Ryan Hekmat was born and raised in Los Angeles and has long been inspired by the city’s unique mix of coastlines, mountains, urban energy, and cultural diversity. His passion for real estate began early, touring properties and construction sites with his Father and learning the fundamentals of investment and ownership.

A graduate of Purdue University, Ryan launched his career at Arden Realty before moving on to Brookfield Properties. He later co-founded Bedrock Properties Group and ultimately established Uncommon Developers and Uncommon Builders, where he now serves as Managing Partner.

Uncommon Developers is a Los Angeles based real estate investment and development firm focused on office, industrial, and multifamily projects. Its portfolio includes office towers, distribution centers, and more than 4,000 multifamily units spanning both market-rate and affordable housing. With all phases handled in-house, from construction through property management, the firm is guided by Ryan’s philosophy of delivering the fastest speed, best quality, and lowest cost without ever sacrificing one for another.

Ryan continues a family tradition by regularly bringing his own son on property tours, just as his father once did with him. Outside of work, he enjoys playing sports with his kids, spending time with his family, traveling, working out and giving back to the community alongside his wife and three children.

Leo specializes in identifying areas of arbitrage within real estate or investing in and

resolving special situations encumbering real estate assets. In the past, that has included

adaptive reuse of historic properties with tax abatements and incentives, stabilization of

failing affordable housing projects, merging previously disjointed property interests,

renegotiating long term leases and so forth.

Leo is responsible for submitting the first Builders Remedy applications in the State in

Santa Monica and Redondo Beach. He currently has 10 total Builders Remedy projects

located in various jurisdictions across Southern California including the first approved

builders remedy project in Southern California.

Most recently, he acquired the remnants of the former Skid Row Housing Trust to ensure housing

and services remain for the most vulnerable populations in Los Angeles.

Nella McOsker is the President & CEO of Central City Association (CCA), the premier advocacy organization focused on enhancing the vibrancy of Downtown Los Angeles and increasing opportunity in the region. CCA represents the interests of over 300 businesses, trade associations and nonprofit organizations in L.A. County.

McOsker previously served as CCA’s Vice President of Strategic Relations, skillfully managing the organization's operations, membership acquisition and retention, revenue and development strategies with particular acumen through the COVID-19 pandemic. During this time, McOsker also grew and diversified CCA’s membership while promoting DTLA’s pandemic-impacted industries and designed new strategies to expand the organization’s engagement and influence across the Los Angeles region.

McOsker has more than a decade of experience leading strategy, coalition-building and communications in a range of industries. She executed major client initiatives in tourism, retail, healthcare, technology, public safety development and more during her time at public affairs firms Strategies 360 and High Lantern Group. She was a founding leader of the Strategies 360 Los Angeles office, building out the team and driving business development. Her successful projects range from statewide ballot propositions, corporate communications campaigns, crisis management and strategic planning. As a consultant, McOsker led the strategic visioning of CCA’s advocacy priorities and expanded CCA’s influence to include residents, visitors and tourists.

McOsker brings significant expertise in business, civic and political affairs in Los Angeles. In 2022, she played a pivotal leadership role to successfully elect Tim McOsker to LA City Council. She serves on The Association of Catholic Student Councils Board and was an integral board member of former Metro Charter Elementary School in Downtown Los Angeles.

She graduated Cum Laude from University of Notre Dame with a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science and Interdisciplinary Minor in Politics, Philosophy and Economics. McOsker is an alumna of the Coro Fellowship in Public Affairs and Teach For America. MsOsker serves as an At-Large Board Member for FilmLA.

Michael Saltzman leads West Coast business development for Ennead Architects, a globally recognized architecture and planning firm. With a multidisciplinary background in architecture, city planning, and real estate development, Michael bridges the gap between visionary design and commercial viability, shaping complex urban, cultural, and institutional projects.

His earlier leadership roles include founding and directing an architecture studio for The Hillier Group, spearheading urban town center developments at The Gale Company, and launching his own firm, Newwork, which integrated real estate development, master planning, and marketing. Across all roles, Michael has pursued impactful, financially sound strategies for transformative projects—from mixed-use adaptive reuse and university-led district revitalizations to infrastructure for decarbonization and resilient growth.

Based in Downtown Los Angeles for the past decade, Michael is deeply engaged in shaping sustainable urban futures through partnerships with universities, city agencies, and investors. His work centers on next-generation reuse, campus innovation, and leveraging public-private mechanisms to realize high-performance buildings and inclusive neighborhoods.

Brian Kang, Chair of Greenberg Glusker’s Real Estate Group, has experience in a wide range of real estate transactions, including the acquisition, disposition, financing, and leasing of commercial, retail, multifamily, and industrial properties.

Brian’s clients include real estate investors, developers, financial institutions, national universities, and REITS. Brian is also active within the Los Angeles community. He currently represents the Korean American National Museum on a pro bono basis as the museum’s real estate counsel. Brian has also been on the Board of Governors for the Korean American Bar Association of Southern California since 2013 and served as President of KABA-SoCal in 2018.

Recognized for his work in Real Estate Law, Brian has been recognized in the Best Lawyers in America list since 2018 and in Southern California Super Lawyers since 2013. In 2021, Brian was also selected to Los Angeles Times’ Commercial Real Estate Visionaries List: Professional Service Advisors.

Adam Daneshgar is the Founder and President of Langdon Street Capital (Langdon), a prominent Los

Angeles based Real Estate investment firm specializing in value-add acquisitions. Since its inception in

2011, Langdon has acquired over 3,000 multifamily units along with several retail and office properties

across the country, with over $650 Million in assets currently under management.

In particular, Daneshgar’s acquisition of Los Angeles’ iconic Grand Central Market (GCM) and Grand

Central Square in 2017 was widely celebrated for preserving a beloved community landmark while

reinvigorating the space for a new generation of Angelenos. Daneshgar directly manages the operations

of Grand Central Market and the historic Million Dollar Theater, including substantial Food & Beverage

and Hospitality components of the assets.

Daneshgar serves as Chair of the Board of Directors of the Downtown Center Business Improvement

District (DCBID – DTLA Alliance), a coalition funded by property owners and dedicated to revitalizing

Downtown Los Angeles through economic development, community engagement and political

advocacy. Daneshgar also serves on the Board of Directors of the Los Angeles Conservancy, a nonprofit

organization whose mission is to recognize, preserve and revive historic and cultural resources of LA

County.

Daneshgar earned his Master's Degree of Real Estate Development (MRED) from the University of

Southern California (USC) with Honors distinction in 2009, and graduated from the University of

Wisconsin - Madison (UW) with a Bachelor Degree in Economics in 2005. He remains actively involved

with both Universities, regularly serving as a guest lecturer and collaborating with business courses on

case studies of GCM. Daneshgar maintains close ties with the University of Wisconsin's Athletic

Department and Football program, where he is recognized at the “Hall of Fame Club” level - an honor

reserved for those who demonstrate exceptional commitment and support.

Mr. Malamut serves as the Senior Vice President of Development at G.H. Palmer Associates and oversees the entitlement and development activities for the company. He has extensive experience in all aspects of real estate development, including mixed-use podium style multifamily, mid-rise, high-rise, urban infill, condominium, commercial (office, industrial and retail) and master-planned community housing.

As Senior Vice President of Design for Related California, Mr. Garofalo is responsible for the management of the architecture and interior design for Related's market rate and mixed-income developments in California. His direct involvement in all aspects of the building process includes directing architects, interior designers and engineers through each phase of construction to ensure that the completed work is true to the project's design intent.

Since joining Related California in 2014, Mr. Garofalo has been directly responsible for the design oversight and completion of numerous developments, including 1550 Mission, 49 South Van Ness, and Mason on Mariposa in San Francisco.

Prior to Related California, Mr. Garofalo was an Associate at Related Companies in New York where he was involved with One Hill South in Washington, D.C. and Hunter's Point South in New York. As an Associate at the world-renowned design firm, Robert A.M. Stern Architects, his work included 220 Central Park South in New York, Arris at The Yards in Washington, D.C., and The Century in Los Angeles.

Mr. Garofalo holds a bachelor's degree in Architecture with a minor in History of Art from the University of Pennsylvania. He is a current member of the American Institute of Architects (AIA) and a registered architect in New York State.

Douglas serves as Vice President of Leasing for Lincoln Property Company’s Los Angeles market and has been with the company for over 11 years. He provides a variety of advisory services to his clients, focusing primarily of representing institutional landlords with their leasing and marketing efforts, both as JV partners with Lincoln as well as providing third-party services. Douglas currently oversees approximately 6 million sq. ft. of office inventory and approximately 2.5 million sq. ft. of industrial. He has worked with ownerships such as Angelo, Gordon & Co.; ASB Capital Management; Alcion Ventures; Rockwood Capital; Clarion Partners; Goldman Sachs; Morgan Stanley; Cerberus Capital Management; TRS of Illinois & Oregon, Deka, and Rialto Capital. His knowledge and expertise span the entire Greater Los Angeles office and industrial basin, with heavy concentrations on the Westside, WLA, South Bay, Tri-Cities, and Downtown Los Angeles submarkets.

Prior to joining Lincoln in 2011, Douglas worked at variety of brokerage firms such as Lee & Associates and Jones Lang LaSalle and got his start learning the business from his father at West America Construction Corporation

Justin is a Downtown Los Angeles (DTLA) market expert, with 11 years of experience in commercial real estate leasing and sales. As former Associate Director of Economic Development for the Downtown Center Business Improvement District and Central City Association and currently as Vice President of brokerage at KWP Real Estate, Justin’s passion for a better DTLA is exemplified in his deep knowledge of the area’s history, strong relationships with local stakeholders, and track record of transactional success.CAREER HISTORYDuring his five-year tenure at the DCBID, Justin successfully recruited hundreds of retailers, developers, hotels, office tenants and residents to DTLA, while playing an active role in laying the political groundwork for DTLA’s renaissance. Notable recruits whose presence led to the explosion of growth seen in DTLA today include: City Target, Bottega Louie, Urth Caffé, and The Ace Hotel.Justin joined KWP Real Estate in 2014 to spearhead its commercial brokerage platform in Downtown Los Angeles and is currently recognized as one of the area’s leading brokers. In that time, he and his partner, Lee Shapiro, have successfully completed over 590,000 square feet of retail, mixed-use, adaptive reuse, and creative office space transactions in DTLA. Given his boots-on-the-ground market expertise, Justin has also been engaged to represent numerous notable office tenants.In 2019 and 2020, the Los Angeles Business Journal named Justin one of L.A.’s 500 Most Influential People.

Real estate attorney Joseph Dzida focuses on putting his clients first in every aspect of his work. He takes pride in his ability to advise on both legal matters as well as business-related issues and considerations in connection with his representation.

Joe's practice focuses on acquisitions and dispositions of commercial office, industrial, and retail properties, as well as leasing transactions, in which he represents landlords and tenants in both large and small scale office, retail, industrial, medical, shopping center, and mixed-use real estate projects across the country. Some of the clients Joe has assisted include a global real estate investment firm and an alternative asset management division of a global insurance company.

As the Downtown Los Angeles Alliance's Executive Director, Nicholas ‘Nick’ Griffin spearheads the organization’s efforts to

attract new businesses, retailers, investors and residents to what has grown to become

one of the nation’s most dynamic urban centers. Hailed the “next great American City,”

by GQ Magazine, Downtown LA has experienced unprecedented growth over the past

16-years, in large part due to the efforts of the DTLA Alliance's economic development team.

Prior to the DTLA Alliance, Nick spent more than 25 years in business development in the real

estate, media/entertainment and technology industries. For the previous 10 years, Nick

was a leading commercial leasing and sales broker in New York City, where he was

responsible for more than $100M in transactions. Prior to his rise in real estate, Nick

spent a decade as a marketing and sales executive in the creative media and

technology industries. Nick is a graduate of UCLA and holds an MBA from Ohio State

University.