Philadelphia Retail Revolution!

Nick Bayer has always been in the business of bringing people together, whether it’s as one of Philadelphia Business Journal’s Most Admired CEOs or as a consummate team captain since Little League. So when he created Saxbys Coffee in 2005, he never really considered it to be a coffee company — instead, it’s a hospitality company fueled by great coffee. Saxbys has since grown from one corner café to a 30-unit, Philadelphia-based hospitality business with a mission: Make Life Better. Driven by deep-seated core values and O.D.D. (outgoing, detail-oriented, and disciplined) team members, Saxbys is headquartered in Center City Philadelphia with cafés in nine states and on a number of college campuses — and growing fast (30% a year fast). In April 2015, Saxbys opened its first experiential learning café. The product of a partnership between Saxbys and Drexel University’s Close School of Entrepreneurship, it’s the nation’s first entirely student-run café where students earn full academic credit through a university cooperative education (co-op) program. Nick is currently the Entrepreneur in Residence at Cornell University’s School of Hotel Administration and an adjunct professor at Drexel University, where he teaches a course in entrepreneurial franchising. As a frequent guest lecturer at The Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania, Temple University’s Fox School of Business, American University’s Kogod School of Business and Penn State’s Smeal College of Business, Nick loves supporting the next generation of entrepreneurs and encouraging everyone he meets to believe in the Saxbys mission and core values. He serves on the board of Big Brothers Big Sisters Independence Region and the board of Drexel University Steinbright Career Development Center. He resides in Center City Philadelphia with his wife and son.

Randolph Hope is a development and leasing professional with a diverse background in both multifamily and retail real estate. Randolph is responsible for leading Post Brothers retail development in addition to asset management of its growing portfolio. Prior to joining Post Brothers in 2014, Randolph was a Director at Panther Properties in which he was integral in growing the company from its first acquisition in 2010 through its completion of it first fund in 2014. Randolph oversaw the acquisition and development of more than 3,600 apartment units across 13 communities throughout the Southeastern United States. The portfolio created has a value in excess of $450 million and more than $100 million of equity capital invested. Prior to forming Panther Properties, Randolph was Vice President at Metro Commercial Real Estate the leading retail real estate brokerage firm in the Mid-Atlantic region. While at Metro Commercial he completed in excess of 350 lease and sale transactions with consideration in excess of $300 million.

Christian Fleming joined Federal Realty in 2007 and currently serves as Director of Asset Management for the Philadelphia and Baltimore Region, overseeing all aspects of operations and strategic growth for a portfolio of 19 shopping centers totaling 4.2 million square feet, and generating over $80 million of net operating income. Mr. Fleming has previously held the positions of Director of Financial Operations, and Development Finance Manager at Federal Realty. Chris has nearly 20 years of experience in the real estate industry, with a focus on retail acquisitions, development, finance, and asset management focusing primarily on the D.C., Philadelphia, Baltimore and New York markets. Chris holds a B.S. from George Washington University and an M.B.A. from The Robert H. Smith School of Business at The University of Maryland at College Park. He is an active member of International Council of Shopping Centers.

Ehud Kupperman currently serves as a Senior Director of Development at Cedar Realty Trust where he oversees the company’s development and redevelopment projects. Ehud has over 15 years of mixed-use development experience and has completed over $1 billion of ground up development and redevelopment projects throughout the East Coast. Prior to joining Cedar, Ehud served as Vice President of Development at Equity One where he oversaw several projects including The Gallery at Westbury Plaza, a 330,000 square foot retail center in one of New Yorks’s highest barrier to entry markets. Prior to this role, Mr. Kupperman worked at Blumenfeld Development Group managing various urban development projects including East River Plaza, home to Manhattan’s first Costco and Target. Ehud is also an active ICSC member and currently serves on the Committee for the New York National Deal Making event.

Drew heads The Martin Architectural Group's commercial division, managing a spectrum of retail and mixed-use commissions from grocery anchored strip fit-outs to overall master planning and design of regional lifestyle centers. Drew maintains a hands-on approach with his projects – from design and construction documents through construction administration. His duties specifically entail client representation during construction and leasing efforts. In addition to the composition of Lease Outline Drawings, Tenant Manuals, and tenant fit-out permit and construction documents, he can provide tenant coordination between fit-out and shell documentation as well.