Southern California Hospitality & Retail Commercial Real Estate Summit

Jim is the National Head of Retail Investments and Retail Capital Markets for Lincoln Property Company, and co-founder of the retail investment firm, Paragon Commercial Group, Lincoln’s west coast retail investment partner. Jim began his career as a real estate and finance attorney with Latham & Watkins LLP where he represented developers, equity investors and lenders in capital structuring, acquisitions, dispositions, leasing and entitlements throughout the United States. Jim co-founded Paragon in 2009 to capitalize on retail real estate investment opportunities resulting from the GFC market dislocation. Since that time, Jim has been honored by the Urban Land Institute as one of the “Top 40 Under 40” land use and real estate professionals in the United States, by the Los Angeles Business Journal as one of the top 5 retail real estate professionals in Los Angeles, and twice recognized by the Los Angeles Times as a Commercial Real Estate Visionary. Jim currently serves in various industry leadership capacities including the Executive Committee of the Southern Methodist University Folsom Institute for Real Estate, Policy Advisory Board for the Fisher Center for Real Estate & Urban Economics at UC Berkeley, Executive Committee Board of the USC Gould School of Law Real Estate Law and Business Forum, immediate past Chairman of the Urban Land Institute's Small Scale Development Council, and lecturer at the University of Southern California Gould School of Law and the UC Berkeley Masters of Real Estate programs. Jim’s civic involvements include his current service as a Planning Commissioner for the City of Manhattan Beach, California, as well as a founding donor and advisor to the SMU Real Estate Impact Fund, a student-driven investment vehicle focused on impact investing in underserved communities.

Ray oversees the acquisition and development of Southern California projects. Before this role, he held the positions of Manager, Investments and Senior Manager, Investments. Before joining Regency, Ray held various positions, including Fund Manager at Cityview, a private equity investment firm focused on acquiring and developing multifamily and mixed-use projects. He began his career with Ernst and Young, where he grew to become Senior Associate, focused on assurance and valuation services for client companies specialized in real estate investments. Ray earned his Bachelor's degree in business economics from the University of California, Santa Barbara. Later, he earned his Master of Real Estate Development degree from the University of Southern California. He is an active member of ICSC. In his free time, Ray's first love is the Lakers. He is an avid golfer and tennis player, enjoys the arts, spending time with his family, and is extremely passionate about all things retail, especially grocery stores.

Jason M. Wilson, CLS, is Vice President of Leasing at Unibail-Rodamco-Westfield, where he leads strategic leasing initiatives overseeing three premier assets in the Los Angeles Flagship Portfolio. With nearly two decades of experience in retail real estate, Jason has driven consistent revenue and occupancy growth through innovative asset-specific strategies, operational excellence, and team development. Jason has negotiated hundreds of deals across diverse property types, from regional malls to lifestyle centers, earning him recognition as a top deal maker, strategic leader and trusted advisor. His leadership extends beyond transactions as he previously led the nationwide specialty and kiosk leasing programs, guided redevelopment projects, and continues to plays a key role in influencing company-wide policies, including URW’s COVID-19 amendments impacting thousands of tenants. Today, he serves as the U.S. ambassador for URW sustainable leasing initiative. A passionate advocate for professional development and diversity, Jason has moderated panels, led leadership training programs, and mentored emerging talent within his organization. Jason holds a B.A.S. in Psychology from Ohio University and is a Certified Leasing Specialist Designee. His expertise in retail trends, tenant mix optimization, and long-term asset vision positions him as a thought leader on the future of retail in Southern California.

Travel, hospitality, and architecture—these are a few of Chris’ favorite things, and he’s lucky enough to live out his childhood dream of making a career out of them. He’s also a card- carrying member of the vintage United Airlines Red Carpet Club (#teamtulip) though he prefers to spend his time with his feet planted on the ground, exploring the outdoors with his partner and a mojito in hand.

Dorothy approaches deals with an owner’s mindset and seeks to strike the right balance between business opportunity and legal risk. With experience both in-house and at top transactional firms, she brings an entrepreneurial perspective and a practical, solution-oriented approach to every negotiation. Her ability to anticipate issues before they arise, combined with her creative, business-forward problem solving, has made her a trusted advisor to clients across the real estate, hospitality, restaurant, cannabis, automotive, manufacturing, and technology sectors. With over 13 years of experience in all phases of complex real estate and business transactions, Dorothy has developed a deep understanding of how to structure and navigate deals in her clients’ best interest. She has facilitated the acquisition, disposition, leasing, financing, and development of over $1.4 billion in real estate assets, including negotiating senior loans, portfolio refinances, seller carry arrangements, and distressed workout scenarios. Her practice includes extensive experience in purchase and sale transactions, commercial financing, leasing, due diligence, contract negotiation, loan documentation, regulatory compliance, construction matters, zoning, and easements. Dorothy has represented purchasers, sellers, landlords, and operating companies across hotels, multifamily communities, office buildings, industrial warehouses, shopping centers, and mixed-use properties throughout the United States. Prior to joining CGS3, Dorothy served as general counsel for Empire, a leading California retailer, manufacturer, and distributor. During her tenure at Empi4e, she led the company’s legal department where she handled complex business, real estate, and regulatory matters. Concurrently, she operated her own independent law firm, Groza Law, for nine years, focusing on major hospitality acquisitions and corporate transactions, including entity formation, governance, shareholder agreements, licensing, and distribution arrangements. Dorothy previously served as in-house counsel to SOCA, a multi-state real estate developer, and began her legal career as an associate at a business, real estate, and construction litigation firm in Orange County, giving her a foundational understanding of how disputes arise and how to draft to avoid them. Outside the office, Dorothy is a vintage auto and moto enthusiast who enjoys rally driving and racing through Baja with friends.