Oakland State of the Market

Mike Keely joined CBRE Brokerage Services in 2014 as a Senior Vice President to lead the Agency practice for the Office Specialty Group in Oakland, CA. Mr. Keely’s vast background in leasing institutionally-owned office portfolios throughout Northern California provides CBRE’s clients with his unparalleled experience and strategic acumen. Having worked directly for some of the largest global investment funds and REITs, Mr. Keely thinks like an investor and understands the strategies and tactics necessary to achieve exemplary results.

Chris Porto is an entrepreneur and real estate developer with a background in finance and sustainability. Before founding Smart Growth, Chris held positions at Deloitte and SunPower; where he helped raise hundreds of millions of dollars in capital for solar energy developments. An expert in capital raising, financial modeling and deal structuring; Chris values ethical, sustainable business practices above all. A tremendous sense of responsibility and passion for developing sustainable real estate permeates everything he does. To Chris, Smart Growth is a means to contribute towards a more sustainable culture, and it’s just the start. After graduating from Virginia Tech University with a degree in Finance, Chris moved to Japan where he studied martial arts and subsequently earned a black-belt in Aikido.

Alan E. Dones is a licensed contractor, a long-time entrepreneur, an outspoken advocate of equal opportunity in employment and contracting, and an accomplished musician/producer. Dones is principal of ADCo, LLC and managing partner and co-founder of SUDA, LLC, a firm specializing in large-scale, innovative, public agency projects and mixed-use development. SUDA has completed several landmark projects in Oakland, CA and is currently pioneering international development projects in Africa. In 1988, Alan Dones co-founded and served as CEO of Rondeau Bay Construction, Inc. (RBC), an engineering and construction firm based in Oakland, CA. Under his leadership, RBC grew to include offices in five major US cities and completed over $70 million of construction projects. Alan is active in a number of local and national organizations. He has worked with agencies throughout the United States to revise and enhance their small business and W/MBE policies. Currently, he is a member of the City of Oakland’s Workforce Investment Board; member of the Alameda County Health Care Foundation; and member the East Bay Conversion and Reinvestment Commission. Formerly, Dones served as president of the Northern California Chapter of the National Association of Minority Contractors; vice-chairman of the Oakland City Charter Review Committee; board member of the Oakland Chamber of Commerce; delegate to the White House Conference on Small Business; and member of the Legislative Committee for the Engineering and Utility Contractor’s Association. As a member of the Military Conversion and Reinvestment Commission, Mr. Dones was instrumental in promoting legislation and drafting revisions to the language of the Federal Acquisition Regulations (FAR) that enhanced the ability of Women and Minority owned firms to compete for DOD and conversion related contracts. Mr. Dones has authored several articles on minority business issues in local and National publications. He has co-authored a measure on the 1996 ballot in Oakland, California to amend Oakland’s City Charter mandating Affirmative Action programs, combating disparities in City employment and contracting. This initiative had national significance in that it is one of the first voter responses to counter the impact of the controversial anti-affirmative action California Civil Right Initiative (CCRI). Alan Dones is executive producer and co-founder of Strategic Media Alliance, LLC (SMI) ― an international production company based in Oakland, CA. His musical credits are many. Alan co-authored the 1981 hit single, “Be Yourself” with world-renowned bassist, Nathan East. The song appeared on singer Debra Laws’ first solo album, “Very Special” and rose to the top-ten mark on Billboard’s R&B charts [listen]. In 1981, Dones co-authored, “Go For It”, performed by Bill Summers & Summers’ Heat and featured on their classic Jam the Box album. Alan has produced, written and performed with many of the Bay Area’s top artists, including Rodney Franklin, Ray Obeido, Larry Batiste, Jennifer Johns, Hannibal Means, Patricia Banks, Harvey Scales, David Daniel, and The Nemonics. He performed for more than a year in the award-winning and highly acclaimed San Francisco musical review, “Soul, Style & Sass.”

For over 30 years, Paul Zeger has been the definitive source of information for new construction sales and marketing in the Bay Area. His leadership in identifying and capitalizing on residential development opportunities is unparalleled. Paul’s client relationships include some of the most successful real estate development firms on the west coast – TMG Partners, Emerald Fund, Lennar Urban and Wilson Meany to name a few. Paul believes in making commitments to his clients, and building trust by delivering on his commitments. Paul earned a bachelor’s degree in Economics at Colgate University and a Masters in Business Administration from the Darden School at the University of Virginia.

As one of the founding principals of MBH, John is responsible for Business Development and Client Relations. This requires continued involvement throughout the entire development of all projects, from the conceptual design stages and contract negotiations to contract closeouts. John has the responsibility for defining the firm’s personality, which is rooted in client service and internal staff development. He has served as principal in charge of many of the firm’s major projects and contributes to each of the MBH studios. He is a member of the advisory council for SPUR and serves on the board of the Good Tidings Foundation. Also a former Board Member of the San Francisco Chapter of AIA, he is a frequent guest lecturer at the University of California, Berkeley, where he earned his Bachelor of Arts Degree in Environmental Design.

Kristin Anderson is the President/CEO for Eric F. Anderson, Inc, her family’s 78 year old construction business based in San Leandro, CA. Kristin joined the company in 2008, following a career in mechanical engineering. Kristin and her mother, Leona, took over the business after the passing of her father in 2010. Since then, Kristin has been passionate about continuing the family’s legacy as the 3 rd generation and being a Women-Owned Business. Under her leadership, the company has grown into three divisions – Construction, Cabinetry and Service. Kristin is a recent Past President with the San Leandro Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors, is an active member of the Northern California Planning Committee for ICSC, and sits as the Marketing Committee Co-Chair with CREW East Bay. Kristin lives in Oakland, CA, with her 13-year old, Emery.

Todd represents clients in the broad spectrum of land use, real estate and environmental issues in both litigation and administrative proceedings. He works with private clients and public entities, including landowners and developers of residential, infill, commercial and industrial property, as well as local agencies, providing property entitlement processing and local government land use approvals; CEQA compliance and litigation; planning and zoning law advice; and real property litigation. He also has experience with infill project streamlining, density bonus and housing laws, affordable housing and historic preservation regulations, as well as advising clients on public-private partnerships, the Subdivision Map Act, the Williamson Act, and cannabis land use regulations, along with easement and boundary dispute matters. A contributing editor on the 2010 – 2011 edition of State and Local Government Land Use Liability, and a reviewer of the 2012 and 2013 editions of the Municipal Law Handbook, Todd also has spoken throughout the state on land use law, with particular emphasis on CEQA.