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Somerset Corporate Center

Somerset Corporate Center

Somerset Corporate Center is a 1.2 million sf office park developed by SJP Properties. The office park is located directly across from the Bridgewater Commons Mall and Lifestyle Center and is situated three miles south of the intersection of I-78 and I-287 at the Route 202 / 206 interchange and on the north side of Route 22. There are seven points of access to Somerset Corporate Center, offering tenants unparalleled ingress and egress in all four directions. The master plan was designed similar to a regional shopping mall with a ring road surrounding the buildings and providing direct access to each parking lot. The office buildings are clustered around a central park which serves as a focal point for the tenants. The park is complete with a 130,000 sf Life Time Fitness facility including an indoor and outdoor pool. In addition, the campus offers a 150-room new AC hotel with a rooftop bar and a Tommy’s Tavern + Tap restaurant connected to the hotel.

Speakers and Panels

Investment Outlook: Assessing Market Trends & Deal Flow

Debt, Equity, Distress & Filling the Capital Stack

Alex Cocoziello

Alex Cocoziello

Principal & CIO

Advance Realty Investors

Ben Curtiss

Ben Curtiss

Managing Director

Kushner Companies

Varun Agnihotri

Varun Agnihotri

Managing Director, Portfolio Management

New Jersey Community Capital

Bernel Hall

Bernel Hall

CEO

New Jersey Community Capital

Jose Cruz

Jose Cruz

Senior MD

JLL

David Wolfe

David Wolfe

Co-Managing Partner

Skoloff & Wolfe

James Maggio, Jr.
Moderator

James Maggio, Jr.

Partner

Riker Danzig

Alex Cocoziello

Principal & CIO

Advance Realty Investors

As Principal and Vice President of Investment at Advance Realty, Alex Cocoziello focuses on risk

management, capital allocation, and investment strategy helping to ensure seamless execution of the

firm’s core, value-added and opportunistic real estate transactions.

Prior to joining Advance, Alex worked as a trader and market-maker for Bank of America Merrill Lynch’s

Global Markets Division on the Event-Driven Equity Team. In this role, Alex specialized in the trading of

equity securities focusing on risk arbitrage of corporate mergers and acquisitions, distressed equity, and

post-reorganizational equity. His responsibilities included managing firm capital in risk situations,

providing fundamental and technical market analysis, daily trading commentary, and corporate earnings

analysis to institutional clients such as asset managers, pension funds, mutual funds, and hedge funds.

Alex holds a BS in Industrial and Labor Relations from Cornell University, and an MS in Real Estate with a

concentration in finance and investment from New York University’s Schack Institute of Real Estate.

Varun Agnihotri

Managing Director, Portfolio Management

New Jersey Community Capital

Varun Agnihotri joined New Jersey Community Capital in September 2022 as Managing Director of Portfolio Management. He is responsible for setting investment strategy, monitoring the lending portfolio, advising the real estate development team, and supporting the leadership in implementing the strategic vision.

Before joining New Jersey Community Capital, Varun served in a fiduciary capacity as Senior Vice President of Investments at Newport Capital Group to institutional and high net-worth clients. He was a Mergers & Acquisitions Trader at Twin Capital Management, a privately-owned hedge fund. He began his career as a Quantitative Analyst for a New Jersey hedge fund focused on a pairs trading strategy.

Varun is a member of the Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) Institute and the CFA Society in New York. He studied Mathematics of Finance and Actuarial Science at The New Jersey Institute of Technology and earned the right to use the CFA designation.

Bernel Hall

CEO

New Jersey Community Capital

Over the past 25 years, Bernel Hall has executed over $5 billion in real estate investment, lending,

and disposition transactions for multifamily, retail, office, and hotel properties in 36 states

throughout the United States. A former investment banker, public housing executive, and real estate

finance professor, Mr. Hall is an expert in large, multi-faceted public-private real estate transactions

and small business transactions and executive leadership.

As New Jersey Community Capital (NJCC) President and CEO, Mr. Hall leads the largest

Community Development Financial Institution in New Jersey with four business lines--Lending,

Real Estate Development, Investment Ventures and Strategic Community Consulting--with

approximately $700 million in assets under management. Loans and investments leveraged over

$2.5 billion in capital to more than 120,000 business owners and residents in underserved and low-

income communities in New Jersey, New York, and Florida. Additionally, Mr. Hall leads

Community Asset Preservation Corporation (CAPC), a wholly owned subsidiary of NJCC, and the

largest affordable housing development company in New Jersey with more than 600 units of housing

and 500,000 square feet of commercial assets. CAPC’s capabilities include real estate development,

property management, asset management, mortgage acquisition, and mortgage modification services

in New Jersey, New York, and Florida.

As President and CEO of Invest Newark, he established a proven track record of transformative

leadership that resulted in wealth creation for underserved communities throughout New Jersey’s

largest city. In partnership with his Board of Directors and Staff, Mr. Hall transformed Invest Newark

into New Jersey’s premier economic development vehicle featuring the state’s only land bank, a

municipally sponsored fiber optic company, an employee-owned industrial company, and an

infrastructure investment fund.

As CEO of Halltown Real Estate Advisors, Mr. Hall served as real estate investment advisor to some

of the largest housing authorities in the country. As part of his tenure with the Atlanta Housing

Authority (“AHA”), Mr. Hall established an $100 million co-investment vehicle between AHA,

HUD, and the Atlanta Economic Development Authority (“Invest Atlanta”). During his tenure with

the New York City Housing Authority (“NYCHA”), he oversaw the execution of over $1.5 billion

in real estate disposition, development, and joint venture transactions. Previously, Mr. Hall worked in Goldman Sachs’ Urban Investment Group where he was responsible for sourcing and evaluating

urban-based multifamily, retail, and mixed-use real estate private equity investments. Prior to his

work at Goldman Sachs, Mr. Hall executed $785 million in real estate acquisitions, loans, and joint

ventures transactions for UBS Investment Bank. Mr. Hall began his career with Bank of America in

the firm’s Construction Lending and Real Estate Investment Banking Groups.

Mr. Hall is a licensed Uniform Investment Advisor (Series 7, 65) and possesses a Bachelor of

Science from North Carolina State University and a M.B.A. from the Harvard Business School. He

sits on the community development and new market tax credit advisory boards of PNC Financial

and Goldman Sachs, respectively. He also holds a certification from the National Association of

Corporate Directors.

Jose Cruz

Senior MD

JLL

Jose is a senior managing director and co-office head in the New Jersey office of JLL Capital

Markets, Americas. He joins JLL as part of the HFF acquisition and is a member of the firm’s

leadership committee. Jose specializes in investment advisory throughout New Jersey,

New York and Connecticut and also oversees the day-to-day operations of the firm’s New

Jersey office. During the course of his more than 25-year commercial real estate career,

he’s been involved in more than $62 billion of office, industrial, retail, multifamily and land

sales.

Jose started at HFF in March 2010. Before that, he was the executive director of Cushman &

Wakefield’s New York area investment sales group where he spent more than 17 years. He

began his real estate career as a real estate analyst at PaineWebber, UBS, Inc.

David Wolfe

Co-Managing Partner

Skoloff & Wolfe

Mr. Wolfe is the Co-Managing Partner in the Property Tax Department at Skoloff &

Wolfe, PC, where he focuses his practice on representing taxpayers in significant real estate tax appeals and property tax related matters. He has extensive experience in all types of property tax appeals, including hotel, multi-family, retail, office, and industrial properties. Mr. Wolfe frequently counsels clients on the property tax implications of the development, acquisition, and disposition of significant assets. He also counsels clients with respect to property tax exemptions and PILOT agreements.

Mr. Wolfe serves on the Board of the National Association of Property Tax Attorneys (NAPTA) and as the Co-Chair of the Real Property Tax Practice Committee of the New Jersey State Bar Association. Mr. Wolfe has been featured or quoted in a wide variety of local and national publications, including Forbes.com, GlobeSt.com, Marketwatch.com, The Washington Post, The Wall Street Journal, Law.com, Law360.com, The New York Law Journal, and Commerce Magazine.

Mr. Wolfe has a track record of obtaining significant assessment reductions on behalf

of his clients.

Examples of those assessment reductions include:

• Reduced hotel assessment from $188 million to $131million;

• Reduced multi-family assessment from $116 million to $67 million;

• Reduced office assessment from $115.5 million to $90million;

• Reduced supermarket anchored center from $66.9 million to $46 million;

• Reduced nursing home assessment from $36 million to $10.1million;

• Reduced big box retail assessment from $21.3 million to $13.4 million;

• Reduced office assessment from $27.8 million to $6.5million.

Mr. Wolfe began his career as an associate at the law firm of Davis Polk and

Wardwell in New York. While at Davis Polk, he focused his practice on regulatory

investigations, securities litigation and banking disputes.

Mr. Wolfe is a member of the American Bar Association House of Delegates and is

the Co-Chair of the ABA’s Diversity & Inclusion 360 Presidential Commission. As a

young lawyer, Mr. Wolfe served as the Chair of the ABA Young Lawyers Division, the

ABA’s largest entity with more than 130,000 members.

Mr. Wolfe received his J.D. from New York University School of Law, and graduated

from Cornell University with distinction in all subjects.

James Maggio, Jr.

Moderator

Riker Danzig

James M. Maggio, Jr. is Counsel in Riker Danzig’s Real Estate Practice Group and is highly experienced in commercial real estate and related corporate transactions. His practice encompasses a wide variety of matters. Jim represents clients in complex commercial real estate matters, including joint ventures, primarily handling significant multimillion-dollar transactions. He has helped clients sell and acquire substantial commercial properties and to secure permanent and/or construction financing for the acquisition and/or development of significant office and industrial properties. Jim is also a member of the firm’s Financial Institutions Practice group and in that capacity has represented institutional lenders in complex financing transactions involving real estate. He also advises landlords and tenants in reviewing, negotiating and drafting office and industrial leases along with ancillary documents such as assignments, estoppels and subordination and non-disturbance agreements. In addition, he also regularly advises clients with respect to realty transfer taxes and the structuring of real property holdings.

Creating Office Tailwinds: Development, Distress & Leasing

Leveraging Recent Momentum from the Bank of America Lease & Why This Matters

Robert Naso

Robert Naso

Managing Partner & Head of Asset Management

BGO

Michael Bergman

Michael Bergman

President & CEO

Bergman Real Estate Group

Alex Erdos

Alex Erdos

Senior Vice President

SJP Properties

Ashley Mays

Ashley Mays

Chief of Place and Real Estate

Newark Alliance

Brian Lovett
Moderator

Brian Lovett

Partner

Withum Smith + Brown PC

Brian Lovett

Moderator

Withum Smith + Brown PC

Brian Lovett is a Partner and Team Leader of the Tax and Real Estate Services Teams at Withum. Brian has extensive experience serving the tax needs of both public companies and closely held businesses, including all aspects of tax compliance for partnerships and corporations. He advises clients with regard to the structure and tax consequences of new business ventures, and assists with restructuring existing businesses for increased tax efficiency. On the real estate side, Brian has prior Big 4 experience working closely with large, multinational real estate investment companies. He now works closely with real estate entrepreneurs on acquisition planning and entity structuring, property operation and development and wealth transfer/succession planning. Brian is a licensed Certified Public Accountant in the States of New Jersey and Pennsylvania, licensed to practice law in the State of New Jersey, and a frequent speaker on technical tax topics for national webinars and various industry groups.

Delivering Developments & Innovative Construction Projects

Featured Development Spotlight

Eugene Diaz

Eugene Diaz

Principal

Prism Capital Partners

Andrew Natale

Andrew Natale

COO, Construction

SJP Properties

Paula Pangilinan

Paula Pangilinan

VP

Onyx Equities

Darryl Godfrey

Darryl Godfrey

COO

New Jersey Redevelopment Authority

Jennifer Porter
Moderator

Jennifer Porter

Practice Group Leader & Member

CSG Law

Eugene Diaz

Principal

Prism Capital Partners

Eugene R. Diaz is the founder and principal partner at Prism Capital Partners. Prism, began in 2002 with

a mission of strategically investing and developing solely in the Tri-State area, across a broad spectrum

of asset classes and transaction sizes. Today, the firm employs more than forty (40) professionals

providing construction, development, investment, and property management services to its many

institutional partners and investors. Through his stewardship, the firm remains one of the state’s most

active and respected redevelopers focusing on adaptive re-use and repurposing of excess corporate

facilities and turn of the century industrial buildings. The firm actively develops from the ground up for

multi-family, office, industrial and retail investments as well, and purchases both stabilized and un-

stabilized income producing assets. The firm has exhibited a strong investment discipline and a

corresponding track record that attracts joint venture equity capital from some of the most venerable

global investment management firms. Prism is leaving an indelible mark on the New Jersey landscape

with such notable redevelopments and adaptive reuses project like Parkway Lofts in Bloomfield, NJ, the

361 unit apartment conversion of the former 100 year old GE BoilerWorks Building on the Garden State

Parkway, as well as the 333 unit apartment conversion of the 100 year old historically designated Thomas

A Edison Battery and Invention Center in West Orange, NJ and the redevelopment of the 116 acre former

Roche Pharmaceutical headquarters known as ON 3, which houses the prestigious Hackensack-Meridian

Seton Hall College of Medicine. Previously, Diaz worked for Cushman & Wakefield and held several

leadership positions at Gale & Wentworth, including chief investment officer responsible for directing and

overseeing all aspects of the company's investment activities. During his tenure he grew the firm's owned

investment portfolio from 500,000 square feet to more than 12 million square feet in eight states.

Throughout his career, Diaz has been responsible for the acquisition and capitalization of more than 20

million square feet of commercial real estate with total transaction value in excess of $2.5 billion.. He is

frequently quoted in many industry publications as well as topical pieces in the New York Times and Wall

Street Journal. He earned a master's degree in Real Estate Investment & Development from New York

University, where he has frequented as a guest lecturer and stand-in professor. Diaz received

undergraduate degrees in Economics and Political Science from Northwestern University. Early in his

career Diaz was honored by Commercial Property News as one of their "Stars to Watch." and is regularly

ranked by NJBIZ as one of New Jersey’s most influential real estate people ranking him 3rd out of the 75

most influential leaders. He is a past member of the Board of Trustees of Englewood Hospital and an

Honorary Foundation Board Member of the Bergen Performing

Andrew Natale

COO, Construction

SJP Properties

Andrew Natale joined SJP Properties in 2014 and has over fourteen (14) years of construction experience across a variety of project disciplines. Andrew is a graduate of Villanova University with a Bachelor of Science degree in Civil Engineering.

Prior to joining SJP Properties, Andrew worked for a large commercial nationwide general contractor and completed a variety of interior fit-out, occupied renovation, expansion/remodel, ground-up construction and site development projects. Throughout his career Andrew has completed projects in multiple market sectors including office & headquarters, retail, government, industrial, hospitality, mixed-use, gaming and food service. His role included regional project management for a national construction account with various renovation, ground-up and expansion/re-model projects throughout the Northeast.

Since joining SJP Properties, Andrew has completed over 750,000 SF of tenant interior fit-out including 310,000SF for Valeant Pharmaceuticals. Following completion of Valeant’s construction, he began consulting services as Valeant’s construction manager for construction and development projects nationwide. His work has also included Newell Brands, Nice Systems, Linde North America, Marsh & McLennan Companies, Mazda, Qualcomm, Impax Laboratories, Kering Eyewear, iGate, ExecuSearch, Asurion and various building amenity upgrades throughout SJP’s building portfolio.

Andrew’s responsibilities cover the entire project life cycle including conceptual estimating, budgeting, design review, pre-construction, scheduling, permitting, procurement, bidding, contracting, construction management, project controls, quality control, project close-out and turnover.

Jennifer Porter

Moderator

CSG Law

Jennifer Porter is Practice Group Leader of the firm’s Redevelopment, Land Use & Zoning Group. Her ability to practice zoning and land use development law in four states (New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania and Connecticut) establishes her as a key player in helping clients expand into the regional real estate market. Jennifer represents clients ranging from Fortune 500 companies to developers, owners and lessees of commercial, retail, industrial and residential properties. She represents clients in all aspects of land use, zoning and development law.

Developing & Building Multifamily: Top Towns & Creating Livable Communities

Creating Long Term Mixed-Use Communities

Ed Russo

Ed Russo

CEO

Russo Development

Jonathan Gertman

Jonathan Gertman

SVP

NRP Group

Matt Giammanco

Matt Giammanco

VP, Development

Vivmark Residential

Anthony Marin

Anthony Marin

CEO

MIG Real Estate

Peter Polt

Peter Polt

EVP

JG Petrucci Co.

Mark Mindick
Moderator

Mark Mindick

Partner, National Real Estate Practice Leader

Citrin Cooperman

Jonathan Gertman

SVP

NRP Group

Jonathan Gertman joined The NRP Group in 2009 as an Assistant Developer and now serves as Senior Vice President of Development for the New York City office.

His primary responsibilities include originating and overseeing both market rate and affordable development efforts in New York, , New Jersey, Connecticut, and Massachusetts. During his previous role in the San Antonio office, he was involved with the origination of 900 units of Low-Income Housing Tax Credit projects.

Between his two positions at NRP, Gertman worked for Forest City Realty Trust in New York. He was responsible for originating and managing multifamily and mixed-use projects in the greater tri-state area. During his tenure, he worked on the development of 980 units of luxury multifamily housing and ancillary retail.

Gertman is a graduate of the University of Pennsylvania and holds a bachelor’s degree in urban studies with a minor in real estate finance from The Wharton School. He is a member of the board of Neighbors Together, a Brooklyn based food bank. He is also a Trustee of Congregation Beth Elohim of Brooklyn. He lives with his wife in the Park Slope neighborhood of Brooklyn and enjoys walking their adopted schnauzer-terrier, Babka.

Anthony Marin

CEO

MIG Real Estate

After a twelve-year career in Information Technology at large financial and law firms, Anthony began investing in multifamily properties in Newark, NJ in 2014. In a quest for financial freedom, he strategically acquired multiple assets over an 18-month span. After building a seven-figure portfolio in multifamily real estate in Newark, he realized he could not find a quality property manager for his portfolio. With this insight, he started a

property management company in 2016 and in 2020 opened a boutique brokerage for investors looking to build their portfolios. Anthony lives in the Ironbound section of Newark with his wife Eliana and three daughters Amelia, Aveline and Ariella. He is an avid fan of the Yankees, 49ers, playing golf and Portuguese cuisine.

Peter Polt

EVP

JG Petrucci Co.

Peter Polt is an Executive Vice President at J.G. Petrucci Co., Inc. and is

responsible for the company’s acquisition and development activities in New

Jersey and Eastern Pennsylvania. Peter possesses over 15 years of turnkey real

estate development experience managing over $750MM worth of transactions

and investments for a wide array of real estate asset classes. As an Executive

Vice President, Peter is responsible for all aspects of the real estate

development process including site selection, acquisition and disposition,

strategic and financial planning, investment analysis, lease and contract

negotiations, land development approvals, construction management,

business development, and community relations.

Peter has previously worked for CBRE directing the company’s industrial project management platform

in the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic region. Peter also served as a project manager for Pennoni Associates

Inc. in their Geotechnical Engineering Division. Peter received his Bachelor of Science in Geology, with

honors, from Hobart College and obtained his MBA in Finance from Lehigh University.

Mark Mindick

Moderator

Citrin Cooperman

Mark M. Mindick is a longstanding partner and has been a substantial part of the growth of the firm for the past 22 years, consulting on a wide range of value-added tax, consulting, and assurance matters, with a specialized focus in the real estate sector. His clients include the greater real estate and financial services community, both domestic and international.

A leader in the firm’s Real Estate Practice, Mark serves as a specialist and go-to consultant for the real estate community, from entrepreneurs all the way through some of the largest national brands in U.S. real estate. He is involved in all verticals of the industry and is highly skilled in mergers and acquisitions, joint ventures, and other various areas of business counsel and analysis. He also negotiates with a wide range of capital sources from private investors, family offices, real estate funds, hedge funds, and other institutional grade investors.

On the pulse of the marketplace, Mark brings value to clients with his proactive approach and deep understanding of his clients’ issues and goals, helping to scale and diversify businesses to grow them to the next level.

Mark maintains an extensive network of equity sources and has expansive knowledge in structuring deals from every aspect, ranging from all tiers of the capital stack to sophisticated multi-tier joint venture structures. An expert in benchmarking against the marketplace, he also advises on initiating, structuring, and analyzing real estate funds and syndication vehicles.

Prior to joining Citrin Cooperman, Mark served at a regional NYC firm focusing on high-level consulting and assurance projects.

Why This New Jersey CRE Conference Matters

What You'll Learn:

  • Hear from developers, lenders, debt funds and brokers on creative financing strategies to close deals.

  • Gain insight into what to predict for the cost of capital for the remainder of 2024 and how this will impact new development, construction timelines and leasing activity.

  • New Jersey has been home to some of the biggest leases across the country in 2024. Learn how other developers and brokers are capitalizing on this momentum for other leases.

  • Hear what other opportunities exist to pivot existing office assets to increase the value of an asset.

  • Multifamily housing still remains a big priority for the state. How are developers, builders, architects and engineers creatively capitalizing on this need.

  • This event will feature the state's top commercial developers, who will highlight the innovative construction and design efforts to fulfill needs of New Jersey's evolving tenant base.

  • This conference will cover multifamily, retail, industrial, mixed-use, public private collaboration and more.

How you'll do more business:

Enhance your business by understanding how to strategically position your projects amidst the evolving economic climate. New Jersey's top developers, investors, contractors, architects and engineers will discuss top developments, public-private partnerships, top development project spotlights, construction timelines and the next wave of building design. 

Who attends:

Investors, owners, developers, lenders, tenants, brokers, architects, contractors, engineers, property managers and you!

Why should you attend:

Bisnow events bring together the biggest power players in the industry to identify opportunities, build your network, and expand your business. With the largest audience of commercial real estate professionals in the world, no one knows how to help your business more than us.

Looking for more networking opportunities? 

Check out our upcoming Jersey City Spring Cocktail May 30! 

For questions, recommendations, comments, or press inquiries please email our Director of New Jersey Events, Chris Picher at chris.picher@bisnow.com. 

To request disability-related accommodations, please contact ally.araco@bisnow.com no later than seven business days prior to the event.

Featured 2024 New Jersey Projects And Developments

Venue

Somerset Corporate Center V
500 Somerset Corporate Blvd
Bridgewater, NJ 08807


Complimentary

Get Directions

Agenda

Time Activity
12:30 PM
1:30 PM
Coffee, Breakfast & Networking
1:30 PM
2:15 PM
Investment Outlook: Assessing Market Trends & Deal Flow

1. Hear how developers, lenders and brokers are getting deals closed with creative capital stacks.
2. Inside look into the negotiating table for sales, construction financing, plus debt and equity.

2:15 PM
3:00 PM
Developing & Building Multifamily: Top Towns & Creating Livable Communities

1. Identifying New Jersey's top multifamily clusters: which towns are most accommodating to increased development activity.
2. Hear how the commercial real estate industry is building up attractive mixed-use communities.

3:00 PM
3:15 PM
Networking
3:15 PM
4:00 PM
Creating Office Tailwinds: Development, Distress & Leasing

1. Building off the momentum of the Bank of America office lease and figuring out what this means for future lease negotiations
2. Hear how developers are positioning their office assets for success through repositioning, refinancing and building upgrades.

4:00 PM
4:45 PM
Delivering Developments & Innovative Construction Projects

1. Featured panel highlighting New Jersey's top development projects across all asset classes.
2. Building of spec, core and shell build outs, luxury class-a construction projects.

WANT THE ATTENDEE LIST FOR FREE?

Biscred's sales and marketing CRE prospecting tool allows users to identify companies and contacts based on industry, asset class experience, job seniority, location, and more CRE-specific indicators. Schedule a demo with Biscred here and receive the attendee list for free when you mention this promotion.