. Mary’s College and is a Certified Retail Property Executive (CRX). She serves as a Regent of Mount St. Mary’s College.

Mark is the President and Founder of MJW Investments. After beginning his career as an attorney, Los Angeles native Mark J. Weinstein founded MJW Investments in 1983 when he discovered the potential of real estate investment and development through several successful ventures. Under his leadership MJW has acquired approximately 1 billion dollars of real estate holdings in all asset types. He also spearheaded the adaptive reuse of Santee Village, one of Los Angeles’ largest adaptive reuse projects of over 800,000 sqft. of mixed-use in the Fashion District of Downtown Los Angeles. Mr. Weinstein’s passion for, and expertise in property repositioning has been a guiding factor in the company’s growth and success. Mark is the majority owner of the firm’s $800MM diversified real estate holdings. More recently, Mark has led the firm’s strategic growth into student housing and has amassed a portfolio of student housing properties at Michigan State, Washington State, Brigham Young University, UC Santa Barbara, Texas Tech, University of Illinois and University of Oregon. The firm continues to expand its Southern California multifamily portfolio. Throughout his career, Mr. Weinstein has maintained active associations and leadership with numerous civic and philanthropic groups. These include a three year term as Chair of the Jewish Federation’s Real Estate Construction Division; and active associations with the Young Presidents Organization (YPO), the Guardians, an agency dedicated to serving the elderly, and the Jewish Venture Philanthropy fund. Mr. Weinstein holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of California at Santa Barbara (summa cum laude), and a Juris Doctorate from Loyola Law School (dean’s list).

John Simones joined Jerde in 1984 to work on the architecture and design of the Los Angeles Olympics. Since that time, he has become one of JERDE’s lead urban designers and architects, master planning some of the firm's most complex and innovative projects. Working closely with founder Jon Jerde FAIA, Simones developed the original design for Universal City in Los Angeles, a master plan that has had considerable influence on the planning profession and that laid the groundwork for Universal CityWalk, which was also designed by JERDE and dubbed the first "urban entertainment center," inspiring a new model in urban development. John's work has furthered JERDE’s Placemaking design philosophy through benchmark concepts of integrated mixed-use districts and plans around the world, including Kanyon in Istanbul, which received an Urban Land Institute Global Award of Excellence; the multi award-winning Riverwalk Kitakyushu in Japan; and the Strategic Tourism District Master Plan for Atlantic City, New Jersey. John earned a Bachelor of Science in Architecture, magna cum laude, from the University of Detroit and a Master of Architecture from the University of Southern California.

Since 1989, Mr. York has worked on real estate development projects throughout North America and the Caribbean, providing consulting services to public and private development firms, retailers, governmental entities, universities, business districts and institutional investors. Mr. York has significant experience in retail and entertainment projects, lifestyle and mixed-use developments, regional malls and downtown revitalization projects, notably Downtown Santa Monica and its Third Street Promenade since 1991. Mr. York has extensive knowledge of the retail and development industries and a firm understanding of finance and market forces, which allow him to develop creative yet practical approaches to concept development and implementation of retail and mixed-use projects.

COSIMO PIZZULLI brings a unique and powerful perspective to design from the classical to the contemporary. A native New Yorker of Italian ancestry, Pizzulli spent his education and early career absorbing the aesthetic and design values of postwar Italy — a comprehensive approach that includes beauty and economy in equal measure. His extensive background in architectural, industrial, product, and fashion design and fine art includes two years in Milan, where he worked with Anna Castelli Ferrieri, the legendary architect and industrial designer who introduced streamlined, attractive, and affordable design to the marketplace. Pizzulli later served as an art director for Gianni Versace’s Fall Collection 1980/1981 and spearheaded the introduction of Benetton and the Stefanel Group to the U.S. retail market. With a breadth of expertise in architectural history, construction technology, design, and fine art, Pizzulli carries his aesthetic by balancing technology and intuition, into his design work. He has been lauded for his sensitivity to structural requirements and the client’s bottom line while maintaining the integrity of his design vision. His international architectural design credits include projects for Sony Music Entertainment, Yamaha Motors International USA, and Sorliemobler, Oslo. Pizzulli’s furniture designs are currently being manufactured commercially in Italy, Norway, and the U.S. His fine art has been exhibited in the Quadriennale Nazionale d’Arte di Roma, and the Museo Di Palazzo Ducale Di Mantova, Italy. His work has appeared in international publications spanning Italy, the Netherlands, England, and the U.S.

Mr. Birkhold is a 30-year veteran of the fashion industry. He has an extensive record of effective and multifaceted experience leading globally recognized brands, having served as the CEO of Bebe Stores, Lacoste, Diesel and Earl Jeans, along with a 10-year tenure at VF Corporation working with Lee Jeans and Nautica Jeans.

Anthony Lupo’s practice is primarily focused in the areas of entertainment, fashion, and technology. His diverse client base includes Discovery Channel, Pixar, and Oprah Winfrey Network in the area of entertainment; Diane von Furstenberg, Maison Margiela, Lacoste, Diesel, and Hugo Boss in the fashion area; and Google, PlayStation, and LG in the technology space. For fashion clients, Anthony often acts as their US general counsel. For the entertainment and technology companies, Anthony’s work is focused on intellectual property and advertising. Anthony is considered to be a leader in the fashion, retail, and e-commerce space. He was named as one of the top three Retail and e-Commerce lawyers in the United States by Law360. Anthony has long been regarded as one of the premier intellectual property attorneys in the country.Chambers USA recognizes him as one of four Tier 1 lawyers for intellectual property, the Washington Business Journal regards him as the District’s number one IP attorney, and World Trademark Review 1000 noted Anthony as "top-tier counsel" in both the contentious and non-contentious work.The Washington Post reported that Anthony is making a “career out of breaking the mold of a typical DC regulatory lawyer,” while maintaining a “bustling entertainment practice that could rival that of a California firm.” He serves as a member of the executive committee, co-chairs the Intellectual Property practice, and chairs the Fashion, Luxury Goods & Retail group.