New York Construction & Development Conference

Bonnie Campbell is a Principal at Two Trees Management Company, a development firm in Brooklyn, NY. Two Trees is known for its role in transforming the Brooklyn neighborhood of DUMBO where the company’s holdings include 3 million square feet of commercial, industrial and residential space. As a result of Two Trees’ efforts, DUMBO has grown from a neglected waterfront into a vibrant mixed-use community. Bonnie leads a team of planners, architects and development professionals on behalf of Two Trees and is involved in site acquisition, financing, construction, design, and leasing of Two Trees’ portfolio. Most recently, she and her team successfully rezoned the 11-acre Domino Sugar Refinery site acquired by Two Trees in 2012. The site is currently being redeveloped by Two Trees to include a 6-acre public park and 3 million sq. ft. of new development including residential, office, retail and community facility uses. Bonnie joined Two Trees over 15 years ago, after receiving masters degrees in Real Estate Development and City Planning from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Bonnie received a Bachelor of Arts degree in Economics and Urban Planning from Stanford University.

Georgina joined the Richard Rogers Partnership in 2003 and was made an Associate when the practice was renamed Rogers Stirk Harbour + Partners in 2007. In 2016 she became an Associate Partner. Her extensive experience ranges from masterplanning and housing to high-rise buildings and airport design. Georgina was involved in the early stages of the concept design for 3 World Trade Center in New York where her role evolved into team leader for the later stages of the design, coordinating client and consultants. 3 WTC was awarded the American Architecture Award in 2019. She played a key role in the design coordination and client liaison for the BBVA Bancomer Tower in Mexico City, spending two years in Mexico collaborating directly with the client team and the local partner Legorreta. This was integral to the design development and its implementation on site and in 2018 the project achieved a LEED Platinum certification. It was also awarded the RIBA Award for International Excellence the same year. The experience she obtained in high-rise design, along with her collaboration in international projects, made her a key participant in Atrio, two high-rise office buildings in Bogotá, Colombia. One of the towers is nearing completion and already the recipient of a LEED Gold certification. Georgina’s initial involvement in the delivery of the facade and structural packages was followed by a more general client liaison and coordination role with the executive architect for the later stages of the design and construction documents. Georgina has also worked on Taoyuan Airport, Terminal 3 project in Taiwan. Initially, her emphasis was on the masterplanning and design of the Multifunctional Building, a 200,000 m2 development adjacent to the new terminal building. During 2017-2018, she worked directly with the local architect and consultants through to the final delivery of the Terminal building design. Georgina is currently responsible for overseeing the design of the 30 Bay Street development in Toronto. The new 60-storey tower, which will be one of Toronto’s tallest commercial office buildings, will deliver in excess of 1.4 million square feet of premium AAA class rentable office space in Toronto’s downtown area.

Charles ("Chip") R. Pierce, Jr. joined Rosenberg & Estis, P.C. in 2022 and is a Member and Head of the firm's Construction Department. At the outset of his legal career, Pierce was first exposed to construction litigation and has been practicing construction law ever since. Drawing on his experience working summers as a commercial water proofer and roofer, Pierce had a great appreciation for the industry and the legal complexities involved - from negotiating the contracts for construction to project completion and avoiding or resolving disputes along the way. Pierce takes pride in righting wrongs for his clients, such as when he obtained a seven figure judgment against the Port Authority on behalf of a steel subcontractor who had not been paid for steel supplied and installed for the light rail link at Newark Airport or when he recovered over $1 million for an engineering firm who had not been provided with their fair share of work under a JV agreement with another engineering firm. For over 30 years, Pierce has counseled a wide range of construction industry clients - commercial and private owners, developers, construction managers, contractors, manufacturers, suppliers, architects, engineers, and designers - in their business dealings and contractual relationships. Clients appreciate how Pierce's straightforward, cool-headed approach continually delivers outstanding results, whether he is negotiating construction contracts or resolving complex disputes. As Head of the Construction practice, Pierce helps to manage the practice, from engaging with clients to assigning matters and developing and refining strategies best suited to achieving the clients' goals. Our clients vary widely, from corporate owners to high-net-worth individuals, contractors, and design professionals. Counseling such a wide variety of clients gives a unique perspective on the industry and provides us with valuable insight in representing our clients. Pierce is a Fellow of the Construction Lawyers Society of America ("CLSA") and recognized as a NY Metro Super Lawyer in the field of construction litigation. He is also a member of the Diversity Law Institute and the Trial Law Institute. He is a trained mediator and frequent lecturer for CLSA, the Practicing Law Institute and Lorman Education Services on construction law topics. Prior to joining Rosenberg & Estis, Pierce was a Partner with Tarter Krinsky & Drogin LLP.

Michael Giaramita leads the strategic direction and oversight of Group PMX, setting the firm’s vision, mission, and culture while staying actively engaged with strategic partnerships, clients, projects, and staff development. A project management industry leader, he has extensive experience involving all aspects of project, program, and construction management for a wide range of building types and infrastructure and has frequently served as an expert witness to clarify complicated construction issues. An innovator at heart, Mr. Giaramita conceived the firm’s CM NeutralSM approach to best value project performance by improving team relationships, supplementing project staff, and substantially reducing the overall cost of project management. The CM NeutralSM approach promotes collaboration, transparency, accountability, respect, and trust to better manage and balance the numerous conflicting relationships on construction projects. Under Mr. Giaramita’s leadership, the CM NeutralSM approach was used on the $357 million renovation of the International Monetary Fund’s (IMF) Headquarters 1 in Washington, DC. Mr. Giaramita specializes in bringing off-schedule, over-budget projects back on track and has applied his management and technical expertise to achieve significant cost savings for clients. His accomplishments during the Southwest Freeway Reconstruction Program in Texas won him industry recognition and were featured in Engineering News-Record. Mr. Giaramita earned his Bachelor of Science in Construction Management from Colorado State University. He serves on the New York Building Foundation Board of Governors, the charitable arm of the New York Building Congress.

Susan Hinkson-Carling, Managing Director: Susan Hinkson-Carling, AIA, LLM has a distinguished background in both the public and private sectors and specializes in housing, land use and real estate at Capalino. Susan, who has two law degrees from New York Law School, is a registered architect in New York state and is on the Board of Trustees at Big Brothers Big Sisters of New York, specializes in housing, land use and real estate. As leader of Capalino Ventures, she helps developers, private equity firms, and broker/dealers to secure financing and mitigate risk for complicated, risky, or stalled real estate projects. Her distinguished background in both the public and private sectors includes serving as Vice Chair and Commissioner of the NYC Board of Standards and Appeals, where she adjudicated zoning variances, special permits and administrative appeal cases and Brooklyn Borough Commissioner for the NYC Department of Buildings. She also administered design and construction contracts for the NYC Department of Cultural Affairs. She is a trustee at New York Law School and sits on the board of The Bronx Museum of the Arts. Professional Affiliations: Trustee, New York Law School Trustee, Wave Hill Board of Trustee, Big Brothers Big Sisters of New York Board Member, Bronx Museum of the Arts Senior Warden, Christ Church Riverdale

Peter M. Canty represents a wide variety of clients in the construction industry, including developers, property owners, general contractors, construction managers, subcontractors, architects, and engineers, in both litigation-related and transactional matters. His practice involves all aspects of the construction process, from negotiating construction contracts and license agreements, to construction accident litigation, to defending and prosecuting post-construction property damage, breach of contract, and professional malpractice claims. In 2017, Pete was recognized as a Rising Star by Super Lawyer Magazine, New York Metro Edition, for his distinguished work in the construction litigation field. Pete first worked at Ingram as an associate from 2013 to 2016 and rejoined the firm as a partner in 2017. Prior to joining Ingram, Pete was an associate at Conway Farrell Curtin & Kelly, P.C. where his practice primarily focused on construction-related property damage and construction accident litigation.

From his beginnings as a Mason Tender and Carpenter while working in New Jersey, Andrew went on to study Architecture at Keene State College in New Hampshire before heading west to attend the University of Southern California – Viterbi School of Engineering to pursue a Master’s in Construction Management. Since joining Swinerton in 2007, Andrew worked on the West Coast in various positions and has successfully managed other regional offices – including San Francisco, Silicon Valley and Sacramento. He ascended quickly to become one of the youngest Vice President’s in firm history and is a member of the Swinerton Builders - Board of Directors. Throughout his career, Andrew has leaned on his experience in the trades and fine arts teachings to solve complex challenges on various construction projects, but his real passion is in building relationships and coaching high-performing teams. Returning to his roots in the northeast, he relocated in support of the company’s 15-year business plan (“March to 2030”) to expand both geographically and through sector diversification by opening the New York City office. As the New York City Division Manager, he is responsible for overseeing all business operations; including talent recruiting and mentoring, project planning and staffing, contract review and negotiation, and oversight of the project teams to ensure compliance with commitments of schedule, budget, safety, and quality standards. In addition to operations, he is focused on servicing the company’s national corporate service accounts in New York City, fostering trusted relationships with clients, local authorities, and consultants, along with maintaining community relations through corporate responsibility efforts.

Eric Brody is an accomplished builder and developer in New York City with nearly two decades of experience in the mid-market multifamily sector. The son of an architect, Eric has developed approximately 800 units across NYC, totaling nearly $1 billion worth of real estate. Noticing the inefficiencies of the construction and development process, Eric launched ANAX Real Estate Partners, a privately-held, New York City-based construction and development company, as well as ANAX Ventures, an early-stage proptech investment fund focused on identifying and testing solutions that impact the urban landscape. Through ANAX, Eric invests in nascent technologies and then implements them in his own developments, forging the path for the transformation of the real estate and construction industry. Eric was previously the Chief Operating Officer and Managing Partner at Wonder Works Construction, where he led the operations and oversaw multiple project execution, asset acquisition, debt/equity procurement, and investor relations. Complementing his experience, Eric is the host of the Real Tech Talk podcast where he interviews leading technologists, CEOs, and creators in the PropTech space about how their technology can affect change within the industry. Eric also hosts a short-form video series, The Blueprint, for The Real Deal, which breaks down different elements of the construction and development process.

Tom Ortinau joined GFP in 2014 to lead the firm’s property acquisition efforts. Tom has since been instrumental in making over 10 investments comprising over $1 billion. Tom also handles leasing, asset management and development activities for GFP’s projects. Prior to joining GFP, Tom was a member of the US Transactions team at PGIM Real Estate where he handled Northeast Acquisitions and Development activities for the firm’s private equity funds. At PREI, Tom handled 34 investments comprising over $5.5 billion. These property and entity level investments were made via common equity, preferred equity and mezzanine debt positions both on a direct basis and through joint ventures. Tom began his career at WSP Group, a leading design and construction firm in New York. At WSP, Tom worked on the design and construction of over 50 public and private development projects in New York including The Hearst Building, The New York Times Building and The Plaza Hotel. Tom holds a BSE from the University of Kansas, an MS from New York University, and an MBA from Columbia Business School. Tom is on the board of NYPEN Real Estate and a member of the Real Estate Circle at Columbia Business School. He is also an Adjunct Professor at New York University where he teaches real estate investing to graduate students.

Jason Fudin is the CEO and Co-Founder of Placemakr (formerly WhyHotel), based in Washington D.C. Placemakr is a venture-backed platform that operates at the intersection of hospitality and multifamily real estate. With its pop-up hotels, it operates furnished, transient stays out of the vacancy of newly built luxury apartments during the lease-up phase. With its hospitality living buildings, it operates assets as a mix of multifamily and hospitality on a permanent basis with the ability to flex the inventory between both uses. Prior to Placemakr, Jason was the VP of Strategic Initiatives at Vornado Realty Trust where he worked on developing innovative commercial real estate concepts for the organization. Over his career, Jason has managed commercial real estate development projects valued at over $2 billion and has worked in real estate development, acquisitions, and capital markets. He has his B.Eng. in Mechanical Engineering with a minor in Management from McGill University and his M.S. in Finance and Real Estate from American University.

Melissa Billig is Co-Chair of Tannenbaum Helpern's Construction & Design Practice. She represents owners, developers, architects, engineers, construction managers and contractors engaged in the design and construction process on projects in New York City and across the region. Melissa delivers a range of experience as both a results-driven litigator and a strategic counselor, adept at drafting and negotiating complex contracts. Melissa represents clients in high-profile, multi-party contract disputes and defective design and construction claims. She has extensive experience in the resolution of construction disputes, both prior to and during litigation, as well as alternative dispute resolution (ADR). Her transactional practice focuses on drafting and negotiation of design and construction agreements, as well as license (access) agreements. Melissa has represented clients in conjunction with large to midsize development projects, including the Jacob K. Javits Convention Center expansion and renovation, the Governors Island Park project and the Culture Shed project at Hudson Yards. She has also represented clients in connection with certain private residential renovations. Prior to joining Tannenbaum Helpern, Melissa was a partner with Ingram Yuzek Gainen Carroll Bertolotti LLP, and previously an associate at Wilson Elser. She has been consistently selected to Super Lawyers and has been awarded AV Preeminent Rating from Martindale-Hubbell, the highest attorney rating available. Melissa was also selected by New York Magazine as a “Top Women Leaders in the Law”. Melissa is an active Member of the Board of Directors for the Center for Architecture and is involved in various committees including the Development and Marketing committees.