Bisnow Multifamily Annual Conference West

Real estate investment industry veteran Robert E. Hart is the founder, chief executive, and president of Los Angeles-based TruAmerica Multifamily, a vertically integrated multifamily investment firm with regional headquarters in Arlington, VA; Seattle, WA and Dallas, TX. Since its founding in 2013, TruAmerica under his leadership has become one of the most active multifamily investors in the United States and today has approximately $10.3 billion of assets under management. Hart is responsible for the phenomenal growth and national expansion of the firm’s value-add investment platform, which currently includes 46,000 units in 14 states. He has led TruAmerica to a top 50 ranking of the largest apartment owners in the United States the past four years by the National Multifamily Housing Council. As CEO, Hart chairs TruAmerica Multifamily’s Investment Committee to skillfully select value-add assets for acquisition, repositioning, and eventual disposition to deliver outstanding risk-adjusted returns for the company and its 30 global institutional partners. With a career that spans nearly four decades, Bob is a recognized leader in the multifamily industry where he contributes his time and energy as a board member to a variety of industry organizations including the National Multifamily Housing Council and the Urban Land Institute. Named one of the most influential business leaders in Los Angeles by the Los Angeles Business Journal, he was also recently recognized by Real Estate Forum as the “Best of the Best Bosses” in the real estate industry. Understanding the value of giving back, Hart also generously gives of himself – both in time, talent and treasure – to a wide variety of charitable and academic organizations, raising tens of millions of dollars to better the lives of others in his community. For nearly 16 years, half as Chairman, Bob has been a member of the board of directors of Chrysalis, a non-profit organization dedicated to creating a pathway for homeless and low-income individuals to find and retain employment in Los Angeles. Recognized for his professional and philanthropic contributions to elevate the human condition, he was celebrated by the City of Hope in 2017 with the Spirit of Life Award. He is also the proud recipient of the Humanitarian Leadership Award presented to him by the Alumni Association of his alma mater Worcester Polytechnic Institute. Hart is also a member of the Board of Trustees of the Marlborough School in Los Angeles and a member of Board of Governors of the City of Hope. Prior to founding TruAmerica Multifamily, Hart earned industry accolades as the transformational chief executive of Kennedy Wilson Multifamily Management Group, a part of the NYSE-listed Kennedy Wilson global real-estate concern. Hart envisioned and launched Kennedy Wilson’s value-add apartment portfolio strategy that profitably acquired and disposed of more than 20,000 units in 13 years, with a total transaction value of more than $4.5 billion. Previously Hart was senior vice president of portfolio management for global real estate investment management firm, Heitman Capital Management where engineered the turn-around and disposition of a $500 million property portfolio on behalf of pension funds, endowments and domestic and foreign lenders. Previously, he served as Director of Real Estate Marketing for Executive Life Insurance Company, where he was responsible for the orderly liquidation of more than $1 billion in real estate assets and securities. Hart is a sought-after interview by leading publications, and has been featured in The Wall Street Journal, National Public Radio, Bloomberg, The Los Angeles Times and innumerable industry and trade media outlets for his insights into the real estate markets. Hart holds a Bachelor of Science degree in civil engineering from Worcester Polytechnic Institute in Worcester, Massachusetts and continues to serve his alma mater as a member of the Board of Trustees. He earned a Master of Business Administration degree from the Anderson School of Management at the University of California, Los Angeles and where he serves on the leadership board for UCLA’s Ziman Center for Real Estate.

Daryl J. Carter is the Founder, Chairman and CEO of Avanath Capital Management, LLC, a California-based investment firm that acquires, renovates, and operates apartment properties, with an emphasis on affordable and workforce communities. Mr. Carter directs the overall strategy and operations of the Company. Since its formation in 2008, Avanath has acquired $2.5 billion of properties in 13 states in the U.S., comprising 12,000 apartment units. Avanath is vertically integrated and is an SEC registered investment advisor and an institutional fund manager, with capabilities that include acquisition sourcing and underwriting, construction, asset management, and on-site property management. Mr. Carter has 40 years of experience in the commercial real estate industry. Previously, he was an Executive Managing Director of Centerline Capital Group. Mr. Carter became part of the Centerline team when his company, Capri Capital Finance, was acquired by Centerline in 2005. Mr. Carter co-founded and served as Co-Chairman of the Capri Capital family of companies. He was instrumental in building Capri to a diversified real estate investment firm with $8 billion in real estate equity and debt investments under management. Prior to Capri, Mr. Carter was Regional Vice President at Westinghouse Credit Corporation and a Second Vice President at Continental Bank. Mr. Carter holds a Master’s in Architecture and a Master’s in Business Administration, both from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. He received a Bachelor of Science degree in Architecture from the University of Michigan. Mr. Carter serves on the Visiting Committee of the MIT Sloan School of Management. In 2015, Mr. Carter received the MIT Sloan School Distinguished Alumni Award and served as the 2015 commencement speaker for the Sloan School MBA graduation. Mr. Carter is a Past Chairman of the National Multifamily Housing Council. Previously, Mr. Carter served as an independent director on the boards of the following companies: Catellus Development Corporation (CDX), Silver Bay Realty Trust (SBY), and Whitestone REIT (WSR).

Kenneth T. Lombard, President & CEO, is responsible for the overall direction of BRIDGE Housing, a leading nonprofit developer, owner and manager of affordable housing. He joined BRIDGE in November 2021. Over a career that spans three decades, Mr. Lombard has garnered extensive experience in business development, management, investment banking, economic development, corporate expansion and real estate investment. Mr. Lombard joins BRIDGE from Seritage Growth Properties (NYSE: SRG), where he served most recently as Special Advisor; he was an original Board member when Seritage went public in 2015 and subsequently served as Seritage’s EVP and COO. Seritage is a self-administered and self-managed REIT with properties totaling approximately 39 million square feet of space across 49 states and Puerto Rico. Earlier, Mr. Lombard was President of MacFarlane Partners, an investment management firm that acquires, develops and manages real estate assets on behalf of pensions and institutional investors. Prior to joining MacFarlane Partners, Mr. Lombard served as Vice Chairman, Partner and head of investments for Capri Capital Partners, and President of the Capri Urban Fund, which invested in more than $1 billion in commercial, residential and mixed-use development, redevelopment and repositioning projects in densely populated urban markets of the U.S. From 2004 to 2008, Mr. Lombard was President of Starbucks Entertainment, where he managed the collaboration with Concord Music to form a new Starbucks music label. In 1992, Mr. Lombard co-founded Johnson Development Corporation and spent 12 years as the President and Partner of the firm, creating a legacy of economic improvement in underserved communities of color in 65 cities and 17 states. He holds a Bachelor of Arts in Communication from the University of Washington.

Malcolm Johnson is the Founder and CEO of Langdon Park Capital, a real estate investment management company that sources opportunities and creates value through local expertise, strategic relationships with development partners and corporate tenants and a deep understanding of the communities in which its real estate investments are located. Johnson directs the overall strategy and operations of Langdon Park Capital. Johnson has 16 years of experience in the commercial real estate industry. Previously, he was an Executive Director in JPMorgan’s Commercial Real Estate group, where he led the firm’s efforts on a new platform that deployed equity into affordable and workforce housing projects in markets across the country. Johnson joined JPMorgan in 2012 as the senior coverage banker in the firm’s Real Estate Banking group in Los Angeles, where he underwrote and arranged $3 billion in debt financing for institutional real estate developers and investment firms. From 2006-2012, Johnson was a vice president in the Commercial Real Estate Banking group at Bank of America Merrill Lynch. Prior to his banking career, Johnson played professional football with the Cincinnati Bengals, New York Jets and Pittsburgh Steelers from 1999-2003. Johnson has been a guest lecturer for the Tepper School of Business at Carnegie Mellon University, UCLA Anderson School of Business, University of Southern California Marshall School of Business, the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania, the National Football League and numerous schools and non-profit organizations in South Los Angeles and his native Washington, DC. Johnson serves on the Sustaining Board for the UCLA Ziman Center for Real Estate, Advisory Board for the Fitzgerald Institute for Real Estate at the University of Notre Dame, Board of Trustees for the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County and the Corporate Advisory Board for The Brotherhood Crusade, a non-profit organization supporting low-income South Los Angeles residents. Johnson received his Masters in Business Administration from the Tepper School of Business at Carnegie Mellon University and his Bachelors of Business Administration from the University of Notre Dame Mendoza College of Business.

Laurie Lustig-Bower began her career in commercial real estate 29 years ago with CBRE and now holds the title of Executive Vice President. For many years, she ranked as the #1 producer for CBRE’s Private Capital Group nationally and has ranked nationally in the top 2% for CBRE for nearly two decades. As a leading multi-family professional, Ms. Lustig-Bower has handled approximately $9 billion in multi-family property sales in the Los Angeles area within the past ten years. She is the founder and leader of Team Lustig-Bower, a team of nine professionals who specialize in the marketing and sale of multi-family properties in the greater Los Angeles area, specifically focusing on the sale of apartment buildings, condominium conversions/reversions and land for apartment and condominium development. Ms. Lustig-Bower has been rated one of the top brokers in the United States for the past 20 years. As one of the first brokers to focus on marketing Los Angeles properties to the international market, Ms. Lustig-Bower is known for selling the eight acre Robinsons May development site at 9900 Wilshire Blvd., Beverly Hills for $500 million in 2007 to a London based buyer and then again in 2014, to a China based buyer.

Sean Rawson is a recognized leader in the multifamily development and investment industry. An expert in affordable housing, Rawson has a deep understanding of tax credit financing and housing policy. Rawson is an expert in working with local governments to create a diversity of housing types to meet their public policy goals. Since forming Waterford with John Drachman in 2015, Rawson has acquired and developed nearly 6,000 residential units in California totaling approximately $3.5 billion. In 2021, Rawson led Waterford to be the largest owner and operator of Essential Housing units in the State of California with over 4,000 units. Prior to forming Waterford Property Company and its predecessor companies, Rawson was the Southern California President for St. Anton Partners, a leading privately-owned multifamily development company where he led the firm’s expansion into Southern California. Prior to his time working in the multifamily development industry, Rawson began his career with The Concord Group, a national economic market advisory firm, where he conducted market and financial feasibility analysis for homebuilders, developers, private equity groups and lenders. Rawson earned a Bachelor of Arts degree from Claremont Mckenna College in Government, Economics and History where he graduated with honors. While at Claremont McKenna College, Rawson was a four-year letterman on the men’s varsity basketball team. He also earned an MBA from the University of California, Irvine Merage School of Business with a concentration in real estate finance where he has been a guest lecturer and is on the Board for the UCI Center for Real Estate. Mr. Rawson is an avid sports enthusiast, runner and summited Mt. Kilimanjaro. Mr. Rawson is a resident of Long Beach, CA with his wife and three children where he is very civically engaged.

As a real estate development leader, Ekta brings over 20 years of experience in investing and developing multifamily residential and mixed-use projects across the nation. At SoLa Impact, she heads the development department forging a new path for high quality affordable housing and workforce housing in California’s historically overlooked Black and brown communities. She is a member of the firm’s Investment Committee responsible for providing oversight for the real estate investments of the firm. Prior to SoLa Impact, Ekta spent the majority of her career in Southern California with Alliance Residential, leading ground-up new construction and value-add investments with Prudential and AIG as capital partners. Ekta has executed over $2.5 billion RE transactions with over 7,000 units in Southern California. Prior to that, she worked in the New York and Chicago regions on multi-phase, mixed-use, mixed income public-private partnerships. Ekta was honored as a leading woman in Commercial Real Estate by Bisnow, Globe Street, Los Angeles Business Journal. She is a US Green Building Council LEED Accredited Professional, Housing Committee member of HomeAid Orange County, serves on Cornell Alumni Admissions Committee, was appointed to the City of Santa Ana General Plan Advisory Group, and is a member of Bisnow DEI board. She is a graduate of Cornell University and holds an MBA from NYU Stern School of Business.

As part of the new generation of leadership at KTGY, David Senden is instrumental to the expansion and increased design profile of the firm. Mr. Senden specializes in urban infill residential and mixed-use developments, with work across the United States and internationally. In addition, he has a substantial portfolio of campus housing and specialty projects including affordable developments and recreation facilities. Since joining KTGY in early 2002, he has led teams in each of KTGY’s offices and often travels where needed to contribute to the firm’s most challenging design opportunities. As member of KTGY’s Board of Directors, Mr. Senden is responsible for setting the big picture, strategic vision for the firm, increasing the firm’s profile and ensuring work at the highest levels. He was named to Building Design + Construction magazine’s list of the industry’s top 40 under 40 and has designed numerous award-winning projects from coast to coast. Mr. Senden is a frequent speaker at various national and regional industry events and has written and contributed to countless articles touching on all aspects of design and the building industry. A lecturer and critic at several universities, Mr. Senden emphasizes the connection between the profession and the academy and values mentorship as key to developing talent and integrating the most current design thinking.

Patrick Tighe, FAIA, FAAR is one of Los Angeles’ preeminent architects and interior designers. The highly acclaimed namesake firm, Tighe Architecture, is committed to creating authentic, contemporary Architecture informed by technology, sustainability and building innovation. Since its inception, the firm has produced a strong and diverse body of projects that includes city-developed affordable housing, commercial, mixed-use projects, and award-winning interiors. The firm’s work has received over 100 design awards including eight National AIA Honor Awards. The work of Patrick Tighe Architecture has been published extensively and exhibited Internationally. Patrick Tighe was awarded the prestigious Rome Prize in Architecture, and is a Fellow of the American Academy and The MacDowell Colony. A monograph of the firm entitled “Building Dichotomy” was released in 2016. Tighe, a professor at the University of Southern California, was inducted into the Interior Design Hall of Fame and named one of the Top 50 Architects in the country by Architect Magazine.

Gilad has over 25 years of experience delivering creative mechanical engineering design services, both domestically and abroad, on a variety of projects. His portfolio includes multifamily, mixed-use, hospitality, and infrastructure such as solar thermal power plants and graywater recycling systems. Gilad has a broad understanding of sustainability and energy efficiency and consults on sustainable design, energy modeling, and LEED certification. His in-depth knowledge and expertise—combined with creativity, work ethic, and innovation—has resulted in the mastery of his craft across numerous sectors and a unique understanding of how to engage clients and lead projects collaboratively. Gilad comes from a family of engineers, learning from his father at a very young age, and as Managing Principal at AMA Group, considers it a priority to play an active role in the mentorship of junior staff.

As Principal at Danielian Associates, Daniel champions the firm’s multifamily studio and focuses on higher density, multifamily, mixed-use developments and infill. His work history has found solutions for every development challenge, from programming and master planning to new residential product development. Daniel has a passion for people, teamwork, and collaboration – he leads by example and enjoys mentoring and coaching. Daniel encourages enhanced levels of creativity, delivers unrivaled client experience, and continuously identifies disruptive ways to more efficiently design and build housing. He has over 30 years of experience working in various leadership roles at top architecture firms. More recently, Daniel worked primarily as a leader in multifamily and hospitality design, though his background includes experience in all aspects of the architectural process. Daniel has successfully built teams, led studios, and continuously strives for design excellence. Daniel received his bachelor’s degree in architecture from Cornell University and is an adjunct professor for the USC Master of Real Estate Development program. He is a dynamic and sought-after industry speaker, contributing thought leader, a full member of ULI, and sits on the Multifamily Council at NAHB.

Over her 20-year career in real estate, entitlements and construction, she has transacted on over $400 million worth of deal volume (land and acquisitions), underwritten hundreds of millions in acquisition and redevelopment deals, and negotiated leases for retail, commercial and ground leases, amounting to annual lease revenue of over $2 million. Previously, she served as Vice President of Development for Community HousingWorks, leading a 9-person team developing or rehabilitating thousands of affordable units throughout the state of California. Additionally, she serves on the NAIOP San Diego Board and chairs the Legislative and University Challenge Committees, is a City of San Diego Planning Commissioner, and has guest lectured at the University of California San Diego. She values design-forward projects to enhance or bring life to communities and is passionate about progressive housing policies to assist in the housing affordability crisis in California.

Andre Soroudi oversees both the west coast acquisitions and development divisions for CGI+. His responsibilities include sourcing of investment opportunities, negotiating deal structures and terms, evaluating and establishing business plans for each project, transaction execution, managing the pre-construction development process, equity/debt raising, and dispositions. At CGI+, Soroudi has overseen over $1B in asset/land acquisitions and construction projects. Previously, Soroudi worked with G.H. Palmer Associates where he worked on the acquisition and development of over 3,000 apartment units in Southern California with total development budgets exceeding $750 million. He is a triple graduate of the University of Southern California with an MBA, MRED and BA in Business Administration.

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 multi-family residential and hospitality architectural design, Cory’s knowledge spans design, building, development, and operational issues for developers, designers, owners, and investors alike. More than simply an architectural designer, Cory assists clients with the business case for each development, helping stakeholders increase a project’s construction success. 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.

Mr. Grossman is a Senior Managing Director at Meridian Capital Group. He opened the firm’s San Diego office in May 2011 charged with expanding the company’s presence throughout the western and southwestern states. In his 10+ years leading the west coast for Meridian, Mr. Grossman has built a team that has originated and closed more than $12 billion of debt and equity transactions spanning more than 600 loans across primary and esoteric asset types. Prior to opening Meridian’s San Diego office, Mr. Grossman was a Structured Finance Analyst Fitch Ratings, a Principal at Mission Peak Capital, and worked in Meridian’s New York City office where he closed in excess of $3 billion. Mr. Grossman attended NYU, where he received a Bachelor of Science in Finance and Management. Industry Recognition: 2013: Named to Commercial Observer’s national list of “Top 20 Commercial Mortgage Brokers under 35” 2015: Named to Commercial Property Executive’s list of 17 national “Stars to Watch” in the real estate industry 2015: Named by Real Estate Forum as one of 20 “Tomorrow’s leaders of Southern California”

Jeff Forsythe has over 35 years of real estate and construction lending experience on transactions covering a wide variety of product types and sizes. At Torrey Pines Bank’s Beverly Hills office, he is involved in relationship lending for construction, bridge and term real estate loans typically in the $10MM to $100M range. Jeff is known for taking on complicated construction projects that require detailed analysis and creative structuring ideas. Jeff loves working with borrowers to understand their needs and finding financial solutions that exceed their goals. Torrey Pines Bank is the Southern California division of Western Alliance Bank, a $66 billion publicly-traded bank (NYSE: WAL) active in the California, Arizona and Nevada markets. The bank prides itself on excellent customer service and in building strong relationships with its customers. Mr. Forsythe is a resident of Beverly Hills and is active in the Beverly Hills and Westside business communities and serves on several boards. He is active with the Beverly Hills Chamber of Commerce serving as an Ambassador and Chairman of the Finance Legal Accounting Insurance and Real Estate group within the chamber. Mr. Forsythe is an active speaker at real estate events and often moderates panels relating to current real estate trends. He is a competitive swimmer and an automotive enthusiast.

Henry Manoucheri’s successful real estate career spans over 30 years. Henry began his career at Marcus & Millichap in 1985 and became one of their top brokers, being recognized throughout California as well as nationally. He has brokered over $500,000,000 worth of transactions in apartment buildings, office buildings, industrial properties, shopping centers and land. After leaving M&M, Henry launched his own privately held acquisitions business, as principal. In less than six months the number of apartments owned grew 200% from 400 to 1,200 units. Having demonstrated a detailed knowledge of acquisitions, operations and construction, Henry was able to partner with Bank of America to acquire and renovate a large apartment community in Carlsbad, CA. The asset was acquired at a purchase price of $50,700,000 with $10,500,000 in equity from Bank of America and $1,200,000 of equity from high net-worth investors. After successfully renovating the property and enhancing day-to-day operations, Henry sold the property four years later for $78,000,000 generating a profit of nearly $9,500,000 for himself and his investors. From this point forward a career of buying significant, well located apartment communities in Southern California began, acquiring 100+ unit properties throughout Los Angeles, Inland Empire, Ventura and San Diego County. Trisail of Bank of America and Urdang Advisors completed 10 large transactions with Henry over a successful 10 year relationship with acquisitions ranging from 200 to 450 units on transactions of $20 million to $70 million. This provided the economic platform for Henry to grow the portfolio to over 4,000 units. Additionally, Henry continued improving and refinancing smaller apartment communities, delivering 400 – 800% total returns to his investors over time. Henry, supported by research and analysis, sensed a changing marketplace and began selling select assets at record prices and cap rates from 2006 to 2008. The vast majority of sales were not used in trade, but rather to fund future acquisitions during the next down-cycle and to provide returns to investors. With over 30 years of experience in the business, Mr Manoucheri has been able to successfully navigate the company through difficult times by focusing on value-add propositions, detailed operations, and favorable financing opportunities, thereby profiting even during down cycles. This devotion to discipline, hard work , continuous examination of operating results and a hands-on approach has enabled Henry to deliver an average return of 22% percent annually across numerous assets, based on cash flow, and a return of over 60% per annum on assets sold. Currently the company is engaged in expanding its current holdings by acquiring new, value-add opportunities from various sellers, troubled borrowers, and financial institutions alike. Henry holds a BS in Finance and Real Estate from Cal State, Northridge, CA.

Neal is a Senior Principal at Torti Gallas + Partners and leads the firm’s office in Los Angeles. Focused on the infill and refill of cities and towns, his efforts center on designing residential and mixed-use buildings in urban and urbanizing locations and in the redevelopment of neighborhoods and downtowns. A large focus of his work is neighborhood making, with market rate, affordable and workforce housing. Working across scales, the common themes in all of his efforts are: connectivity to transit networks, a focus on walkable urbanism; infill; and public participation in the design process. Neal’s efforts have been honored with national awards for Urban Design and housing, from the AIA, the Congress for the New Urbanism, and the Urban Land Institute, among other organizations. Neal has a B. Arch. from Carnegie Mellon University, and an M. Arch. from Syracuse University.

Mr. Van Tilburg is a founding principal of Van Tilburg, Banvard & Soderbergh, AIA. Mr. Van Tilburg has led the organization into the forefront of planning and design since founding his firm in 1971. His work as an architect is widely recognized throughout the state and indeed the entire country. In 1992 he was honored by his peers and elevated to the level of Fellow of the American Institute of Architects. Mr. Van Tilburg is deeply committed to education in Los Angeles and since 1990 has been an Adjunct Professor at the USC School of Public Policy and Planning in the MRED Program (Masters Degree Real Estate Development). Mr. Van Tilburg also teaches an annual course at Harvard University Graduate School of Design entitled “Owning the Future,” Urban Housing and Mixed-Use Development since 1997. Mr. Van Tilburg is a member of the Board of Directors for the Promenade Downtown Santa Monica, appointed to a third 4-year term by the Santa Monica City Council. He also serves on the Board of Directors for Move LA. Mr. Van Tilburg was appointed Honorary Consul of The Netherlands in Los Angeles in 2010.

Benjamin Arcia received a Master’s in Urban Design from the University of Miami School of Architecture in 2011. His work has involved various facets of the built environment, including prefab housing, carpentry, and landscape architecture. In addition to his hands-on experience, Benjamin’s skillset includes digital 3d modeling and rendering, visual presentation, and construction documentation. Since 2013, Benjamin has worked with Landscape Architect David McCullough, consulting on the planning, design, and construction of a variety of projects that include mixed-use infill, affordable housing, commercial repositioning, and transit-oriented development. Past clients have included Alexandria Real Estate Equities, Gafcon, and Malick Infill Development. Half-Cuban, half-Nicaraguan, Benjamin is bilingual and bicultural. Between late 2018 and early 2020, Benjamin took a sabbatical to travel from Colombia to Patagonia and volunteered on organic and biodynamic farms throughout. An avid cyclist and backcountry trekker, his past hobbies include downhill longboard racing, competitive sailing, and martial arts. Benjamin and his fiancé live with their cat and dog in downtown San Diego. A little known fact about Benjamin is he holds a second-degree black belt in Taekwondo.

Tammy Harpster serves as the Chief Executive Officer for Roundtree Properties. Her real estate career includes co-founding LaTerra Development, a Southern California development company with more than 3,000 multifamily units under construction with an estimated value at completion of more than $2 billion. She also served as a fund manager for a real estate opportunity fund as well as an investment advisor for hundreds of millions of dollars of residential and commercial assets. Prior to LaTerra, she was Senior Vice President of Acquisitions at Phoenix Realty Group (PRG) and ran the firm’s San Diego Smart Growth Fund, a $90 million workforce housing opportunity fund with institutional investors such as CalPERS, Washington Mutual, and Northwestern Mutual. Ms. Harpster was also Assistant Vice President for Buchanan Street Partners, a leading real estate investment management firm, where she closed $300 million and managed over $600 million in commercial assets across four funds. Early in her career, she managed $125 million of pharmaceutical, biotech, and microelectronic construction development projects for DPR. Ms. Harpster holds a Masters in Business Administration from the Anderson School at UCLA and a Bachelor of Science in Engineering from Purdue University.

Mr. Singh is the head of Technology overseeing all aspects of information security, infrastructure and network operations, business intelligence, enterprise applications, and cloud-based software development. He is responsible for driving strategic, innovative technology solutions throughout Veritas and its affiliates. Mr. Singh has over 20 years of Technology experience with both public and privately held companies. Prior to joining Veritas, he held key technology leadership roles with investment bank Houlihan Lokey and Asset Management firm Ares Management with $145 billion in Asset Under Management.

As the Chief Executive Officer of Chargie, Zach is responsible for leading the company’s strategic vision, guiding its growth and driving innovation within the EV charging ecosystem. With leadership experience in both the renewable energy and real estate industries, he has brought next-generation solutions to properties around the country for more than a decade. Prior to Chargie, Zach served as the Senior Vice President of Operations at PCS Energy, where he led the team to become the largest installer of commercial solar systems in Los Angeles. He also led acquisition efforts for the Indianapolis Neighborhood Housing Group and Cincinnati Neighborhood Housing Group. He holds a bachelor’s degree in Business Administration and Real Estate from the University of San Diego.

Mr. Lutz began his professional career with the country’s largest cable television operator at the time Tele-Communications, Inc. “TCI” in 1993 in a management training program. Lutz ascended through various leadership capacities within various operating locations of the Company through the acquisition of TCI by AT&T in 1998. After leaving AT&T Broadband, Lutz joined another broadband company Charter Communications in 2000 initially leading operations in the State of West Virginia. Charter relocated Lutz 3 times to Tennessee, southern California and Denver, where he ultimately lead the West Division of Charter from Denver which comprised approximately 1 million customers in 5 western states. Following the financial restructuring of Charter in 2009, Lutz departed and joined a content asset owned by Mark Cuban called AXT TV which he lead through 2013. After leaving Mark Cuban’s AXS TV, Lutz was the COO of Digital Globes Services, Inc. “DGS” through 2018. DGS, traded publicly in the UK, helped large brands acquire customers through efficient digital technology. In 2018, broadband management operators Patriot Media, who had recently acquired Wave Broadband with the help of private equity partner TPG, hired Lutz to lead the assets in Washington State. After the recapitalization of the Wave Broadband assets in the fall of 2021, Lutz departed Wave. Mr. Lutz Joined BAI Connect as its CEO in January of 2022. Mr. Lutz and his wife Lisa reside in Colorado and have 2 grown children Sophi (22) and Parker (20).

Jay Harkrider is currently the Chief Executive Officer at Foxen, a firm he co-founded which provides renters insurance and rent reporting technology solutions for the real estate industry. Foxen’s innovative technology solves for flawed and antiquated processes while simultaneously creating property revenue and greater financial wellbeing for property owners, managers, and their residents. Prior to Foxen, Jay co-founded Coastal Ridge Real Estate in 2013 and currently owns and manages over 35,000 student and conventional units. Before Coastal Ridge, Jay co-founded Peak Property Group, a real estate investment firm that acquires and manages scattered-site multifamily properties. The development of Peak Property Group helped to establish the property management platform Coastal Ridge leverages today. Prior to founding Peak Property Group and Coastal Ridge, Jay served as a commercial real estate lender for Fifth Third Bank Corporation and The Huntington National Bank Corporation where he built and managed portfolios in excess of $100 million. A graduate of Miami University in Oxford, Ohio, Jay holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Finance and a minor in Entrepreneurship and is a Licensed Real Estate Broker in both Ohio and California. Jay and his family reside in Santa Barbara, California.

Michael is business owner and concept collaborator, with an education in accounting & business science. His experiences in film and television influenced his interactive communication style and shaped both his critical and analytical thinking methods. Leveraging more than 20 years of property management operations experience to provide a rare supplier partner perspective and understanding in the needs and challenges management companies face today. His necessity to innovate PropTech fed the conception and development of a revolutionary cash management services company. DepositCloud launched in 2017 and has continued to provide unparalleled benefits and quality to an industry he is devoted to. As a result of new services expansion, DepositCloud is rebranding as ResidentRadius to better encompass all of the amazing services offered today, inclusive of cash management, eviction mitigation, and centralized services. Michael congruently holds an advisory position with Pay Ready, Inc., aiding in the development and strategic direction of the nation’s largest post-resident management system.

Spencer B. Kallick transacts land use entitlements and California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) compliance for large scale development projects, employing an astute combination of legal, policy, and practical knowledge. His experience entitling all real estate products is matched only by his long-standing city, county, and state relationships. A former assistant city attorney handling land use matters for a number of California cities, including Beverly Hills, Manhattan Beach, South El Monte, and Indio, Spencer’s shared understanding of the process gives him an advantage when advocating on behalf of his clients’ projects. Problems get resolved faster, and entitlements go smoother when all parties speak the same language and understand each other’s point of view.

Samuel Landman an accomplished real estate professional with over 16 years of direct experience, sourcing, acquiring, developing and structuring, multifamily, industrial and office projects nationwide and global. Prior to joining Concord, Landman was Vice President Capital Markets for WealthStone, responsible for sourcing and arranging, equity capital and debt financing for a variety of joint ventures and partnerships across the firm’s portfolio. Bringing people together around an idea and business plan, creating value and a mutually rewarding business relationship is a paramount priority for Samuel. Since his early days, commercial real estate has been a passion, his career started at Century 21 where he managed client’s investment properties, and was also actively involved with acquisition and dispositions of various asset classes. Following this positive experience and as an evolution taking on additional responsibilities, Samuel took a position at Morgan Forbes in London, where he managed international client’s portfolios, specializing in capital raising. In his next chapter, this skillful executive moved to Marcus & Millichap, where his focus went in multifamily, industrial and real estate developments. As part of his tasks, he oversaw investors and owners’ acquisitions, dispositions and overall underwriting and financing of larger commercial real estate assets. Before joining WealthStone, LLC, Samuel was a senior executive at Universe Holdings, a real estate investment, management and developer encompassing the purchase, re-development and sale of more than 6,000 units of multifamily housing. Under Samuel’s leadership, the company deployed over $350 million of capital on multiple acquisitions under a value-add strategy.

Mr. Baraghoush serves as a Managing Director at Pacific Urban Investors, LLC. In this role he is responsible for identifying and evaluating joint venture equity opportunities for value-add and development projects. Prior to Pacific, Mr. Baraghoush was a Vice President at Ares Management responsible for West Coast investments on behalf of public vehicles, separate accounts, and closed-end funds. He began his career at Bank of America in its Global Corporate Investment Banking division. Mr. Baraghoush holds a Bachelor of Arts in Economics, with a minor in Accounting, from UCLA. He also serves as a Board Member of the Make-A-Wish Foundation, and is an active member of the Make-A-Wish Real Estate Chapter.

Greg Heller serves as Managing Director of Acquisitions for Harbor Group International and is based in Los Angeles, CA. Mr. Heller spearheads Harbor Group's West Coast transactions effort and is responsible for the sourcing and underwriting of new opportunities in both multifamily and commercial sectors, as well as coordinating due diligence and closing efforts. Mr. Heller also leads transactions within HGI's debt platform, which includes the origination of mezzanine loans, preferred equity, senior bridge debt, and the purchase of mortgage bonds. Prior to HGI, Mr. Heller was a Vice President at JRK Property Holdings, a multifamily investment firm in Los Angeles with $6 billion of assets under management. Prior to JRK, Mr. Heller worked in Deutsche Bank's Sales & Trading division in New York from 2007-2012. Mr. Heller graduated from the University of Michigan with a Bachelors in Business Administration and also received a Masters in Real Estate Development at University of Southern California.

Shane Shafer is senior vice president/managing director in Northmarq Multifamily’s greater Los Angeles offices. He is one of the top multifamily investment sales brokers in Southern California, with more than 20 years of experience and $3 billion in sales to date. Previously, Shane worked for Berkadia as partner/managing director, where he was consistently one of the firm’s top brokers. During his years at Berkadia, Shane received the following accolades: #1 Brokers in the Irvine Office (2015, 2016 & 2017); Recognized as one of the “Hot Brokers” by Southern California Real Estate Magazine and was consistently in the top 5 percent of Berkadia agents nationwide. Prior to Berkadia, Shane worked at Sperry Van Ness years in the position of senior vice president. There, he was awarded the Sperry Van Ness Achievers Award in 2003 and was a member of the Sperry Van Ness Partner Circle (2004, 2005, 2006 & 2007). Shane started at Marcus Millichap, where he earned the Rookie of the Year award in 1998. Shane graduated with a BS in Political Science from Arizona State University. Aside from speaking at conferences and participating in industry events, Shane is passionate about giving back to the communities in which he’s worked, and has contributed time and finances to many charitable organizations throughout Southern California. Other professional recognitions include: • Board member of the National Multi Housing Council • Member of the Orange County Apartment Association and the Santa Ana Chamber of Commerce • Published in the California Real Estate Journal, and Multifamily Executive National Business

Brandon Smith is a Managing Director in the Los Angeles office of JLL Capital Markets. He has over 15 years of experience in commercial real estate transactions, with a specialization in multifamily finance. He believes the key to long term success is consistently exceeding client expectations. Brandon works directly with both institutional and private owners throughout the country to secure aggressive financing to meet their individual business plans. He relies on his extensive relationships with major lending institutions to secure bridge and permanent financing for his clients. JLL is the largest life insurance company and equity intermediary in the country. The company also has direct access to Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae as a licensed Agency lender and servicing platform. JLL’s culture of collaboration and shared communication ensures his clients are receiving best-in-class execution. Prior to joining JLL, Brandon worked as a Vice President at CBRE for 10 years, leading the company’s top capital markets finance team. He also spent several years working on political campaigns, including leading the San Francisco 49ers successful stadium referendum and re-electing a United States Senate Majority Leader. Brandon is committed to supporting organizations that have a meaningful impact on our community, including Chrysalis, I Have a Dream Foundation, YMCA, and the McMorrow Neighborhood Academic Initiative. A graduate of the University of Southern California, B.S. 2002, he remains a loyal Trojan football fan.

Bobby Khorshidi is President and Principal of Archway Capital. Founded in 2016 by its parent Company Partners Capital Inc, Archway Capital is a leading direct portfolio lender that makes short-term fixed rate loans secured by residential and commercial real estate nationwide. Partners Capital’s other businesses include a real estate investment company whose focus is on the acquisition and repositioning of value-add commercial real estate in the Western US. Bobby was raised in Los Angeles and completed his undergraduate education in June, 2000 at UCLA with a BS in Anthropology. In August of 2002 he took position at Wells Fargo Bank as a mortgage loan processor. By the time he left in August of 2009 he was responsible for originating over 1 Billion dollars in new loans. At his young age he was consistently recognized as one of the top 20 loan officers in the country by Wells Fargo and top 1% by various trade publications. As the market began to shift in 2009 Bobby left Wells Fargo to start Partners Capital Inc. In 2009 Partners Capital began as real estate investment company focused on the purchase of value-add/opportunistic real estate, performing and non-performing loans. He oversaw the day-to-day aspects acquisition, underwriting, asset management and loan workouts. Bobby has personally been involved in hundreds of loan workouts and restructuring. In 2016 Bobby founded Archway Capital is a leading direct portfolio lender that makes short-term fixed rate loans secured by residential and commercial real estate nationwide. He leads the origination, underwriting and investor relations side of the business by setting lending parameters and focusing on the company’s growth strategy. He is a member of the Board of Advisers for UCLA Mattel Children’s Hospital and actively involved with Chai Lifeline West Coast. He is also a Dodger fan and lives in LA with his wife and three children.

Elizabeth Dryden is a Partner in the Real Estate Department of Ervin Cohen & Jessup LLP. Elizabeth’s practice covers a broad range of real estate transactions, including acquisitions and dispositions, leasing, financings, and joint venture and syndication formations. Her practice experience includes extensive representation of institutional and noninstitutional lenders, property owners and developers, private equity investors and high-net worth individuals across all asset classes. With a strong background in finance, Elizabeth specializes in structuring and negotiating real estate finance transactions, including first mortgage loans, mezzanine and other subordinate loans, preferred equity and joint venture structures, syndicated credit facilities, Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae loans, bridge loans and construction loans. Prior to joining Ervin Cohen & Jessup, Elizabeth worked at the Am Law 100 firms Paul Hastings LLP and Morrison & Foerster LLP. Elizabeth holds a Juris Doctorate from New York University School of Law and Bachelor of Arts in Economics and Philosophy from Columbia University. She is also the Co-Chair of the Beverly Hills Bar Association Real Estate Section.

Melissa Delgado is responsible for overseeing Cityview’s asset management and portfolio operations. Prior to joining Cityview, Melissa was a Senior Director at TruAmerica Multifamily LLC where she was responsible for achieving the investment objectives of an $800 million portfolio. Earlier in her career, Melissa was an asset manager for Kennedy Wilson’s Southern California portfolio. Prior to that, she was a Vice President and Head of Marketing at Kepler Capital Markets, an investment bank in New York.

Duane Border is an award-winning landscape architect and Design Director at BORDER, a boutique studio in Los Angeles that utilizes an interactive design process combining lifestyle, sustainability and art to generate creative design solutions and interactive environments. Using a wide range of design influences, he explores the boundaries of landscape architecture by embracing the cultural, artistic and environmental influences of each site to craft a unique sense of place and developing an engaging experience. Duane developed a connection to landscape during his youth in Indiana as part of a family with agricultural roots where the environment, land, and horticulture were a way of life. Combined with his love of art and incessant doodling in the margins of his algebra notebook, landscape architecture was a natural fit. As an intern at a firm specializing in zoological and botanical gardens Duane learned the power of immersive landscape design. Through his career designing civic, education, residential, and hospitality projects, Duane has engaged individuals with the richness and wonder of the natural environment. BORDER is an evolution of Duane’s philosophy of providing contemporary, urban landscape solutions that maintain the romance of the garden he used in the founding of his previous firm, Duane Border Design, in 2012. BORDER elevates this philosophy to include a focus on the restorative properties of landscape design. Under his leadership, BORDER has built a reputation as a collaborative studio with an award-winning tradition.

Carey is the Managing Principal of the Real Estate Industry. He has close to 20 years of experience providing accounting, assurance, tax, and consulting services to real estate industry owners, operators, family offices, developers and syndicators. Carey has a proven track record of helping clients build and retain capital by leveraging tax- and cost-saving strategies, including a wide range tax credits and incentives.

Hamid grew up in the construction industry by learning the trade in his family’s real estate development business and has pursued a technology-oriented education and professional life in the past 20 years. Prior to founding Zebel in 2019, Hamid led the preconstruction data analytics at Western National Group, a large multifamily development/construction/property management firm, based in Southern California. He now works with large multifamily developers and GC's, such as Irvine Company, Ryan Companies, and Legacy Partners, who share their historical construction cost data anonymously through Zebel, the "Switzerland of Construction Cost Data". Hamid received a Master of Business Administration from Wharton School of University of Pennsylvania, earned a Master of Science in Construction Management and an Engineer degree in Construction Information Technology both from University of Southern California.

Benji Shin is the CEO of Zenerate offering building design AI solutions for real estate development. His focus is to integrate AI and real estate development for profit maximization. Previously, he participated in a few largest mixed-use projects in LA as an architectural designer. He’s been a speaker at AIA 2020, BILT ASIA 20, BILT NA 2019 and holds a master’s degree in architecture from Harvard.

Marc Szabo Studios has been producing award-winning visualizations since the early 1970's. Marc was a pioneer among illustrators creating such books as "Drawing File" which has sold thousands of copies in multiple languages. Since then, MSS was one of the first teams to go digital, and continues setting the trends for how we visualize real estate. His daughter Sofia, took over the business in 2015, and has expanded their portfolio to predominantly multifamily and commercial properties. Sofia has brought the company to luxury markets and is consistently raising the bar for how developers and buyers showcase and approve their projects. Based out of Los Angeles, Sofia and her family maintain the highest quality presentations, and what sets them apart from the rest is their client relationships. Coming from twenty years of working in restaurants, Sofia brought the focus and attention to detail that is often missed in our industry. Deemed a concierge service studio, Sofia goes above and beyond to make sure each deadline is met with excellence