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Speakers and Panels

Brooklyn Office

Why Everyone Wants to Work, Acquire, and Develop in Brooklyn

Josh Zegen

Josh Zegen

Managing Principal, Co-Founder

Madison Realty Capital

Chris Schlank

Chris Schlank

Founder & Managing Partner

Savanna

David Ehrenberg

David Ehrenberg

President & CEO

Brooklyn Navy Yard Development Corporation

Andrew Kimball

Andrew Kimball

President & CEO

New York City Economic Development Corporation

Sacha Zarba

Sacha Zarba

Vice Chairman

CBRE

Robert Walsh

Robert Walsh

SMD

CPEX

David Pfeffer
Moderator

David Pfeffer

Partner

Tarter Krinsky & Drogin

Josh Zegen

Managing Principal, Co-Founder

Madison Realty Capital

Mr. Zegen co-founded Madison Realty Capital in 2004 and is responsible for overseeing the origination and structuring of all of MRC's investment activities, as well as raising institutional capital and portfolio management. Since MRC's inception, Mr. Zegen has closed real estate transactions totaling in excess of $11 billion. At the firm, Mr. Zegen serves on several investment committees related to both the debt and equity platforms. Prior to founding MRC, he founded and was president of Alpine Commercial Capital, a mortgage advisory firm that successfully closed over $500 million in real estate financings. Prior to forming Alpine, Mr. Zegen was an investment banker in Salomon Smith Barney's financial sponsors/private equity group where he focused on leveraged buyouts, equity and debt financings, mergers and acquisitions and private placement transactions. He is a co-founder and board member of The New York Private Equity Network ("NYPEN"). Mr. Zegen graduated cum laude from Brandeis University with a Bachelor of Arts degree in economics.

Chris Schlank

Founder & Managing Partner

Savanna

Mr. Schlank is a Founder and Managing Partner of Savanna. At Savanna, Mr. Schlank sits on the investment committee and is in charge of construction and redevelopment and shares responsibilities for asset management, sales and marketing and acquisitions. Mr. Schlank has overseen the acquisition and redevelopment of more than 70 real estate assets, comprising over 20 million square feet of space and nearly $3.8 billion of total capitalization, including raw land development sites, apartments, office buildings, industrial to residential conversions, retail and warehouse/distribution properties. Prior to founding Savanna, Mr. Schlank was a project manager for the Westside Federation for Senior Housing, a New York-based developer of low-income housing. Mr. Schlank received an MS in Real Estate Development from the Columbia School of Architecture and a BA in Urban Studies from the University of Pennsylvania. Mr. Schlank is an Assistant Adjunct Professor at Columbia University where he teaches a seminar in Real Estate Finance to graduate students in the Columbia Architecture School’s Real Estate Master’s Degree Program.

Sacha Zarba

Vice Chairman

CBRE

Sacha Zarba is a Vice Chairman in the Midtown Manhattan office of CBRE and Co-Founder of CBRE’s Technology & Media Practice Group. With a unique specialization within the technology and high growth sectors, Sacha has unmatched experience in working with the world’s leading innovation companies across the technology, financial and digital media industries. Sacha’s expertise is well-known throughout these communities and is widely regarded as the industry’s “go-to” advisor, offering unique insights gained from his years of partnering with NYC’s most creative and dynamic occupiers.

Since 2015, Sacha is responsible for advising on over 15 million square feet of transactions in NYC and abroad for some of the most highly recognizable names in the technology and fintech industries, from early stage to mature. Over the past 5 years, during times of unprecedented uncertainty, Sacha has routinely utilized his understanding of new and dynamic workplace strategies, as well as location intelligence initiatives, to recommend new and dynamic ways of working to accommodate the ever-evolving landscape of employee preferences.

David Pfeffer

Moderator

Tarter Krinsky & Drogin

David J. Pfeffer is a partner, chair of Tarter Krinsky & Drogin’s Construction Practice, and a member of the Firm’s Executive Committee. Mr. Pfeffer serves as a business partner to his clients – including real estate owners and developers, educational institutions, high-net-worth individuals, healthcare organizations, and cultural centers – and advises on all aspects of their construction, development, real estate, and business needs. His work has helped reshape skylines through some of the most significant construction and development projects in Brooklyn, Manhattan, and Long Island City.

Mr. Pfeffer leverages his keen insight into the business climate to provide clients with sophisticated guidance in order to mitigate risks and manage their complex issues. Combining his understanding of business-focused solutions with a legal perspective, Mr. Pfeffer focuses his practice on project delivery strategies and the preparation and negotiation of design, construction, and related contracts for private and public real estate development projects. He handles matters such as contract preparation, development, continuing operation, leasing and dispute resolution, and also maintains an active practice in business negotiation.

David is a frequent speaker, published author, and quoted source who has been featured in Law360, The Real Deal, Crain’s New York Business, The New York Post, and Real Estate Weekly, among others. He has been ranked in Chambers as a leading construction lawyer in New York (2006–2021) and recognized as a 2020 New York Trailblazer by the New York Law Journal. Mr. Pfeffer serves on various boards including John Jay College of Criminal Justice.

Hospitality and Retail Update

How to Meet the Needs of NYC's Most Populous Borough

Chris Conlon

Chris Conlon

COO

Acadia Realty Trust

Kathryn Welch

Kathryn Welch

EVP

Forest City Ratner

Toby Moskovits

Toby Moskovits

CEO

Heritage Equity Partners

Steven Hidary

Steven Hidary

COO

Hidrock Properties

Brad Cohen
Moderator

Brad Cohen

Senior Director

Eastern Consolidated

The Multifamily Puzzle

How to Succeed in the Face of Tremendous New Development

David Kramer

David Kramer

President

Hudson Companies

Jason Muss

Jason Muss

President

Muss Development

Susi Yu

Susi Yu

EVP

Forest City Ratner

Ofer Cohen

Ofer Cohen

Founder & CEO

TerraCRG

Ronnie Levine

Ronnie Levine

Senior Managing Director

Meridian Capital Group

Mitch Korbey
Moderator

Mitch Korbey

Partner

Herrick

Ofer Cohen

Founder & CEO

TerraCRG

Ofer Cohen is the Founder & CEO of TerraCRG, the ‘Only Brooklyn.®’ commercial real estate firm. Ofer founded the company over a decade ago with the vision of catering solely to the most exciting and robust sub-markets in the U.S. Since its inception over ten years ago, TerraCRG has been at the center of the transformation of Brooklyn, becoming a true market leader throughout the process.

The firm, now 30 people strong and growing, has handled over two billion dollars’ worth of transactions in Brooklyn. Accordingly, Ofer Cohen is at the forefront of the Brooklyn commercial real estate industry. His keen focus and comprehensive knowledge of both the industry and region, coupled with his active civic involvement, makes him a trusted adviser to property owners, developers and institutions looking to capitalize on the continued growth of this market. As a result, Ofer serves as a thought leader for all Brooklyn- and real estate-related topics, regularly speaking at industry conferences and interviewed by the media.

Ofer’s focus on Brooklyn extends beyond business and into philanthropy and community service. He serves on the Board of Directors of the Brooklyn Navy Yard, The Brooklyn Hospital Foundation and the Downtown Brooklyn Partnership, and he is the co-chair of the Brooklyn Chamber of Commerce’s Real Estate Committee. Additionally, TerraCRG actively supports many other local and national causes and Brooklyn-based non-profit organizations.

Prior to founding TerraCRG, Ofer was a senior broker at Massey Knakal’s Brooklyn office, where he developed his passion and expertise for Brooklyn transactions. Earlier, he was a partner at a boutique marketing agency that focused on helping foreign tech-ventures launch their operations in the U.S. Previous to that, Ofer was involved with several tech-startups, one of which was a music internet firm that was later acquired by MTV Networks. Ofer remains involved in various tech-startups as an adviser and angel investor.

Before moving to the U.S., Ofer served in the Israeli Defense Forces. He now lives in Clinton Hill, Brooklyn, and in his spare time enjoys spending time with his twin daughters, cooking and traveling. He also appreciates checking out new workout regimes, currently focused on Peloton and yoga. Ofer recently launched his very own podcast show, HeyBK, leading conversations with the people behind the Brooklyn transformation, so be sure to tune in.

Ronnie Levine

Senior Managing Director

Meridian Capital Group

Mr. Levine joined Meridian in 2004 and currently serves as a Senior Managing Director, overseeing a staff of originators and underwriters in the negotiation and placement of financing for construction, repositioning and transitional asset transactions.

Prior to joining Meridian, Mr. Levine was a Senior Vice President at Westminster Capital, a division of Kushner Companies. His job responsibilities at Westminster included coordinating all aspects of financing for Kushner Companies, including debt and equity financing. Mr. Levine also previously worked as a financial analyst in the real estate investment banking group of CIBC World Markets.

Mr. Levine holds an M.S. in Real Estate Finance from New York University and a B.A. in Finance from Tulane University’s A.B. Freeman School of Business.

Mitch Korbey

Moderator

Herrick

Mitch Korbey is a partner, and chair of Herrick’s Land Use & Zoning Group. Mitch is an accomplished urban planner and land use attorney with more than 30 years of experience in private practice and government service. Mitch is a former Commissioner of the Board of Standards and Appeals (BSA), a former director of the Department of City Planning's (DCP) Brooklyn office, and a former deputy director of DCP’s Staten Island office. Mitch has been recognized by Chambers USA as one of New York City’s leading zoning lawyers for the past seven years. He advises clients on a wide range of issues, including site acquisitions and assemblages, site development options, zoning lot mergers and development rights transfers, as well as applications for zoning variances, special permits and other discretionary approvals from the BSA, DCP, Department of Buildings, Landmarks Preservation Commission, and other agencies. Mitch also regularly counsels prominent developers, owners and lenders on the management of millions of square-feet of New York City real estate. In doing so, he navigates the complexities of the City’s byzantine zoning resolution – guiding clients to the most efficient intersection of their business goals and what the rules will allow. He also keeps clients abreast of political headwinds that could impact their properties or development plans. Mitch is an adjunct professor of law at Brooklyn Law School, and an adjunct with Hunter College's graduate program in urban planning.

Summary

Once left in the shadows when real estate professionals talked about Manhattan, Brooklyn has now attracted (and earned) the industry's attention.  Massive multifamily development, well-trafficked retail corridors, and innovative office tenants have shifted NYC's center of gravity, and it's not going back anytime soon.  Join our all star panelists as we run through the growth that Brooklyn is experiencing across asset classes and forecast future opportunities for the borough in what promises to be an exciting Bisnow event.

Venue

The Former Williamsburgh Savings Bank Building
One Hanson Place
Brooklyn, NY 11243

Event Space: One Hanson Place

Atlantic Avenue-Barclays Center:
2, 3, 4, 5, B, D, N, R, Q add LIRR Atlantic Terminal
(Follow the exit signs to BAM)


Agenda

Time Activity
7:30 AM
8:20 AM
Breakfast and Networking
8:20 AM
9:05 AM
Brooklyn Office
9:05 AM
9:45 AM
Retail and Hospitality Update
9:45 AM
10:30 AM
Multifamily
10:30 AM
11:00 AM
Post-Event Networking