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Speakers and Panels

Eric Tao

Eric Tao

Managing Executive Principal

AGI Avant

Arden Hearing

Arden Hearing

Managing Director

Trumark Urban

Alex Waterbury

Alex Waterbury

President NorCal

Lennar Multifamily

Phil Kerr

Phil Kerr

CEO

City Ventures

Amy Price

Amy Price

President

BentallGreenOak

Cameron Falconer

Cameron Falconer

Senior Managing Director

Hines

Jackie Safier

Jackie Safier

President

Prometheus

Susan Smartt

Susan Smartt

EVP

Related California

Sonja Trauss

Sonja Trauss

Founder

SF Bay Area Renters Federation

John Eudy

John Eudy

CIO & EVP

Essex Property Trust

Patrick Kennedy

Patrick Kennedy

Owner

Panoramic Interests

Jack Sylvan

Jack Sylvan

Principal

SDG

Jacob Jamal

Jacob Jamal

Head Developer

BG Cunnington

Eric Tao

Managing Executive Principal

AGI Avant

Eric Tao is tthe Managing Executive Principal of AGI. He has 20-years of experience in the real estate industry and has led the acquisition, entitlement, financing, development and disposition of over 1,500 multifamily residential units in the San Francisco Bay Area with a focus on transit oriented urban infill projects. AGI, LLC was formed in 2006 to manage multifamily development investments for CalPERS. At AGI, Tao has guided the development of nearly 700 new units and secured the pipeline of an additional 450+ new apartment units in the emerging San Francisco SoMa, Dogpatch and Mid-Market districts.

Boards and Activities

Boards: Urban Land Institute San Francisco, SPUR, Housing Action Coalition, Hawaii Chamber of Commerce of Northern California, Art Care SF

Appointments: San Francisco Mayor's Housing Trust Fund Working Group, San Francisco Inclusionary Housing Technical Advisory Committee

Associations: LAI San Francisco

Education

Eric is a graduate of Pomona College in Claremont, CA and received his Juris Doctorate from UC Hastings College of Law.

Arden Hearing

Managing Director

Trumark Urban

Arden leads Trumark Urban projects from property acquisition through buildout and sales. From working with architects and consultants on building design and meeting with neighbors regarding their needs for a project, to hard hat tours of job sites and reviewing financial analyses of projects—Arden has his finger on the pulse of every aspect of Trumark Urban. Since joining Trumark in 2006, Arden has been instrumental in over $1.5 billion of residential and mixed-use development. In 2012, Arden led the effort to launch Trumark Urban where he now manages a pipeline of over 1 million square feet, and an over $1 billion investment in office, mixed-use, and residential development projects. Prior to his role at Trumark Urban, he served as Senior Vice President for Northern California at Trumark Companies.

Phil Kerr

CEO

City Ventures

Mr. Kerr has a successful track record of leading the development process for residential and mixed use developments in Bay Area communities. Mr. Kerr actively works with land owners, communities, agencies and cities to develop high quality multi-family infill communities. He was in charge of acquisition, design, entitlement, and construction for the bay area townhome and mid-rise division of Intracorp. Prior to Intracorp, Mr. Kerr was with The Olson Company where he managed the development team for the East and South Bay markets and was responsible for all entitlement and development projects in those markets.

Mr. Kerr got involved with urban development as a means to preserve open space with smarter more dense infill growth. At City Ventures, Mr. Kerr is responsible for land acquisition, asset management, project design and entitlement for new infill communities throughout Northern California.

Mr. Kerr has an MBA from Harvard University and a bachelor's degree from Dartmouth College.

Amy Price

President

BentallGreenOak

Amy Price is president of BentallGreenOak (BGO). In her role, Amy also co-heads the firm’s U.S. Investment Management business and oversees its Canadian Investment Management and Real Estate Services businesses. Amy is a member of the Management Committee, chairs the U.S. Investment Committee for the firm's core, core plus and separate account clients, and co-chairs the U.S. Management Committee. Amy also leads BGO’s equity, diversity and inclusion (EDI) initiatives globally and chairs the firm’s EDI Leadership Council.

Prior to joining the firm in 2012, Amy was a managing director and head of real estate investing for the western U.S. at Morgan Stanley, where she was an Investment Committee member, and built the real estate investment management business in San Francisco. Amy also spent time in Morgan Stanley’s New York and Hong Kong offices.

Amy is a member of the Global Board of Directors of Urban Land Institute (ULI), a member of the Board of Directors and Chair Emeritus of NAREIM, and a member of the Board of Directors of AFIRE. She is also involved in philanthropic endeavors, as a member of the Board of Directors of the YMCA of San Francisco, the National Charity League with her daughter, and Service Corp with her son.

Amy holds an MBA with distinction from the University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton School and graduated magna cum laude from Colgate University.

Cameron Falconer

Senior Managing Director

Hines

Mr. Falconer is a senior managing director and shares responsibility for Hines’ development, acquisition and investment management activities in the San Francisco Bay Area Markets, as well as Sacramento. He serves as a member of the Hines Capital Markets Committee. Since joining Hines in 1997, Falconer has contributed to the development, acquisition, financing, marketing and disposition of more than 10 million square feet of commercial real estate. Falconer earned his Bachelor of Applied Science in Mechanical Engineering from the University of British Columbia and his MBA from Stanford University.

Sonja Trauss

Founder

SF Bay Area Renters Federation

Sonja Trauss organizes pro-density renters in the San Francisco Bay Area. Housing shortage harms renters and benefits owners, yet, until SFBARF, there was no renters' organization agitating for upzoning or entitlement process reform.

John Eudy

CIO & EVP

Essex Property Trust

Mr. Eudy is a founder and Senior Executive officer of Essex Property Trust, Inc., the proven West Coast leader in multifamily investment. Mr. Eudy oversees all development activities, from the point of acquisition through construction and stabilization. He joined Essex's predecessor, Essex Property Corporation, in 1985 and initiated the development activities of the company. During his tenure the company has developed over 15,000 multi-family units and is recognized as an industry leader. The financial performance of its development portfolio, through good cycles and bad, demonstrates a proven, disciplined approach to multifamily development. The company has also received national recognition and awards for Architectural Excellence, more than any multifamily developer in the country. Prior to joining Essex, Mr. Eudy was a Vice President in the Commercial Real Estate Investment Group of Crocker National Bank from 1980 to 1985, and Home Federal Savings from 1977 to 1980. He received a Bachelor of Science degree in Finance from San Diego State University in 1977, and is a graduate of the University of Southern California's Management Leadership School. Mr. Eudy is a member of the Urban Land Institute, National Association of Real Estate Investment Trusts and is a Board Member of the California Apartment Association.

Patrick Kennedy

Owner

Panoramic Interests

Patrick Kennedy is the owner of Panoramic Interests, a development firm that has been building housing, live-work space, and commercial property in the Bay Area since 1990. The firm has focused on dense, mixed-use, mixed-income, infill developments, typically financed with private funds. All of the multi-family housing projects include below market rate units. The firm’s projects incorporate the Smart Growth principles designed to discourage auto use, mitigate sprawl, encourage local business, and enhance the pedestrian streetscape. Mr. Kennedy grew up in the East Bay, and attended Claremont McKenna College, majoring in Economics and English. He is a former member of the Carpenters Union and Steelworkers Union, and the California Bar. After college, he worked as a contractor, and then attended Harvard Law School and MIT, graduating with a J.D. and a Masters in Real Estate Development. Early development work included building his own house, and renovating several small commercial properties. His hobbies include open water swimming and ultra-light backpacking, both of which have furnished surprising insights into his work in development.

Jack Sylvan

Principal

SDG

Jack Sylvan is founder and principal of SDG, LLC, a San Francisco-based investment, development and advisory company delivering exceptional value to investors, partners and clients on complex and innovative mixed-use development opportunities. Jack has 25+ years of real estate investment and development experience on transformational, multi-phase, extremely complex mixed-use real estate projects in the San Francisco Bay Area leading acquisition, entitlement, negotiation of complex transactional and public-private partnership agreements and development activities. The projects represent more than 16 million square feet of mixed-use, commercial office, life science/biotech, multifamily, retail, historic rehabilitation, arts and community space, and hundreds of acres of parks, streets and infrastructure.

Prior to forming SDG, Jack served as Senior Vice President of Development for Forest City Realty Trust and Brookfield Properties where he built and led the local development team responsible for all aspects of entitlement and development of three of San Francisco’s largest redevelopment projects -- Pier 70, 5M and Stonestown Galleria -- representing 8 million square feet of residential and commercial space. Prior to this, Jack spent 8 years in the San Francisco Mayor’s Office overseeing large public-private real estate development projects including leading the planning and negotiation process for the approximately 8 million-square-foot Treasure Island redevelopment project, where he successfully negotiated agreements with the private development partner, an affordable housing consortium, and the historic agreement with the U.S. Navy for the transfer of the property. Early in his career, he spent time with CB Richard Ellis/Sedway Group providing real estate consulting and financial analysis to private and public clients.

Development on The Horizon

How to Stay Competitive In a Red Hot Market

John Hyjer
National Multifamily Developer

John Hyjer

First Vice President

Equity Residential

Steve Wilson
Leading NorCal Communities

Steve Wilson

EVP

AvalonBay Communities

Marc Babsin
Over 5,500 Units Developed

Marc Babsin

President

Emerald Fund

Lou Vasquez
Multifamily/Resi - Urban Placemaking

Lou Vasquez

Co-Founder & Partner

BUILD

Paul Zeger
Marketing Bay Area's Premier RE

Paul Zeger

Partner

Polaris Pacific

Terry Meurk
Vibrant Multifamily Architecture

Terry Meurk

Regional Managing Principal

Woods Bagot

Nik Lahiri
Moderator

Nik Lahiri

President

Essel Environmental Engineering & Consulting

Steve Wilson

Leading NorCal Communities

AvalonBay Communities

Steve is Executive Vice President of Development responsible for all development activities for the West Coast, including Northern California, Southern California and the Pacific Northwest, as well as the Mid-Atlantic region. He joined the company in March 1998. He is also a member of the Company's Management Investment Committee.

Prior to AvalonBay, Steve was a Senior Vice President and Chief Operating Officer for SU Development, Inc. of Bellevue, Washington, where he developed multifamily and condominium developments. Prior to that, he spent nine years at Continental Pacific, Inc. in development, debt and equity financing, property management, and institutional sales.

During his career, Steve has been directly involved in the planning, development and construction of over 15,000 multifamily units, many in transit oriented locations. This includes over 1,500 units at BART (Bay Area Rapid Transit) stations in the Bay Area.

Steve received his BA in Business Administration (accounting) from Washington State University. He is a member of The American Institute of Certified Public Accountants, Chair of the Transit Oriented Development council at the Urban Land Institute, member of the Board of Directors for the Housing Industry Foundation and member of the Policy Advisory Board at the UC Berkeley Fisher Center for Real Estate & Urban Economics.

Marc Babsin

Over 5,500 Units Developed

Emerald Fund

In addition to 15 years of experience in real estate development, Mr. Babsin is an attorney and CPA. Mr. Babsin holds a BS in Accountancy from the University of Illinois, a JD from Harvard Law School, and a Master in City Planning from the University of California at Berkeley.

Lou Vasquez

Multifamily/Resi - Urban Placemaking

BUILD

Lou Vasquez is a Founding Partner and Managing Director of BUILD, where he oversees the firm’s business strategy and executive management.

Over the course of his 30-year career in real estate development, Lou has participated in the acquisition, entitlement, development, construction and management of more than $1 billion of residential and commercial product. Prior to forming BUILD in 2004, Lou worked in senior management at a number of prominent residential and commercial real estate development companies in the Bay Area, including Trammell Crow, Greenbriar Homes, Bay Communities, Oxford Development, and Archstone Communities.

Through his volunteer work as a board member of Habitat for Humanity and as a founding board member of the Mission Preparatory School, Mr. Vasquez is committed to ensuring that San Francisco remains a diverse city providing opportunities for its most vulnerable citizens.

Paul Zeger

Marketing Bay Area's Premier RE

Polaris Pacific

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.

Terry Meurk

Vibrant Multifamily Architecture

Woods Bagot

Terence is a seasoned project designer and manager, whose experience encompasses commercial offices, mixed-use developments and health and science facilities. He views design management as integral to the realization of superior architecture.

Whether managing complex, fast-track research facilities or guiding the firm’s growth in the North America region, he fosters clear, timely communication to ensure client and internal goals are met.

Terence has worked on numerous corporate office and mixed-use projects in Asia as well as research and health care facilities across the United States.

Construction & Design

Building Better Communities

Tom Perko
Building Better Communities

Tom Perko

COO

Fisher

Bryan Green
Fitness & Design

Bryan Green

Founder & CEO

Fitness Design Group

Daniel Solomon
Multifamily Design

Daniel Solomon

Partner

Mithun/Solomon

Joe Olla

Joe Olla

VP

Nibbi Brothers

Eric Smith

Eric Smith

Regional Manager

Olympic Associates Company

Jeff Brink
Moderator

Jeff Brink

Principal and CEO

DCI Engineers

Tom Perko

Building Better Communities

Fisher

As COO, Tom Perko is a key member of Fisher’s leadership team, responsible for the planning and execution of corporate strategy, overseeing operations, and assuring successful project delivery to our clients. He joined Fisher in 2015 as a Senior Project Manager running the Booker T. Washington Community Service Center and Affordable Housing Development, a multi-family, mixed-use structure located in San Francisco’s Western Addition neighborhood. Mr. Perko is an accomplished builder who possesses an impressive depth and breadth of experience, ranging from ground up structures and TI’s to major public works projects. Prior to joining Fisher, Mr. Perko has worked for Nibbi Brothers, Baugh Industrial Contractors (now Skanska), Manito Construction, Wal-Mart Stores and Vandervert Construction. He’s also spent time doing international relief work in Africa, the Former Soviet Union and Eastern Europe. Mr. Perko holds a BS in building construction from the Univ. of Washington and an MBA from the Univ. of Michigan.

Bryan Green

Fitness & Design

Fitness Design Group

Bryan Green is a wellness industry entrepreneur and fitness facility design expert. Bryan has overseen the development of facilities for Fortune 100 companies, global hospitality flags, health clubs, specialty studios, universities, and residential amenities for countless multi-family developments. He founded Advantage Fitness Products in 1997 to meet the growing demand for consultative support of non-traditional wellness facilities beyond the larger health club chains. The company’s FitnessDesignGroup™ division serves as a specialized consultancy for early stage planning and design.

Green spearheads AFP’s commitment to improving communities through health and fitness. Green and AFP are designated partners of the California Governor’s Council on Physical Fitness & Sports. He is a frequent industry and public speaker on the subject of functional fitness facility design and operational strategies. Additionally, Green serves as an editorial advisor for numerous publications including Hotel Executive, Fitness Management, Resort & Recreation, and Shape Magazines. Green is a Director of The California State University, Northridge Foundation Board as well as a distinguished Board Member of Junior Achievement of Southern California. He is also an active member of Young Presidents Organization (YPO).

Daniel Solomon

Multifamily Design

Mithun/Solomon

Dan is an architect and urban designer whose 42-year career combines achievements in professional practice with academic pursuits of teaching and writing. As a Design Partner, he brings extensive experience and expertise to the design of integral affordable housing and urban infill projects. His commitment to urban repair and the construction and reconstruction of urban neighborhoods also extends beyond his project work. He is a co-founder of the Congress for the New Urbanism, an organization that has helped shape the contemporary practice of community design.

Dan lectures regularly at universities and conferences. His projects have been published in architectural journals worldwide and have been recognized with more than one hundred awards. He is author of many articles, three books (ReBuilding, Global City Blues, and Cosmopolis), and an e-book, Bedside Essays for Lovers (of Cities).

Dan was twice named to Architectural Digest's 100 Foremost Architects worldwide. He has been recognized with honors including the Seaside Prize for contributions to American Urbanism, the Maybeck Award from AIA California Council for lifetime achievement in design, and the Silver SPUR award for outstanding civic contributions. In 2008 he was named Housing Hero by the San Francisco Housing Action Coalition.

For more information about Dan Solomon and his life’s work, explore his virtual monograph (http://danielsolomon.us/).

Eric Smith

Regional Manager

Olympic Associates Company

Eric Smith leads the Bay Area operations of Olympic Associates, a full service construction management firm representing the corporate real estate and developer community. He has held leadership positions in the construction industry as owner, builder and consultant. With a focus on strategic development, business relationships and corporate operations, Eric’s emphasis is on supporting clients and staff in the development of strong and successful project teams.

Jeff Brink

Moderator

DCI Engineers

Jeff Brink has over 20 years of structural design experience with significant developments up and down the west coast, ranging from Performance Based Design high-rises to mixed-use projects at Candlestick Point, the SF Shipyard, and Yerba Buena Island. Current projects include the City of San Francisco’s new office tower at 1500 Mission Street and the Virgin Hotel adjacent to the Moscone Center. Jeff’s technical expertise at integrating innovative structural systems, combined with his broad understanding of the construction industry, allows architecturally decisive projects to be achieved while still maintaining the project budget.

Opening Remarks

John Paul
OPENING REMARKS

John Paul

RVP

Axiometrics

Investment

Regional Opportunities & Challenges

Tony Cardoza
Strategic Investment and Development

Tony Cardoza

Managing Director, Acquisitions

Cityview

Yat-Pang Au
$2Billion SF RE Assets

Yat-Pang Au

CEO

Veritas Investments

Kenneth Lombard
$3B RE Assets Managed

Kenneth Lombard

President & CEO

BRIDGE Housing

Alexander Pugh
Moderator

Alexander Pugh

Partner

Lubin Olson

Tony Cardoza

Strategic Investment and Development

Cityview

Tony Cardoza is responsible for Cityview’s acquisition activities throughout the West Coast. He has 21 years of experience in real estate investment and management. Previously, Tony ran the investment group for Real Estate Capital Partners in the Western U.S., which developed and acquired over 5,000 multifamily units. Prior to that, he worked for Prometheus Real Estate Group in a land and multifamily acquisitions role on the West Coast. Tony holds a B.A. in Economics from Middlebury College and an MBA from the Haas School of Business at UC Berkeley

Kenneth Lombard

$3B RE Assets Managed

BRIDGE Housing

Kenneth T. Lombard, President & CEO, is responsible for the overall direction of BRIDGE Housing, a leading nonprofit developer, owner and manager of affordable housing. He joined BRIDGE in November 2021.

Over a career that spans three decades, Mr. Lombard has garnered extensive experience in business development, management, investment banking, economic development, corporate expansion and real estate investment. Mr. Lombard joins BRIDGE from Seritage Growth Properties (NYSE: SRG), where he served most recently as Special Advisor; he was an original Board member when Seritage went public in 2015 and subsequently served as Seritage’s EVP and COO. Seritage is a self-administered and self-managed REIT with properties totaling approximately 39 million square feet of space across 49 states and Puerto Rico.

Earlier, Mr. Lombard was President of MacFarlane Partners, an investment management firm that acquires, develops and manages real estate assets on behalf of pensions and institutional investors. Prior to joining MacFarlane Partners, Mr. Lombard served as Vice Chairman, Partner and head of investments for Capri Capital Partners, and President of the Capri Urban Fund, which invested in more than $1 billion in commercial, residential and mixed-use development, redevelopment and repositioning projects in densely populated urban markets of the U.S.

From 2004 to 2008, Mr. Lombard was President of Starbucks Entertainment, where he managed the collaboration with Concord Music to form a new Starbucks music label. In 1992, Mr. Lombard co-founded Johnson Development Corporation and spent 12 years as the President and Partner of the firm, creating a legacy of economic improvement in underserved communities of color in 65 cities and 17 states. He holds a Bachelor of Arts in Communication from the University of Washington.

Alexander Pugh

Moderator

Lubin Olson

Alexander J. Pugh is a Partner in Lubin Olson's Real Estate, Business, Finance and

Workouts, and Construction Law Practice Groups.

Mr. Pugh represents clients in a wide range of real estate and business transactions,

including debt and equity financing, real estate acquisitions and sales, real estate

construction and development, commercial and industrial leasing and ground leases,

workouts, mortgage loan repurchase transactions, and UCC and mortgage

foreclosures. He represents private equity funds, hedge funds, corporate and individual

developers and owners of office, multi-family, retail, hotel, industrial, recreational and

high end residential real estate, mortgage and mezzanine lenders, and other public and

privately-held companies investing in or using real estate.  Mr. Pugh also has particular

expertise in matters relating to California broker licensing.

Before joining Lubin Olson, Mr. Pugh practiced in the real estate and finance group at

Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher LLP in San Francisco.  Mr. Pugh lives with his wife, son and

daughter in San Francisco.

Mr. Pugh was honored by Thompson Reuters as a Northern California Super Lawyer

“Rising Star” in 2016 and 2017.

A Look Into The Economy

Andrew Nelson
U.S. Economic Forecast

Andrew Nelson

Chief U.S. Economist

Colliers International

Andrew Nelson

U.S. Economic Forecast

Colliers International

As Chief U.S. Economist, Andrew develops the firm’s economic and market perspectives and provides strategic advice to the firm’s clients. In collaboration with the U.S. leadership team, he is responsible for driving Colliers’s research agenda and leading the U.S. research team in providing insight, thought leadership and guidance about commercial real estate, capital markets and financial investment and related sectors. Prior to Colliers, Andrew spent eight years at Deutsche Asset & Wealth Management, most recently as Director, Research & Strategy in the Americas, where he managed the U.S. Research team and was the retail sector and sustainability specialist. Previously he held a variety of leadership positions in both the public and private sectors including Vice President of HOK Advance Strategies, where he served as national practice leader of the Portfolio Services service line. He also managed a construction-lending program for the World Bank in Russia, held a two-year “Community Builder” fellowship with the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, and managed the regional real estate consulting practice at Deloitte & Touche in San Francisco. Andrew holds a Master of City and Regional Planning from Harvard University and is the author of numerous articles on real estate sustainability, macroeconomics, retail sector dynamics and other topics in property economics, market research and demographics. Among other industry involvement, Andrew sits on the editorial board of the Journal for Sustainable Real Estate and was outgoing Chair of the North American Research Task Force for the International Council of Shopping Centers. He is also a certified general real estate appraiser in California and a member of the Urban Land Institute. He was a 2015 Gold Medallion Award for research from ICSC. Andrew has been the invited speaker at numerous professional conferences including for the Mortgage Bankers Association (MBA), U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC), the Urban Land Institute (ULI), International Council of Shopping Centers (ICSC), the National Association of Real Estate Investment Trusts (NAREIT), the National Council of Real Estate Investment Fiduciaries (NCREIF), and the Pension Real Estate Association (PREA).

Summary

Join Us for Our 2016 San Francisco Multifamily Forum! San Francisco County Remains the Most Expensive Multifamily Market in The Region and Vacancy Rates Are Slightly Up. Is This Due to An Increase In Construction Or Is The Bay Area Apartment Market Letting Off the Accelerator? 

The Cost to Invest In The Multifamily Market Has Become More Expensive Over Recent Years, Is the Market Showing Signs of Leveling Off? We Will Dive Into Investment Activity, Current Developments, Trends, Challenges and How to Stay Competitive In a Red Hot Market.

As Always, Come Early and Stay Late For Plenty of Coffee and Ample Networking Time - We'll See You There!

Venue

The Fairmont Hotel San Francisco
950 Mason St
San Francisco, CA 94108

Ballroom: Venetian Room


Fairmont San Francisco Hotel Garage is located on the corner of Powell and California Streets, Visitor parking is $5 for every 20 minutes.

Agenda

Time Activity
2:30 PM
3:30 PM
Pre-Event Breakfast Networking
3:30 PM
5:00 PM
All-Star Panelists
5:00 PM
5:30 PM
Post-Event Schmoozing