As the Director of Business Development for ARCO Design/Build, Wes Patterson brings over 10 years of experience in the construction industry. With expertise in construction management and building client relationships, Wes plays a crucial role in driving ARCO’s new business opportunities and helping future clients find solutions to their needs. Wes manages client relationships in the Richmond area and greater Virginia region. Prior to joining ARCO, Wes served as a Project Manager and Owner’s Rep for multiple developers and end users, most recently as a Senior Construction Manager for the Major Projects Division of Whole Foods Market. Wes graduated from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill with a double major in Economics and German.

Mr. Amin started his career at Goldman, Sachs & Co., where he advised public and private technology

companies on merger and acquisition transactions and capital markets activities. He currently has overall

responsibility for 75 hotels owned and operated by Shamin Hotels, the largest hotel owner and operator in

the Commonwealth of Virginia. Additionally, Mr. Amin oversees the operations of Shamin’s Assisted Living

and Dementia facilities in Virginia. During his tenure at Shamin Hotels, the company has received numerous

awards and recognitions including the Developer of the Year from Intercontinental Hotels Group and the

Multi-Brand Developer of the Year, and New Build/Adaptive Reuse of the Year from Hilton Hotels. Mr. Amin

has been repeatedly recognized as one of the Fifty Most Influential Virginians by Virginia Business and was

awarded Hilton’s Lifetime Achievement Award in 2022.

Mr. Amin graduated summa cum laude from The Wharton Business School at the University of Pennsylvania,

completing his B.S. in Economics and MBA. He is passionate about assisting the communities where the

associates of Shamin Hotels live and work and currently serves as the past chairman of the board of

Richmond Region Tourism and serves on the boards of the Community Foundation, the Virginia Museum of

History and Culture, the Virginia Community Development Corporation, Sports Backers, Venture Richmond,

the Virginia Council on Economic Education, and the Virginia Cannabis Control Authority. Additionally, Mr.

Amin serves on the Treasury Board of the Commonwealth of Virginia and the Governor’s Advisory Council on

Revenue Estimates at the pleasure of the Governor of Virginia.

James Vallos serves as Managing Director and Head of Direct Real Estate Asset Management at HGI. He oversees all of the firm’s multifamily and commercial property investments across the United States and the United Kingdom. Prior to joining HGI in 2007, Mr. Vallos worked at The Mills Corporation, where he focused on asset management and redevelopment of the REIT’s portfolio of shopping centers. He holds a BA in Economics from Allegheny College and an MBA in Economics from Youngstown State University.

Chris oversees investment analysis, acquisitions, and the finance/legal and asset management teams. He has more than 20 years of experience in real estate development and is responsible for managing the overall financial performance of TMC’s large (over $500MM) and complex portfolio of income-producing assets.

Prior to co-founding TMC, Chris worked in the audit and consulting industry with PriceWatershouseCoopers and Ernst&Young, before moving to Capital One where he managed finance and accounting functions for joint ventures, acquisitions, venture capital investments, and adjacent industry growth opportunities.

Emily has more than 20 years of experience in both the private and public sectors, with extensive expertise in planning, project management, and community collaboration. During her 11 years with the City, Archer has authored several Council‑adopted plans, overseen major capital improvement projects, and worked across numerous departments and with community stakeholders on critical initiatives and public‑private partnerships. Her broad experience and professional training have made her a strong leader within the Economic Development department.  

Katie is the Director of Operations at Work Program Architects (WPA), where she leads the firm’s financial and operational strategy, directing business systems and growth strategies for the firm. Prior to joining WPA, she built a career bridging the architectural design process, capital markets, and commercial real estate development on both the East and West Coasts. Her background includes managing regional architectural operations across firms of varying scales and directing the post-pandemic redesign and pre-construction for Atlantic Park. She also spent several years in the San Francisco Bay Area as a development manager at Ellis Partners, where she directed the design strategy for the Google Landings corporate campus and managed landmark retail redevelopments in Silicon Valley. At WPA, she applies this background to optimize business operations, manage project delivery risk, and establish the operational infrastructure to support multi-market expansion. She holds an undergraduate degree from the University of Virginia, a Master of Architecture from Columbia University, and an MBA from Duke University.

DOUGLAS J. DONATELLI is a co-founder and Principal of DSC Partners LLC. Prior to forming DSC, Mr. Donatelli was a co-founder of First Potomac Realty Trust (NYSE: FPO) and served as the company’s Chairman and CEO from 1997 until 2015. He led First Potomac’s growth from four properties totaling 800,000 square feet in 1997, through its IPO and listing on the New York Stock Exchange in 2003, to become one of the largest and fastest-growing real estate companies in the Greater Washington region with a portfolio valued in excess of $2.5 billion.

Previously, Mr. Donatelli was Executive Vice President of Donatelli & Klein, Inc., a real estate development and investment firm located in Washington, D.C., and President of D&K Broadcasting, which owned Fox network affiliated television stations.

Mr. Donatelli is active in numerous charitable and community organizations, including serving as Chair Emeritus of Catholic Charities of the Archdiocese of Washington, having served as Board Chair from 2012 to 2015. He also serves on the board of Higher Achievement, focused on enhancing educational opportunities for inner-city middle schoolers, and is former Vice Chair of the Kennedy Center Corporate Fund Board. He was named Trendlines TrendSetter of the Year in 2011, was named Man of the Year by the Boys and Girls Clubs of Greater Washington, and was a regional finalist for E&Y’s Entrepreneur of the Year. Mr. Donatelli received his Bachelor of Science degree in Business Administration from Wake Forest University.

Vince serves in both development and investment and portfolio strategy roles for the Matan Companies. Prior to joining Matan, Vince spent 20 years at the B. F. Saul Company, performing a breadth of real estate disciplines, including transactions, development, asset management, and finance roles. He led transactions for the Saul Organization for over a decade, conducting the purchase and sale of properties of all product types, in multiple markets, throughout the east coast and mid-west of the United States. He has developed multiple institutional scale retail and residential mixed-use buildings, and the master planning of millions of square feet throughout the Greater Washington Metropolitan Area. Vince is a native Washingtonian, alumnus of Loyola University Maryland and the Georgetown Preparatory School. He is an active member of the community with associations to many industry and non-profit organizations. He has been a member of the Urban Land Institute, NAIOP, Seven Corners Land Use Task Force, Bethesda Master Plan Steering Committee, Bethesda Implementation Advisory Committee, EMPOWER Montgomery Governing Committee, Takoma-Langley Crossroads Owners Advisory Group, and the White Flint Implementation Advisory Committee. Vince has served in advisory and fundraising capacity to local non-profits including the Washington Jesuit Academy, the Salvation Army, Catholic Charities, and is currently a Board Member at the Don Bosco Cristo Rey School.

As Vice President and Manager of Clancy & Theys Construction Company’s Virginia

Division, Chad provides support to the entire project team to ensure they have what

they need to succeed. His career spans over two decades within the company, and his

elevation to this leadership role is a testament to his longstanding commitment to the

firm and his demonstrated history of success and expertise.

Born and raised in Hampton Roads, Chad attended Old Dominion University (ODU)

and graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Civil Engineering Technology. While in

college, he enlisted in the U.S. Army and completed Basic Training and Advanced

Individual Training in Fort Sill, OK. Upon graduating from ODU, his unit was activated

for Homeland Security for 14 months.

After spending six years serving our country, Chad was honorably discharged and joined

Clancy & Theys as an assistant project manager. During the more than 20 years he

has been with Clancy & Theys, he has risen through the ranks in project management

and has been involved with some of the firm’s most logistically challenging projects.

His extensive network and commitment to fostering relationships have significantly

contributed to Clancy & Theys’ regional growth and prominence. Some of his most

noteworthy projects include the Summit Pointe Mixed-Use Community in Chesapeake,

VA, the Monticello Station Apartments in Norfolk, VA, the Wells Fargo Center Office

Tower in Norfolk, VA, the Williamsburg Lodge in Williamsburg, VA, and Dollar Tree’s

Corporate Office Tower in Chesapeake, VA.

For over a decade, he has also led the firm’s Dollar Tree Distribution Center projects

across the country, totaling millions of square feet. His pivotal role in steering the

Dollar Tree distribution center projects solidified Clancy & Theys’ foothold in the

region and evolved the account into one of the firm’s largest.

Chad also actively supports the future of our industry through his involvement with

the Associated General Contractors of Virginia (AGCVA). Beyond his career, Chad is

known for his dedication to the community and his family. Chad lives in York County

with his wife, Aislinn, and his two children. He volunteers locally, particularly with the

local food banks, including Thrive and Foodbank Peninsula, and enjoys attending his

children’s basketball, baseball, and softball games.

Dave France is a planning and design leader with more than 33 years of experience delivering complex civil engineering and development projects. Throughout his career, he has guided transformative initiatives from early visioning and site selection through design, permitting, and implementation, helping public and private sector clients make strategic decisions that balance growth, community priorities, and project goals. Known for building strong partnerships and driving consensus among diverse stakeholders, Dave has helped advance projects that have generated more than $10 billion in committed investment and created over 20,000 jobs in the communities he serves. His experience spans master planning, feasibility studies, schematic design, cost estimating, technical specifications, and construction documentation, providing clients with a seamless path from concept to delivery. His portfolio includes industrial and mission-critical projects for organizations such as the U.S. Navy Exchange Service Command (NEXCOM), Ace Hardware, BMW, and Target. With deep knowledge of development trends, infrastructure investment, and economic growth across coastal Virginia, Dave offers valuable insight into the opportunities and challenges shaping the region's future.