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Next Stop, PGC's Major Economic Projects

From Purple Line Corridor to the FBI Headquarters hunt, how is the county's future economic developments providing more opportunities throughout the region?

Omar Karim

Omar Karim

President

Banneker Ventures

Dr. Gina Merritt

Dr. Gina Merritt

Principal

Northern Real Estate Urban Ventures

Julia Stevenson

Julia Stevenson

Head of Acquisitions

Langdon Park Capital

David Iannucci

David Iannucci

President & CEO

Prince George's County EDC

Robin Williams

Robin Williams

Vice President and Co-Director

Transwestern Mid-Atlantic Multifamily Group

Jesse Mates
Moderator

Jesse Mates

VP

Melnick Real Estate Advisors

Omar Karim

President

Banneker Ventures

Mr. Karim has served as President of Banneker since its founding in 2005. Banneker has grown from a boutique real estate development firm to a diversified, full-service real estate and construction firm specializing in facilities and construction management with federal, state and local clients.

Since its founding, Mr. Karim has been responsible for Banneker winning more than $30MM in contracts and overseeing the construction of more than $200MM in public and private projects. Prior to founding Banneker, Mr. Karim served as General Counsel for a Washington, D.C. based development company. Before that, he served as a Corporate Associate with a large New York law firm.

Mr. Karim received a Juris Doctor degree from Howard University where he was a member of The Howard Law Journal and a Bachelor of Science degree in Mechanical Engineering, also from Howard, where he became the first undergraduate student to serve two terms on the University’s Board of Trustees.

Dr. Gina Merritt

Principal

Northern Real Estate Urban Ventures

Dr. Gina Merritt is an award-winning, experienced real estate developer specializing in

community development. She has been involved in over 8,000 units of housing in various stages

of development, managing the entitlement process, structuring and securing the required

financing, managing the design, and the overall construction process.

Dr. Merritt has expertise in managing large development projects with complicated

financing and ownership structures. She has also underwritten over $4.0 billion in real estate

transactions. Her real estate development expertise includes mixed-use development,

apartments, condominiums, single-family homes, and public-private real estate transactions.

NREUV's recent real estate advisory engagements include consulting for the University of

Virginia on its Affordable Housing Initiative and consulting for the Charlottesville

Redevelopment and Housing Authority on their Sustainability Study. NREUV is also managing

over $300M in development for its own account.

Project Community Capital®(PCC), an award-winning economic empowerment platform,

was founded by Dr. Merritt in 2008 and redesigned in 2021 to include the Collective Impact

Model. PCC is an innovative platform that bridges the social capital required to connect

residents and businesses of underestimated communities with employment and economic

opportunities. PCC works with developers, contractors, and public agencies to place individuals

in construction and permanent employment. PCC also hosts Heighten the Hustle™, an

entrepreneurship accelerator that helps stand-up businesses that operate informally within a

neighborhood we serve with our real estate projects.

Dr. Merritt earned a BBA from Howard University, MBA from the Darden School at the

University of Virginia, and a Doctorate in Social Innovation at the University of Southern

California. Dr. Merritt's recent industry recognitions include the Stevie Award for Changemaker

of the Year-Race, Baltimore Business Journal's Leaders in Diversity Award 2022, Enterprising

Women of the Year Award 2022, and the Social Innovation Summit Award-Economic

Empowerment 2022. She resides in Baltimore, Maryland, with her husband and daughter.

Julia Stevenson

Head of Acquisitions

Langdon Park Capital

Julia Stevenson leads Langdon Park Capital's investment activities across the United States and has direct responsibility for the firm's acquisition strategies. Stevenson is deeply involved in sourcing, capitalizing, and structuring new investment opportunities. She is also responsible for growing and maintaining key relationships across LPC’s footprint. Stevenson sits on Langdon Park Capital's Investment Committee and is based in the firm’s Washington, DC office.

Stevenson has nearly two decades of experience in commercial real estate development and finance. Prior to joining Langdon Park Capital, Stevenson deployed capital for LISC Strategic Investments, the impact fund management platform for the Local Initiative Support Corporation (LISC). At LISC Strategic Investments she had a national footprint and established relationships across several affiliate and subsidiary entities of LISC during her tenure.

Prior to LISC, she was Vice President of Investments at Banneker Ventures, a Black-owned real estate company based in the DMV. Her responsibilities included underwriting support to development managers, capitalization of development deals, and oversight of the company's overall cost of capital and debt strategy. Stevenson’s primary role as VP of Banneker Capital (a to be formed related entity) required her to establish the foundation for an impact-focused investment management platform. Prior to Banneker, she was a senior Portfolio Manager in the Commercial Real Estate Group at Eagle Bank, where she oversaw a $400 million portfolio of commercial real estate loans and underwrote debt transactions across all property types and stages of development: construction and pre-construction, commercial, multifamily, single-family, land development and bridge financing. She began her career in commercial real estate development as an Assistant Project Manager for Gotham Development (based in DC and Baltimore) before joining Howard County Housing (now Department of Housing and Community Development) as an Associate in Development Finance and Project Management.

Stevenson serves as a Director on the Boards for the DC Chapter of Commercial Real Estate Women (CREW) and African American Real Estate Professionals (AAREP). She is also an active member of the National Multifamily Housing Council and an engaged supporter of the Urban Land Institute. Stevenson received her Masters of Science in Finance from Johns Hopkins Carey Business School and her Bachelor of Arts in Urban Studies from Brown University.

David Iannucci

President & CEO

Prince George's County EDC

David S. Iannucci is the President and CEO of the Prince George’s County Economic Development Corporation (EDC) with a passion for business growth and expansion. Often referring to economic development as the foundation of wealth creation upon which community benefits are built upon, Iannucci is dedicated to enhancing the quality of life in Prince George's County and works diligently to do so daily.

Mr. Iannucci has played a prominent role in economic development projects across the state of Maryland, including leading the County's effort to develop the 2013 Strategic Plan for Economic Development under which the County ascended to the rank of #1 in job growth in the State of Maryland. He was also intricately involved in the updated 2022 Strategic Plan for Economic Development which will be published later this year.

As the head of the Prince George's County Economic Development Corporation, Mr. Iannucci oversees the County’s $50 million Economic Development Incentive Fund, which has leveraged over $1.1 Billion in private sector investments and has played a prominent role with the County’s key initiatives such as the pursuit of the U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation headquarters, the opening of the brand new, state of the art University of Maryland Capital Region Medical Center, and multiple Transit Oriented Development projects including the economic expansion around the Blue Line Corridor and the future Purple Line. Appointed by County Executive Angela Alsobrooks, Mr. Iannucci previously served under former County Executive Rushern Baker, III as the Assistant Deputy Chief Administrative Officer for Economic Development where he oversaw the activities of EDC, FSC First, and the Conference and Visitors Bureau. In both his current position and former position, he directs Prince George’s County’s efforts to retain and support the existing business community. In his 45-year career, Mr. Iannucci has served in many positions within state and local government. His previous positions include Secretary of the Maryland Department of Business and Economic Development, Executive Director of the Baltimore County Department of Economic Development, and under former Maryland Governor William Donald Schaefer, Chief Legislative Officer. Mr. Iannucci is a 1979 graduate of the University of Maryland School Of Law, a member of the Maryland Bar, and a 1974 graduate of the University of Maryland College Park. David S. Iannucci is also a former President of the Maryland Economic Development Association and is a member of the MEDA Hall of Fame. A long-time resident of Prince George's County, he resides in Bowie with his wife and daughter.

Attachments area

Robin Williams

Vice President and Co-Director

Transwestern Mid-Atlantic Multifamily Group

Robin Williams is executive vice president and co-director of the

Transwestern Mid-Atlantic Multifamily Group with a focus on multifamily

brokerage and business development in the Washington, D.C./Baltimore

metro areas and Northern Virginia.

Robin has been directly involved in the sale of over 63,000 apartment

units accounting for more than $6.5 billion in sales volume. Among the

noteworthy assets Robin has sold are Eaves Gaithersburg in Gaithersburg,

Maryland (684 units for $117 million); Chatsworth Park in Manassas,

Virginia (576 units for $115 million); The Hanover in Greenbelt, Maryland

(320 units for $49.6 million); Lynnhill Condominiums (219-unit bankruptcy

sale); The Chase at Bethesda ($467,000 per unit); Springhill Lake

Apartments in Greenbelt, Maryland (2,877 units); and Padonia Village

portfolio in Baltimore (1,169 units).

Some of the companies Robin has represented include AvalonBay, Harbor

Group International, Continental Realty, Foulger-Pratt Companies, DLJ Real

Estate Capital Partners, EQR, Home Properties, AIMCO, Fairfield

Residential, Pantzer Properties, The Bozzuto Group, UDR, Prudential and

many more.

Before joining Transwestern in 2008, Robin held senior investment sales

positions with both national and local brokerage firms in the Mid-Atlantic

region. Prior to 1998, Robin worked as a commercial real estate appraiser

in the Washington metro region.

Jesse Mates

Moderator

Melnick Real Estate Advisors

At MREA, Jesse’s main roles include assisting Scott Melnick and the team with asset sales, due diligence, business development, and actively sourcing off-market purchases and sale opportunities with a focus on the DC Metro and Mid-Atlantic. Throughout his career, Jesse has been involved in more than $2.3 billion of transactions totaling over 9,300 units. Jesse has been the recipient of numerous industry awards and as a native Washingtonian, Jesse graduated from the University of Maryland, College Park, and then went on to earn his Master’s Degree from Georgetown University. Jesse is an active member of the DC Real Estate Group and is a part of the NMHC Emerging Leaders Committee.

Prince George's County Development Pipeline

From multifamily to office to retail, learn how the county's development and investment pipeline is changing the landscape of the region.

Ken Ulman

Ken Ulman

President

Terrapin Development Company

Gregory Reaves

Gregory Reaves

Founder and CEO

Mosaic Development Partners

Matt Sanchez

Matt Sanchez

Development Manager

Urban Atlantic

Drew Romanic

Drew Romanic

Principal & Partner

Martin Architectural Group

Peter Goldsmith
Moderator

Peter Goldsmith

Principal

Lerch, Early & Brewer

Ken Ulman

President

Terrapin Development Company

Ken Ulman serves as Chief Strategy Officer for Economic Development and President of the

Terrapin Development Company. In his roles at the University of Maryland and Terrapin

Development Company, Ken strives to realize the concept of “Greater College Park.” Ken brings

together the private, public and institutional sectors to turn College Park into the next great

college town by creating a vibrant downtown community, dynamic academic spaces and create

a public-private research hub for tech talent. In his time working for the University of Maryland,

Ken has been integral locating major companies such as Cybrary, Adobe, Capital One, IonQ,

WeWork, and Trader Joes in College Park.

Ulman also teaches BSOS and Government and Politics 388, Innovation in the Public Sector,

where he is honored to have taught brilliant UMD students for the past 8 years.

Ulman previously served two terms as Howard County Executive, where he earned a reputation

for a leadership style that blends innovation and common sense, with a goal of providing

the most efficient and effective government services possible. During his time in public office,

Ulman took Maryland’s sixth largest jurisdiction to new heights in education, healthcare,

environmental protection and economic development.

Ken has won numerous awards, and was named a Tech Titan by Washingtonian Magazine, a

Top 25 Doer, Dreamer and Driver by Government Technology Magazine and a Regional

Visionary by the Greater Baltimore Committee.

Ken is a past president of the Maryland Association of Counties and served as chairman of the

Baltimore Metropolitan Council, as well as serving on several boards including Shock Trauma,

the Merriweather Arts and Culture Center, and the College Park City University Partnership. Ken

lives in Columbia, Maryland, with his wife, Jaki, a fellow Terp herself, and has two daughters,

Maddie and Lily. Maddie is a senior at the University of Maryland College Park.

Gregory Reaves

Founder and CEO

Mosaic Development Partners

Greg spent more than 30 years working at all levels in corporate and private industries. He graduated from Howard University, Washington, DC, with a BS in Chemical Engineering and began his career with McNeil Consumer Products Company. Greg then joined Merck and Co. Inc., where he received eight promotions and became a member of the research division executive committee. He joined a midsize real estate development company, where he became COO and a member of the executive team. In 2008, Greg co-founded Mosaic Development Partners, and together with his partner, Leslie Smallwood-Lewis, they have developed over $1 Billion in real estate projects and have created hundreds of construction and full-time jobs. Mosaic currently has $7B in real estate in its pipeline.

Matt Sanchez

Development Manager

Urban Atlantic

A Development Manager with Urban Atlantic, Matt has managed the design, entitlement, and construction of The Margaux, a Two-Hundred Ninety- One (291) unit multifamily project located at the New Carrollton Metro Station. The Margaux will be income restricted at 80% of Area Median Income and will support the long-term preservation of workforce housing in Prince George’s County. Matt currently holds a variety of master development responsibilities at the New Carrollton Metro Station Joint Development, including a 1,900 space new construction garage, public plaza, and metro station redevelopment planning.

Prior to joining Urban Atlantic, Matt spent 2 years in Baltimore working as a Development Associate and Finance Analyst with a focus in projects financed with Low Income Housing Tax Credits (LIHTC). Matt has extensive experience in evaluating projects financed with LIHTC and has produced several LIHTC applications receiving 9% competitive funding.

Matt holds an MBA from Loyola University of Maryland Sellinger Business School with a concentration in Finance and a BBA from Loyola University of Maryland with a concentration in Management.

Drew Romanic

Principal & Partner

Martin Architectural Group

Drew heads The Martin Architectural Group's commercial division, managing a spectrum of retail and mixed-use commissions from grocery anchored strip fit-outs to overall master planning and design of regional lifestyle centers. Drew maintains a hands-on approach with his projects – from design and construction documents through construction administration. His duties specifically entail client representation during construction and leasing efforts. In addition to the composition of Lease Outline Drawings, Tenant Manuals, and tenant fit-out permit and construction documents, he can provide tenant coordination between fit-out and shell documentation as well.

Peter Goldsmith

Moderator

Lerch, Early & Brewer

Peter works with real estate developers, multi-family companies, homebuilders, property owners, institutional organizations, and retailers to navigate the regulatory processes in Prince George’s County. He has helped clients obtain special exceptions, zoning variances, rezonings, site plan approvals, and permits, among other entitlements.

Peter appears before the Prince George’s County Planning Board, the Prince George’s County District Council, the Prince George’s County Zoning Hearing Examiner, the Board of Appeals, and municipal legislatures. Peter regularly interacts with the Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning’s Prince George’s County Planning Department and the County’s Department of Permitting, Inspections, and Enforcement.

In addition to being able to manage land use and permitting matters involving local government agencies, Peter is known for his depth of knowledge of the law and his ability to handle land use cases in the Maryland circuit and appellate courts.

Peter served as a former Senior Counsel to the Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning Commission, where he worked with the Prince George’s County Planning Board and Prince George’s County Planning Department. He advised on matters related to master planning, zoning, subdivision, site plans, sectional map amendments, natural resources, historic preservation, the Prince George’s County Woodland and Wildlife Habitat Conservation Ordinance, the Maryland Forest Conservation Act, and the Chesapeake Bay Critical Area Act.

Keynote Fireside Chat: An Update on the County's Economic Development Strategy

Angela Alsobrooks

Angela Alsobrooks

County Executive

Prince George's County

Angie Rogers

Angie Rogers

Director

Richmond Department of Economic Development

Brad Frome
Moderator

Brad Frome

Partner

RISE Investment Partners

Angela Alsobrooks

County Executive

Prince George's County

A proud, life-long Prince Georgian, Angela was raised in Camp Springs and now resides in Upper Marlboro with her daughter, Alex.

After graduation from the University of Maryland Law School, Angela began her career as a Prince George’s County Assistant State’s Attorney in 1997, eventually becoming the county’s first full-time prosecutor assigned to handle domestic violence cases where she tried, and successfully prosecuted scores of cases against violent offenders.

In 2002, Angela was appointed by the County Executive to serve as Education Liaison, where she organized educational forums to help increase parental involvement in schools and environmental based learning opportunities.

In 2003, she was appointed the Executive Director of the county’s Revenue Authority. Under her leadership, the agency increased revenue by 40% through their parking enforcement program and some of those funds were used to help the county maintain a balanced budget during the recession.

In 2010, overcoming a two-percent name recognition against a field of candidates who had all run for public office previously, Angela, by an overwhelming margin, was elected to serve as the county’s State’s Attorney, becoming the youngest and first woman to be elected to the office in Prince George’s County.

As State’s Attorney, Angela led a staff of 100 attorneys and 110 professional administrative staff responsible for prosecuting people accused of committing crimes. As the county’s top law enforcement official, Angela played a key role in public safety and strived to carry out her responsibilities in a firm, fair and consistent manner.

She increased the office’s budget by 40% and successfully fought for additional resources to ensure the office could appropriately support the needs of the community. A hallmark of Angela’s approach as State’s Attorney was to engage the community to prevent further crime. She created a truancy reduction initiative that works with schools to keep kids on the right path and she started a program called Back on Track – Prince George’s aimed at giving low-level, non-violent offenders a second chance in the community.

Under her leadership, prosecution rates rose across the board and remained steady over the last eight years. Alsobrooks and her office have been a major factor in the record crime reduction the county has seen over the last four years and the 50% reduction in violent crime over the last seven.

In November, Angela was elected as the 8th County Executive for Prince George’s County and the first female to hold the position.

Angela is a member of the First Baptist Church of Glenarden and the Delta Sigma Theta Sorority and is involved in the effort to raise breast cancer awareness in her community.

Brad Frome

Moderator

RISE Investment Partners

Brad Frome graduated cum laude from the University of Maryland with a BS in government in

politics and attended law school at George Washington University.  Brad started his career in

Maryland government working for a member of the House of Delegates in 2003, staying in

Annapolis until 2005.  Brad then served as a chief of staff to a member of the Prince George’s

County Council for five years before joining Rushern Baker’s Administration.  In the Baker

Administration he served first as Deputy Chief of Staff than as an Assistant Deputy Chief

Administrative Officer for economic development and public infrastructure where he

coordinated policy initiatives for the county as well as economic development projects.  Brad

then joined the Administration of Angela Alsobrooks serving as her Director of Strategic

Operations.

Brad recently joined the private sector as a government affairs consultant working for Perry

White Ross and Jacobson specializing in legislative affairs at the state and local level as well as

economic development project coordination.

Born and raised in suburban Philadelphia Brad is married with two small boys.

Opening Remarks

Jeff Banks

Jeff Banks

Vice President Commercial Services

United Bank

What You'll Learn

  • Expansion Starts Here: How are the latest economic projects bringing in more opportunities and growth into the county?

  • What is in store for Prince George's County development Pipeline? What asset classes will see more demand in as we get into Q3 and Q4?

  • Blue Line Corridor Project: How is the $400M funding being distributed throughout the county? Are there certain neighborhoods, projects or communities that are being focused on with these bonds?

  • How are new residents, tenants, businesses, etc. being lured into neighborhoods like National Harbor, Largo Town Center, College Park and Hyattsville? How are developers and investors selecting neighborhoods for their projects? Are there certain factors being considered?

  • FBI Headquarters: With the decision right around the corner, what would the placement of the agency's new home mean for Prince George's County? What types of opportunities would it bring? 

  • How are the challenges of the economic downturn impacting construction and development within the area? What solutions have developers and investors found to overcome these obstacles?

How You'll Do More Commercial Real Estate Business: 

From National Harbor to the Purple Line to the University of Maryland Discovery District, Prince George's County is growing and bringing in more opportunities throughout the area! With over 900,00+ residents in the county, developers, investors and other businesses are bringing in big projects to hit demand while also still overcoming today's economic downturn. Join PGC's biggest influencers and executives as they discuss the newest projects, hottest neighborhoods, market challenges and much more!

Who You’ll Meet: The region's top owners, developers investors, brokers, construction, designers, architects, financial institutions and more!

Projects, Activity, and Achievements -- 

For questions, recommendations, comments, press inquiries, or interest in sponsoring, please email our Mid-Atlantic Event Producer, Katie Telder, at katie.telder@bisnow.com

To request disability-related accommodations, please contact lizzie.smith@bisnow.com no later than 7 business days prior to the event.

Agenda

Time Activity
7:00 PM
8:00 PM
Registration & Networking
8:00 PM
8:30 PM
Keynote Fireside Chat: An Update on the County's Economic Development Strategy
8:30 PM
8:35 PM
Quick Break
8:35 PM
9:20 PM
Next Stop, PGC's Major Economic Projects

From Purple Line Corridor to the FBI Headquarters hunt, how is the county's future economic developments providing more opportunities throughout the region?

9:20 PM
10:05 PM
Prince George's County Development Pipeline

From multifamily to office to retail, learn how the county's development and investment pipeline is changing the landscape of the region.

10:05 PM
11:00 PM
Post-Event Cocktail Party

Sponsors