Joseph J. Pollaci joined Nucor Construction Corp in 2011 following a nearly decade-long career in commercial real estate, specializing as a tenant representative.

Joseph joined Nucor as a project executive to support operations in the field, while also acting as a sales executive to drive business development. He assumed operational control in 2014 and was shortly appointed President. Under his leadership, the company has more than doubled in both size and revenue—and aims to double again over the next 10 years. In 2019, Joseph led the strategic acquisition of a Long Island-based general contracting team, extending Nucor’s reach and strengthening its talent bench.

Joseph holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Business Management from Providence College and serves as Executive Chairman of the Shalom Center for Conflict Resolution and Reconciliation, a 501(c)(3) organization focused on promoting peace and stability in conflict-affected regions of eastern Africa.

Howard has built his career on one principle: when businesses face high-stakes real estate disputes in New York City, they deserve a relentless advocate in their corner. Known as The Guardian of Real Estate Rights, Howard has spent more than 30 years protecting and enforcing the real estate rights of business clients across the full spectrum of disputes — commercial landlord-tenant conflicts, commercial mortgage foreclosures, mezzanine debt, mechanic’s liens, construction disputes, and partnership disagreements.

Howard represents both sides of the table with equal command. Whether advocating for landlords or tenants, lenders or borrowers, owners or contractors, Howard brings a strategic, aggressive approach that consistently delivers results. Howard’s clients trust him not only to fight hard in the courtroom, but to negotiate with precision and advise with clarity.

A graduate of the University of Pennsylvania and Cornell Law School, Howard began his career at Proskauer Rose, an Am Law 100 firm, and now practice at Meister Seelig & Schuster where he has built his practice and reputation over the past 25 years.

Craig joined Marx Realty as its President and CEO in 2017 and has been responsible for growing

the company as well as streamlining the company’s strategy by focusing on value-add office

investments in three core markets: New York City, Washington D.C. and Atlanta. Craig is also

charged with repositioning Marx’s entire portfolio as well as growing the Marx team and profitability.

Over his 25-year career, Craig has vast experience in every aspect of the real estate industry and

believes in a very hands-on approach. Prior to Marx, he held senior roles at both private equity and

private development companies, including redeveloping over 50 assets in major markets across the

country with a particular emphasis on NY and DC. Craig’s projects have received various awards

from industry groups such as NAIOP, BOMA, Globe St., Crain’s, Washington Business Journal and

AIA. He has been interviewed as a thought and innovation leader in several features in the Wall

Street Journal, CNN, Bloomberg and on CNBC, and was selected as one of the Real Estate Forum’s

Best Bosses of 2019. Craig was named to the 2020 Commercial Observer’s Power 100 List. Craig

previously practiced law in the real estate and litigation departments at Skadden before transitioning

to the business side of the industry.

Craig graduated Cum Laude from Tulane University’s Freeman School of Business (where he

currently serves on the Executive Committee of the Advisory Board) and earned a J.D. at Fordham

University’s School of Law. Craig serves on the Mixed-Use Council of the Urban Land Institute and

on the Strategic Advisory Council of Shadow Ventures, a venture capital firm specializing in

PropTech investments.

Jonathan Bennett is President of AmTrustRE, a national owner-operator with more than 12 million square feet of commercial, mixed-use, and residential properties across the Northeast, Midwest, and Sunbelt. Jonathan oversees the firm’s portfolio strategy, investment activity, capital improvements, and leasing initiatives, while leading a team of more than 100 professionals across New York and Chicago.

In New York, Bennett has expanded AmTrustRE’s Midtown footprint with acquisitions including 260 Madison Avenue and 360 Lexington Avenue, while driving strong leasing momentum across the portfolio. At 250 Broadway, he recently secured major leases with WeWork and Rose & Rose, further reinforcing the appeal of high-quality, amenitized office space.

In Chicago, Bennett is leading the adaptive reuse of the historic Field Building, now 135 S. LaSalle, into 386 residential units and 92,000 square feet of commercial space, alongside major repositioning efforts at One East Wacker and 33 North Dearborn. These multi-million-dollar upgrades have already spurred significant leasing activity and enhanced tenant experience.

Across markets, Bennett is known for transforming underperforming assets into modern, high-performing destinations through strategic reinvestment, repositioning, and adaptive reuse.

A seasoned real estate executive with more than 20 years of experience, Bennett previously served as Managing Director at Nakash Holdings, where he oversaw a multi-billion-dollar, multi-asset portfolio spanning retail, office, multifamily, and hospitality. He began his career in investment banking at American Express, building a strong foundation in capital markets and asset management.

Zach a hospitality professional with 15 years’ experience working across hotels, restaurants, CRE, and tech. He began his career managing Bemelman’s Bar at The Carlyle Hotel before joining Convene, a premium meetings and events provider, in 2015. There, Zach facilitated several key commercial real estate partnerships including Condé Nast and The Durst Organization.

In 2022 Zach joined Arch Amenity Group to lead the opening of The Playground at the Seagram building, a state-of-the art workplace amenity project with RFR Holding. He now manages CRE amenities for Arch Amenities across the US.

Doug Feinberg is Head of Real Estate Partnerships at Meter, where he partners with owners and operators to turn connectivity into a leasable amenity - delivering move-in-ready, enterprise-grade networks so tenants can be online day one, and giving landlords a differentiator that shows up in tour conversion and leasing velocity. He spent nearly a decade with Industrious, where he worked across landlord partnerships as the company scaled its global footprint and was eventually acquired by CBRE in 2025.

Meter provides internet infrastructure for businesses. Alongside its partners, Meter handles everything needed to get online: a unified stack of enterprise hardware, software, and operations, delivered as a service for one predictable monthly fee. Meter powers tens of millions of square feet across the world and deploys more than one million square feet each week on average. Companies including Bridgewater, Lyft, and Reddit rely on Meter to keep their employees and locations online. It is headquartered in San Francisco and backed by General Catalyst, Microsoft and Sequoia Capital, Tishman Speyer and RXR.

Jared Epstein is a Principal at Aurora Capital Associates based in NYC. Aurora is one of the largest owners and developers in NY's Meatpacking and SoHo districts. The firm owns trophy properties throughout major US cities. Aurora’s expertise is adding value to assets located in the very best urban neighborhoods, whether it be through redevelopment, repositioning or ground up construction.

Mr. Epstein leads Aurora’s acquisitions and leasing. Since joining the firm in 2007, he has been instrumental in completing over $2.5 Billion in transactions.

Aurora’s high profile retail leases across their portfolio include Hyundai's Genesis NY marketing center, RH's NY flagship, Starbucks Roastery & Tasting Room, Sephora, and Catch restaurant which are all in the Meatpacking District, Nike's flagship at 529 Bway in SoHo, flagships for DSW at their w34th and w125th developments, the SoHo flagships of David Yurman, Victoria’s Secret, Hollister and Levi's, Whole Foods in Williamsburg, the Express, Lacoste and Forever21 flagships in South Beach, and the Chicago flagship’s of Zara and T Mobile on N Michigan Ave.

Mr. Epstein was recently recognized by CRAIN's as one of its 40 Under 40 and received his seventh annual CoStar Power Broker Award. Jared is a Founding Member of the Board of the Meatpacking Improvement Association and BID, a Founding Member of the Board of the SoHo Broadway BID, a Member of the Board of the 34th Street Partnership, a member of REBNY and of ICSC.

Richard Babeck is the Vice President for Tri State Commercial Realty, and his primary area of focus is the Queens market. In this role, Mr. Babeck, a seasoned real estate broker by trade, fulfills the mandate of sourcing talent and acting as a coach and advisor to junior agents in order to accelerate their growth potential.

He began his career in real estate at Keller Williams in Midtown Manhattan. During his time there, he learned a great deal about professional development and training, as the company was very focused on professional development and training. It was there that his passion for facilitating growth and helping each agent achieve maximum results was ignited.

Before entering real estate full-time, Mr. Babeck was involved in the business development side of a technology start-up, having started and sold a company of his own. He was involved in several exciting ventures, leading him to a deep understanding of how important the right talent was for a company to succeed

Mr. Babeck possesses a Bachelor of Arts Degree from Hunter College, the City University of New York and a Juris Doctorate from Hofstra University School of Law. He holds a New York State Associate Broker’s license. An avid follower of Life/Productivity Coaches like Simon Sinek and Tony Robbins, Mr. Babeck is constantly seeking the next great book to read about leadership and business development strategies.

Zach started his career on the construction side, building compelling projects in the hospitality &

retail spaces. Following his stint in construction, he made the shift to real estate development

and has been in that space ever since, breathing life into new and existing concepts. Having

held VP tenure in-house with Joe & The Juice, Life House Hotels, Selina, he is familiar with

rapid expansion and full lifecycle hospitality & retail development. In 2024, he took his

construction experience, hospitality eye, and expansion toolkit, and started Meerkat Companies,

a group of companies touching all facets of real estate development in hospitality & retail

segments, with a focus on consultation and project management.

Allison Shipper is a Principal and Partner at Atlas Supreme, a NYC commercial general

contractor specializing in experiential retail, hospitality & wellness. She leads strategic growth

and business operations.

Previously, she led global food and beverage development for Marriott International, licensing

acclaimed brands, negotiating Chef consultant deals, and designing custom concepts for private

developers in the brands’ luxury and lifestyle hotels.

Prior to this, Allison oversaw finance & operations for a boutique Detroit real estate development

fund across two districts, growing the portfolio from 0 to 500,000 sq. ft. in under 18 months.

Her work is multi- and interdisciplinary, drawing from financial analysis, strategy, hospitality

concept development, and urban planning.

Andreas is the Co-Founder and COO of Pulley. After starting his career in private equity and asset management, he most recently served as Chief of Staff at Procore, working directly with Its founder and CEO, Tooey Courtemanche. Following Procore’s 11 billion-dollar IPO in 2021, he joined forces with his co-founder, Charlie Jacobson, to launch Pulley, a leading platform for permitting. Pulley is on a mission to help project teams break ground faster.