Bisnow Lodging & Innovation Series (BLIS) West

Sam Nazarian

CEO
SBE Entertainment Group

Nazarian's career began in the tech industry with a wireless company he co-founded and later sold after leading its rapid growth and record sales. In 2001, Nazarian began to hone his expertise in development and hospitality by successfully diversifying his family's assets into real estate holdings across virtually all sectors of the market. It was during this phase of his career that Nazarian began to see a demand for a different approach to hospitality-one that would fundamentally change the industry moving forward. From the launch of sbe's first nightclub in 2003, Nazarian has evolved the privately-held sbe into the definitive name in luxury with a collection that includes some of the most exclusive and high-profile hospitality and lifestyle destinations in the world. To create sbe's award-winning portfolio, Nazarian has aligned with internationally acclaimed design and culinary talents such as Philippe Starck and Matthew Rolston and chefs José Andrés and Katsuya Uechi. Nazarian's business savvy and creative vision have also attracted the interest of Wall Street, as well as active participation from a "who's who" of financial institutions, including Merrill Lynch, JP Morgan, Credit Suisse, Lowe Enterprises, Colony Capital and Stockbridge Real Estate Funds. Recently named on Fortune’s 40 Under 40 2014 List, Nazarian also was one of the youngest executive to be included in the "Top 100 Most Powerful People in Southern California" by West, the Los Angeles Times' magazine. Nazarian was also named among "The Influentials" in Los Angeles Magazine and was recently honored with the Mondavi Wine & Food award and named the "Hotelier of the Year" two years in a row by HotelChatter.com. He is an active member of the Southern California Institute of Architecture's Board of Directors and a generous supporter of the Beverly Hills Education Foundation. In July 2009, Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa appointed Nazarian to the Board of Airport Commissioners of Los Angeles World Airports. Nazarian studied at New York University and the University of Southern California and currently divides his time between residences in Los Angeles, New York and Miami.

Lilian Tomovich

Chief Experience Officer/CMO
MGM Resorts International

Lili is currently the Chief Experience & Marketing Officer at MGM Resorts International, a $10 Billion global hospitality and entertainment company operating a portfolio of 15 brands, 27 global resort destinations, 470 food and beverage outlets, 330 retail outlets and 25 arena and entertainment venues. In her role, Lili is responsible for all marketing & guest experience functions including portfolio brand management, guest strategy & insights, media, advertising & content, digital innovation, loyalty, partnerships, ecommerce, social and public relations. Prior to joining MGM Resorts, Lili worked in New York, where she was Senior Vice President of Consumer Marketing for MasterCard. Her role included directing the award-winning Priceless campaign. Prior to New York, Lili was head of Marketing for MasterCard in Canada where she left her mark by securing a spot on Ipsos Reid’s Top 10 Most Influential Brands in Canada. In her early career, Lili held senior marketing positions with Loyalty One, the world’s leading provider of loyalty marketing programs to global corporations. Before joining Loyalty One, Lili honed her marketing skills with roles at Rogers, Canada’s largest mobile carrier and Citi Canada. Lili is a current member of the Board of Directors for Dine Brands Global (IHOP & Applebees) and a past board member of Basketball Canada, and the Canadian Brest Cancer Foundation. Lili was most recently named to Brand Innovators Top 100 Women in Brand Marketing List recognizing the most innovative and influential women in brand marketing today. Other recent recognitions include Brock University Distinguished Alumni Award, Vegas Inc. Magazine “Women to Watch List), Internationalist of the year, the SXSW Interactive festival recognizing marketing change agents. Lili\ earned an MBA from Wayne State University in Michigan.

Mark Harmon

CEO
Auberge Resorts

Mr. Mark Harmon has been the Managing Partner of Auberge Resorts, LLC since December 17, 2013. Mr. Harmon founded Auberge Resorts, LLC in 1998, and served as its Chief Executive Officer until December 17, 2013. Mr. Harmon oversaw the design, development and acquisition of hotels, resorts and private clubs. He served as the Principal at Auberge Resorts, LLC. Mr. Harmon formed Auberge Resorts in 1998 to consolidate the management and financial expertise and the assets of its various hospitality ventures and to pursue the development of other unique properties. Since then, he has led Auberge's growth to encompass ventures not only in resort management, but also in resort development, real estate and residence clubs. He serves as Director of Auberge Resorts, LLC. Mr. Harmon is a graduate of Princeton University and University of California, Hastings Law School.

John Kratzer

CEO
JMI Realty

John Kratzer is the CEO of JMI Realty, a private real estate investment and development company with offices in San Diego, California and Austin, Texas. JMI Realty was organized in 1992 as the real estate subsidiary of JMI Services, the investment management company of the John Moores Family. Mr. Kratzer is responsible for JMI Realty’s overall strategic direction and provides oversight for all of JMI Realty’s development, construction, financing, acquisition and disposition activities. Under Mr. Kratzer’s leadership, JMI Realty acted as the Master Developer for the $1.4 billion development of downtown San Diego’s Ballpark District including: Petco Park Omni San Diego Hotel Metropolitan Condominiums East Village Square Hotel Solamar In addition, JMI Realty has developed many other projects including the San Diego Marriott Del Mar, Paseo del Mar office campus, Casoleil apartment homes and the 322-room Hotel Van Zandt in Downtown Austin, Texas. Recent acquisitions include the Sheraton Hotel at the Capitol in Austin, Texas; Snow King Resort in Jackson, Wyoming; The Inn at Rancho Santa Fe in Rancho Santa Fe, California and The Marquette in downtown Minneapolis, Minnesota. JMI Realty’s portfolio of hotel assets is valued at approximately $750 million. Prior to JMI Realty, Mr. Kratzer was a co-founder of Homegate Hospitality, Inc., where he directed the company’s operations, including the development and construction of over 3,000 hotel rooms with a value in excess of $200 million. Under Mr. Kratzer’s leadership, the company grew from a private start-up to a publicly-traded company (NASDQ: HMGT), and ultimately merged with Prime Hospitality (NYSE: PDQ). Prior to Homegate, Mr. Kratzer was an investment officer with Trammell Crow Realty Advisors, an institutional investment advisor that managed a $541 million discretionary fund and the Crow Investment Trust. Kratzer graduated Magna Cum Laude from Southern Methodist University and holds a Master of Management degree from the Kellogg School at Northwestern University. He has served on the board of the Downtown San Diego Partnership, Phoenix Footwear Group (AMEX: PXG) and Lambda Alpha . He is an active member of the Rock Church, Urban Land Institute and University of San Diego’s Policy Advisory Board.

Dave Johnson

President & CEO
Aimbridge Hospitality

Kat Flores

EVP Brands & Innovation
Trump Hotel Group

Kathleen (Kat) Chiechi Flores is executive vice president of Brands and Innovation at Trump Hotel Group, responsible for the conceptualization and execution of the Company's recently announced brands, SCION™ Hotels and Resorts and American IDEA™ Hotels. She is also responsible for brand essence, innovation and experience across the portfolio, which includes the Group’s luxury flagship brand Trump Hotels™. Flores joined Trump Hotel Group from The Assemblage, a hospitality concept blending social clubs and innovative work environments, where she served as managing director. There, she was responsible for the development and administration of the nascent brand concept. Previously, she served as chief administrative officer for Hampshire Hotels Management, now Dream Hotel Group, where she was responsible for strategy and performance management and the shared services of sales and marketing, revenue management, e-commerce, information technology and human resources. Prior to joining Hampshire, Flores was executive vice president of Human Resources and Communication at Wyndham Hotel Group, charged with oversight of the organization's global human resources strategy, including talent selection, talent management, workforce planning and administration of more than 4,000 employees. She also led the business’ global communication strategy. In addition, she has held senior-level roles with WhiteFence, ZipRealty and Kaplan, Inc. She holds a Master of Business Administration degree from Columbia School of Business, a Master of Education degree from the University of San Francisco, and a Bachelor of Economics degree from the University of California, Irvine. Last year, she was named as one of Hotel Management magazine’s 30 Influential Women in Hospitality and listed as one of Hotel Business magazine’s Ten to Watch in 2017. She is based in New York City.

Jay Newman

COO
The Athens Group

Jay Newman joined The Athens Group in 2000 as Chief Operating Officer where he focuses on the company’s financial affairs and development opportunities. He has more than 32 years of experience in commercial real estate including development along with entitlements and design, acquisitions, joint ventures, finance and dispositions. Jay is primarily responsible for managing the acquisition and financing of many of The Athens Group's projects including the raising of equity capital. In addition, Jay was primarily responsible for the development and financing of the mixed-use Montage Beverly Hills in California and the acquisition, re-entitlement and redesign of the West Hollywood mixed-use Edition project and is currently engaged in the planning and entitlement for the re-development of the Miramar Hotel in Santa Monica. In 1993, Jay was one of the founding members of the national real estate law firm of Pircher, Nichols & Meeks based in Los Angeles where he was a managing partner and a real estate transactional attorney. In 1995, he joined Highridge Partners in Los Angeles as Senior Vice President of the Summit Commercial Properties Division, where he focused on the purchasing, repositioning, leasing, management and sale of shopping centers and office buildings on both a one-off and portfolio basis. Jay was one of the founders of Lend Lease Development (US) in 1996, where he focused on the development of resorts (including The Ritz-Carlton in Half Moon Bay, California), shopping centers and office buildings. As Senior Vice President of Lend Lease Real Estate Investments, Inc., and a member of the Lend Lease Lodging Group, he focused on the development of new hotels and resorts throughout the United States and was primarily responsible for the creation of the Resort Development Program. Jay received his undergraduate degree in applied economics (summa cum laude and Phi Beta Kappa) from the University of California at Berkeley in 1978, and his MBA and Juris Doctorate degree from Stanford University in 1982. He is a guest lecturer at the UCLA School of Public Policy and Planning and a frequent speaker at ULI, Meet the Money, Bisnow, the Southern California Development Forum and CLE International. Jay sits on the Board of Directors and Executive Committee for the Beverly Hills Chamber of Commerce, the Board of Directors of the Beverly Hills Conference and Visitors Bureau, and the Board of Directors of Beverly Hills Rotary. Jay is also actively involved in Imagine LA. Jay and his family reside in Los Angeles, California.

Jeff Palla

SVP Operations
LA Quinta

Jeff Palla, Senior Vice President of Franchise Operations - La Quinta is an industry veteran with over 25 years of hospitality experience. He joined La Quinta at the launch of the franchise program and has grown the business from zero to over one billion dollars in revenue in 2017. Before joining La Quinta, Jeff served as a District Manager for BridgeStreet Accommodations and Multi-Unit General Manager for Red Roof Inn. Prior to that, he was employed by the Walt Disney Company for 5 years where he served as Guest Service Manager for various Resort Hotels. Jeff holds an M.P.A. and a B.A. in Marketing from the University of Central Florida.

Tim Powell

VP Development
Hilton Hotels

Tim Powell is the Vice President & Managing Director, Development, Southwest Region for Hilton Worldwide. He is responsible for managed and franchised hotel development for all of Hilton Worldwide’s full service and select service brands in a nine state region, including Hawaii, California, Nevada, Arizona, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Arkansas, Louisiana, and Texas. Tim began his career in the hospitality industry with Hilton in 1981 as manager of project coordination, responsible for furniture, fixtures and equipment (FF&E) budget management, purchasing, logistics and installation. Over the course of the next 30 plus years, Tim has lived and worked in six countries honing his craft in the hospitality industry.

Doug Manchester

President
Manchester Financial Group

As the president of the newest addition to the MFG consortium, Manchester Texas Financial Group, Douglas W. Manchester represents Manchester Financial Group and all Texas holdings in the capital city of Austin, Texas. Manchester earned his BA in Political Science with a minor in Business from Wake Forest University. Following graduation, he has applied his business knowledge in all aspects of the hotel, insurance and real estate industries. This career path has led him to Austin to engage the firm in commercial real estate ventures and hotel development.

Tiffany Cooper

SVP, Development
Kimpton Hotel & Restaurant Group

Tiffany Cooper is the Senior Vice President, Development for the Americas for The Kimpton Hotel & Restaurant Group. Tiffany is responsible for delivering growth to The Kimpton Hotel & Restaurant Group by expanding the development pipeline and footprint for the Americas via quality hotel projects to include conversions, adaptive reuse and new build opportunities. Tiffany is a hospitality professional with over 20 years of experience, having begun her career working in sales & marketing/hotel operations for The Kimpton Group in early 1995. Tiffany joined Starwood Hotels & Resorts in 1999 and continued working in operations, leading sales teams for various Starwood properties until 2005 when she transitioned to the Real Estate Development Group for Starwood. During this time, Tiffany extensively grew Starwood’s portfolio, more than doubling the footprint throughout the Western Region. In September, 2016, following the Marriott acquisition of Starwood, Tiffany joined the Marriott International development team, focused on full service and luxury hotel development until moving to Kimpton in April 2018.

Krystal England

Senior Director, Hospitality
Canyon Partners Real Estate

“Krystal England is a Senior Director for Canyon Partners Real Estate. Ms. England is responsible for origination, underwriting, structuring and executing underwrite, structure and execute debt and equity hospitality investments as well as is responsible for the asset management of CPRE’s hospitality portfolio. Her responsibilities include servicing debt investments and working with operating partners to oversee development and redevelopment projects, overseeing the hotel operations at each asset, and strategic capital events such as financings and dispositions. Prior to joining Canyon in 2011, Ms. England was a Senior Vice President with Centurion Partners, a resort and urban hospitality and residential development company. Ms. England began her real estate career with Trammell Crow Company in Boston, MA, and her 18 years of industry experience includes commercial leasing, affordable housing development, luxury fractional development, and hotel renovation and repositioning. Ms. England is a graduate of the University of Virginia (B.A. Environmental Science) and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (M.S. Real Estate Development and Master in City Planning).”

Mark Shalala

Vice President – Upscale Development
Choice Hotels International

Mark D. Shalala is directly responsible for the growth of Choice Hotel’s upscale platform for the United States, Canada and the Caribbean. This includes the upscale lifestyle brand Cambria Hotels and the upscale independent soft brand Ascend Collection. He leads a development team implementing new strategies to increase each brand's distribution among key markets across his assigned regions. This includes capitalizing on the company's commitment to growing the upscale platform which involves the management of over $450 million in corporate investments and other financial based incentives aimed to fuel brand growth. Mr. Shalala has over 18 years of hospitality development and franchise sales experience. Prior to joining Choice, he served as Senior Director of Development at Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide. A leading producer at Starwood he was responsible for the strategic growth of Starwood's nine upscale and luxury lifestyle brands in the Southeastern United States and the Caribbean. He received his bachelor's degree from the University of Massachusetts at Amherst in Business & Sports Management.

Sagar Desai

Head of Acquisitions & Development
Viceroy Hotel Group

Backed by his keen insight and expertise in real estate acquisitions, finance, hotel development and operations, Sagar Desai has spearheaded Viceroy’s thoughtful expansion in the Americas and the Caribbean since joining the team in 2008; closing flagship deals with shareholder capital, institutional funds and large-cap real-estate investment trusts. Recent developments under his leadership include Viceroy properties in Beverly Hills, New York City, Chicago, Miami, Anguilla, San Francisco and Cartagena. Sagar’s real estate career was jumpstarted while studying at New York University, earning his real estate license while brokering students apartments in the City. He moved on to work for Deutsche Bank in Global Management, Savanna Partners in Real Estate Private Equity and most recently he was part of the Real Estate, Gaming & Lodging Investment Bank Division at Bank of America Securities in New York City. Sagar ultimately decided to apply his expertise to the hospitality sector and hasn’t looked back ever since. Sagar holds a Bachelor of Sciences degree in Economics with a minor in Business and Philosophy, Cum Laude from New York University

Sid Narang

Chief Development Officer
SBE Entertainment Group

Jason Choulochas

Executive Vice President
Bank of the Ozarks

Mr. Choulochas joined Bank of the Ozarks in 2015 as Executive Vice President-Originations and is responsible for loan production in Southern California, which totaled in excess of $1.3 billion in 2017. Previously, Jason was with NorthStar Asset Management Group (now Colony NorthStar) as Managing Director in the firm’s Los Angeles office where he was responsible for sourcing investment opportunities in the western U.S. Jason also held senior-level originations positions at Ares Management from 2011 to 2014 and Wrightwood Capital and its predecessor companies, including Cohen Capital and Cohen Financial, from 1995 to 2011. He began his career with American National Bank & Trust Co. of Chicago (now part of J.P. Morgan Chase) in bank’s commercial real estate group. Mr. Choulochas received his undergraduate degree in Economics & Management from Beloit College, in Beloit, Wisconsin and is an active member of the Urban Land Institute.

Maki Bara

President
The Chartres Lodging Group

Maki Nakamura Bara, President & Co-Founder, is a leading expert in redeveloping and repositioning luxury resorts, urban hotels, convention hotels and conference centers. Her expertise has involved nearly $800 million with The Chartres Lodging Group. Recently, in recognition of her extensive experience in the lodging sector, particularly in acquisitions, asset management, development management and her role in the growth of the company, Maki was recognized as the top "40 Under 40" by M&A Advisor. She also received the "Best Executive" Stevie Award for Women in business and was named a "Woman of Influence" in commercial real estate by Real Estate Southern California magazine. Maki's previous experience includes participating in the formation and growth of the lodging activities of Lend Lease Real Estate and Strategic Hotel Capital. She has also worked at Oxford Capital Partners, Inc. and PricewaterhouseCoopers, the hospitality industry's leading consulting firm. Ms. Bara is a graduate of UCLA, fluent in Japanese and has extensive hospitality industry experience throughout the United States and Japan.

Frances Kiradjian

CEO
The Boutique & Lifestyle Lodging Association (BLLA)

Vamsi Bonthala

CEO
Arbor Lodging Partners

Vamsi Bonthala is a co-founder of Arbor Lodging and Chief Executive Officer of Arbor Lodging Partners, the investment arm of Arbor Lodging. In this role, Vamsi leads general corporate strategy and all efforts related to capital partnerships and asset acquisitions/dispositions. Prior to co-founding Arbor Lodging, Vamsi practiced corporate law in the Private Equity group of Kirkland & Ellis LLP and the Real Estate Group of Cadwalader, Wickersham & Taft LLP. Vamsi earned his BA in Economics and Political Science from the University of Michigan, where he received Class Honors and University Honors. Vamsi earned his JD from the University of Michigan Law School, where he was an Associate Editor of the Michigan Journal of International Law. Vamsi has been a speaker at industry events, is a member of the Young Presidents’ Organization (YPO), the Economic Club of Chicago and the President’s Circle of the Chicago Council on Global Affairs, and is active in alumni affairs for Phillips Exeter Academy. Vamsi was named a Chicago Council on Global Affairs Emerging Leader of 2017, recognized as one of the Real Estate Forum Magazine’s 50 Under 40 of 2015, and selected as a

Don Li

Head of Asia Investment Group
Interstate Hotels

Rika Lisslö

Vice President, Acquisitions & Development
Two Roads Hospitality

David Brillembourg

Founder, Chairman & CEO
Brillembourg Group

Mr. Brillembourg is a seasoned entrepreneur with more than 20 years experience specializing in developing companies that take advantage of market opportunities in emerging technology, demographic and economic macro trends. Since 1999 he has been Founder, Chairman and CEO of Brillembourg Holdings. After spending a decade in tech startups and another decade with various hotel investments, he saw that with his four children becoming full fledge millennials, consumption patterns of the millennial generation were going to fundamentally change the hospitality and technology industry. From 2006 to 2016, Brillembourg Hospitality (Bricapital) has acquired, invested and exited hotel properties across six nations, including The Raleigh Hotel in South Beach, sold to SBE; the Isle de France Hotel in Saint Barths, sold to LVMH; Cap Juluca Hotel in Anguilla sold to Belmond Hotels, and One Bal Harbour Hotel, which was sold to individual investors. The existing hotel portfolio includes the Viceroy Hotel Zihuatanejo, Mexico. Currently, Mr. Brillembourg is launching The Loop Hotels, a new ventured-backed hospitality concept focusing on the needs of millennials for fully experiential travel and an integrated tech experience, that includes actions sports, e-sports and immersive experiences. From 2001 to 2005, Brillembourg Ventures was a top investor in Emida Technologies, where Mr. Brillembourg was founder and CEO. Emida is a Fintech processor of electronic mobile prepaid topup in Latin America and the Caribbean with operations in 30 countries. In 2007, Emida merged with Debisys to form one of the largest country-footprint prepaid network in the Americas. He has been a member of the Board and shareholder of Emida from 2005 to the present. Currently, taking full advantage of his tech startup background, knowledge of the crypto community, and hotel investing experience, he spent the past few years researching the creation of an upcoming holistic protocol system to assist hotel owners with growth through crypto economic and blockchain models.

Lynn Mohrfeld

President & CEO
California Hotel & Lodging Association

Mr. Mohrfeld is the President & CEO of the California Hotel & Lodging Association (CH&LA). He has been with CH&LA since 2002. Mr. Mohrfeld has been involved in the tourism industry for more than 25 years, having designed and produced one of the first destination marketing organization web sites at the San Diego Convention & Visitor Bureau. In addition, Mr. Mohrfeld has extensive tourism research experience having worked with international visitation through the U.S. Department of Commerce as well as visitation profiles and estimation models for Los Angeles, Anaheim, San Diego, Tucson, and Phoenix convention & visitors bureaus. Mr. Mohrfeld has served as the Chair on the Board of Directors for the International Society of Hotel Association Executives (ISHAE), an officer and board member of the American Hotel & Lodging Association, a board trustee of the American Hotel & Lodging Foundation, a member of the American Hotel & Lodging Association Strategic Planning Committee, E-Business Technology Committee, Labor Relations Council, the Human Resources Committee, and the Sales, Marketing & Membership Committee. He also serves on the California State University Chancellor’s Hospitality Industry Advisory Board and is a past Tourism Commissioner for Visit California and U.S. Travel. Mr. Mohrfeld is a graduate of San Diego State University, with Bachelor of Science degree in Marketing from the School of Business. In addition, Mr. Mohrfeld recently completed a four-year professional development program of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and has been certified in Nonprofit Organization Management from the Institute of Organization Management, conducted at the University of Notre Dame. Mr. Mohrfeld has also earned the Certified Association Executive (CAE) credential, which is the highest professional credential in the association industry, from the American Society of Association Executives.

John Grossman

President
Classic Hotels & Resorts

John joined Grossman Company Properties in 2009 as vice president and senior project manager. After graduating from the University of Colorado, John joined Work Force Housing Associates, a San Francisco-based developer specializing in residential in-fill projects throughout the Bay Area. In 2005, John attended the University of New South Wales and received his masters in real estate development. While completing his studies, John began work with Greengate Property Group, a Sydney, Australia-based developer specializing in senior accommodation. During his four-year tenure with Greengate, John managed the design development of more than 450 independent and assisted living units. Currently, John is President for Classic Hotels & Resorts, a subsidiary of Grossman Company Properties, which owns, manages and develops hotel projects in California, Arizona and Idaho. John is an avid outdoorsman and spends his free time surfing, kayaking and cycling.

Bill Strang

President - Operations
TOTO USA

Bill Strang serves as President of the Americas’ Operations for TOTO USA and Chairman of TOTO Mexico. In these capacities, he is responsible for all of TOTO’s North American operations, including supply chain, design and development engineering, quality, ISO, environmental resource management, and management of TOTO’s five North American plants with 1.8 million sf under roof. Under Bill’s leadership, TOTO has received numerous awards and recognitions for its leadership in environmental resource conservation, including the U.S. EPA’s Water Efficiency Leadership award (TOTO is the only plumbing manufacturer so honored); former Georgia Governor Sonny Perdue’s Water Conservation Leadership award; the South face Sustainable Homebuilders’ Argon* award; the City of Atlanta’s Phoenix Award, and the Chattahoochee Riverkeeper’s River Sustainability award. Recently, the Brookings Institution distinguished TOTO for its leadership in Clean Economy jobs creation.

Adam Lair

Managing Director, Senior Partner
HVS

Adam Lair oversees the firm's California practice with Suzanne Mellen, and is currently based in both San Francisco and New Orleans. Adam has been involved with appraisals and consulting for hotel and commercial real estate since 2002. The hundreds of assignments under his belt include existing and proposed properties throughout the United States. Adam oversees some of the firm's most complex consulting and valuation engagements. Adam excels at complex financial analyses for commercial real estate assets. His standout accomplishments at HVS include a feasibility study for a proposed full-service resort hotel outside of Atlanta and the appraisal of the Westin New Orleans Canal Place in the city’s historic French Quarter. Adam has also written on the post-Katrina, post-recession growth of the New Orleans hotel market. He graduated cum laude from Louisiana State University and studied under scholarship at Tulane University School of Law in New Orleans. He has also completed an advanced set of courses in the analysis and valuation of real estate through the Appraisal Institute. Adam holds the designation of MAI as a Designated Member of the Appraisal Institute and is a state-certified general appraiser.

Brent Bunting

Southern California Hospitality Core Market Leader
DPR Construction

Brent leads the Commercial and Hospitality Core Market groups in Southern California for DPR Construction, one of the country’s top technical builders. With over 20 years of construction experience, managing projects and pursuits in commercial and hospitality, residential, retail and mixed-use projects, Brent works with project teams in Southern California to enhance overall project delivery and quality of service for the DPR’s customers. His project leadership includes setting up projects and teams for success, strategic planning, establishing and maintaining relationships, and delivering numerous LEED® certified and sustainable projects. Brent has delivered high-profile projects for industry leaders such as Lucasfilm, the University of California San Diego, the United States Navy, Greenland USA, EVA Airways, Gatehouse Capital, Bentall Kennedy, Menlo Equities, Wilson Meany and S.D. Malkin Properties. He received his B.S. in Construction Management from California State University, Chico and is certified by the Design-Build Institute of America (DBIA).

Ray Haj

VP
Swinerton Builders

Swinerton Vice President and Division Manager Ray Haj is responsible for the overall management of all operations of projects totaling over $2.5 billion within the Los Angeles and Orange County Region for Swinerton Builders, and is responsible for the management of over 300 Swinerton employees within this region. Ray provides management and oversight for all estimates and schedules, facilitates the job turn-over process, supervises subcontract bidding and negotiations, leads project planning, ensures that scheduling procedures are followed, and cost control is set up. He also leads and supervises project staffing and setup, ensuring that projects are properly staffed and that they have all the tools and resources needed. Additionally, Ray oversees the recruitment, training, and supervision of all construction personnel in the Orange County and Los Angeles region, and provides oversight on all construction activity for Swinerton in this region. Ray has over 20 years of experience in the construction industry, with a Master’s Degree in Engineering Management from Brigham Young University, a Master’s Degree in Project Management from the University Centre of Business Administration in Vinceza, Italy, and a Bachelor’s of Science in Civil and Environmental Engineering from Brigham Young University.

Steve Tsu

Managing Director
K2 Clean Energy Capital

Steve is a leader in C-PACE project development field and has over 20 years of executive marketing and management experience in the solar and semiconductor equipment industries. Throughout his career, he has successfully managed complex and global projects and organizations and developed new emerging markets. Steve is the Co-founder & Managing Director of K2 Clean Energy Capital where he has developed and managed some of the largest C-PACE projects in the hospitality, industrial, and retail industries. Previously he was the co-founder and President of K2 Solar, Inc., a commercial solar EPC firm. He brings an extensive background in renewable energy and energy efficiency technologies and construction management. Before starting K2 Solar, he was the Chief Marketing Officer of the Fab Operations Division at Applied Materials; the General Manager of EcoSys, a $30M pollution control equipment company, when it was acquired by Applied Materials in 2004; and an Engineering Manager at Air Products & Chemicals, Inc. Steve earned a Bachelor of Science degree in mechanical engineering from the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia, PA and an MBA from Pepperdine University in Malibu, CA. He is also a licensed General & Electrical Contractor in the state of CA. He is an East coast native, but is a long time resident of the San Francisco bay area.

Cory Creath

Founding Principal
AXIS/GFA Architecture + Design

Cory Creath, AIA, LEED AP, brings more than 30 years of commercial architectural design experience to AXIS/GFA Architecture + Design as one of the firm’s founders and Principal Architects. With particular expertise in hotel and hospitality architectural design, Cory’s knowledge spans design, building, development, and operational issues for designers, owners, and operators alike. More than simply an architectural designer, Cory assists clients with the business case for each development or renovation, helping stakeholders increase a project’s construction success and ongoing profitability. In addition to managing architectural design projects, Cory oversees AXIS/GFA’s business development initiatives and day-to-day operations, guiding the firm as an expert on the business-side of architectural firm management. Prior to the formation of AXIS/GFA, Cory was a Studio Director with Gensler’s San Francisco office. In his spare time, Cory enjoys sharing the outdoors with his family – particularly skiing California’s local mountains.

Ayo Akinsete

Vice President of Operations
Dream Hotel Group

Tapping into nearly a decade of experience earned at hotels in New York, Miami and now Los Angeles, Ayo Akinsete is a proven leader in launching experiential hospitality brands in new markets. As Vice President of Operations and Managing Director at Dream Hollywood, Akinsete is responsible for the day-to-day management and operations of the brand’s newest location and west coast flagship, including oversight, recruitment and development of talent; annual budget; and assuring guest satisfaction of the 178-room hotel and six dining and nightlife offerings located in and adjacent to the property. His ability to take hotels from planning to profitability while maintaining the integrity of the brand and ownership vision and consistently delivering on guest service, makes him an invaluable asset to Dream Hotel Group’s senior leadership team. Akinsete arrived at Dream Hollywood from Dream Downtown in New York, where served as General Manager for several years, pre- and post-opening. Prior roles include Hotel Manager at SLS South Beach and Director of Front Office at Gansevoort Park Avenue. Born and raised in South East London. Akinsete earned his Bachelor of Science in Hospitality & Retail Management from the University of South Carolina-Columbia and Master of Science in Hotel Administration from the University of Nevada.

Matt Marquis

CEO
Pacifica Hotels

Mr. Marquis began his business career on Wall Street with Dean Witter Realty, Inc., where he was an analyst and asset manager on a diversified real estate portfolio valued at more than $1 billion. He subsequently joined Investcorp International to assist in the reorganization of its real estate department, working with senior management on the acquisition, disposition, and asset management of more than $700 million in real estate investments. In 1997 he joined Pacifica Real Estate Group as an asset manager responsible for the commercial real estate portfolio. In 2000, Mr. Marquis, along with his father Dale Marquis, activated Invest West Financial Corp as the family's primary business and acquired Pacifica Hotel Company from their partners. Today they work together in creating and developing a dynamic family business focused on real estate and hospitality investments for the future. Mr. Marquis has a BA in Communications with a Business Minor from Brigham Young University and an MBA from Pepperdine's Graziadio School of Business. He also completed Harvard's Families in Business seminar. He has served on the boards of several community groups, including the United Boys and Girls Clubs, Autism Society of American, and Cold Springs School Foundation, and is also a member and past member of the board of the Young President's Organization (YPO).

Kelly Sinclair

Owner
Brick House Development

Ezra Callahan

Co-Founder
Arrive Hotels

Jon Blanchard

Founder & CEO
BLVD Hospitality

Tanya Wong

Director of Global Real Estate
Sonder

Tanya Wong is the Director of Global Real Estate at Sonder, a Silicon Valley-backed global hospitality brand offering apartment-like spaces with the service and quality of a four-star hotel. With over 2,000 rooms under management, Sonder's $1.0BN real estate portfolio leverages technology to redefine the hospitality experience. At Sonder, Tanya leads a team of real estate professionals across the globe and is responsible for site selection and unit growth. Previously, Tanya was Vice President of Hotel Acquisitions & Dispositions in the Realty Management Division of Goldman Sachs. She has asset managed over $5.0bn in US hotels and completed over $7.0bn in transactions. Tanya graduated from the School of Hotel Administration at Cornell University.