The Evolution of Montgomery County

Thu Aug 06, 2026

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The Evolution of Montgomery County

Harnessing Economic Growth, Mixed-Use and Transit Oriented Development Trends

Thursday August 6 2026 @ 8:00 AM EDT

$117.00

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Presented By

Speakers and Panels

Jared Smith

Jared Smith serves as the President and CEO of the Montgomery County Economic Development Corporation (MCEDC) where he leads economic development initiatives to attract, retain, and expand businesses within key industries in Montgomery County, Maryland. Jared is joining MCEDC in December 2025 after spending over a decade in Nevada’s economic development ecosystem. As the Director of Economic Development for the City of Henderson, he supported a community within the Las Vegas Metropolitan Statistica Area (MSA) of more than two million residents. During his tenure, Smith played a key role in diversifying a tourism-driven regional economy and supported the creation of more than 20,000 jobs. Prior, as Chief Operating Officer of the Las Vegas Global Economic Alliance, he helped deliver $17.2 billion in regional economic impact – the highest in the organization’s history. His economic development and business experience spans business attraction, retention, and expansion, as well as workforce development and long-term strategic planning. He has collaborated with companies across a wide range of industries, from established to high-growth sectors. Before moving to Nevada, Smith was the Director of Business Development at the Baton Rouge Area Chamber and Manager, Business Retention and Expansion at the Louisiana Economic Development, where he designed and deployed a comprehensive economic development strategy and outreach program to expand corporate businesses statewide. Throughout his career, Jared has interfaced with elected officials on local and state levels and led various international missions. A Certified Economic Developer (CEcD), he is an active member of the International Economic Development Council and has been recognized twice—2024 and 2022—as one of North America’s Top 50 Economic Developers by Consultant Connect. Jared holds an MBA from Southeastern Louisiana University, a bachelor’s degree from Louisiana State University, and is a graduate of the University of Oklahoma’s Economic Development Institute.

Montgomery County Economic Development Corporation

President and CEO

Jared Smith

President and CEO, Montgomery County Economic Development Corporation

Andy Chod

Co-President, Minkoff Development Corp.

Robin Bettarel

Head of Multifamily, Land Acquisition and Development, EYA

Sandy Paik

As General Counsel of The Tower Companies, Sandy Paik leads the company’s legal strategy, overseeing corporate governance, risk management, ethics, compliance, and strategic planning. With more than 20 years of legal and leadership experience, she brings deep expertise in community development, infrastructure, and real estate, with a strong track record in public-private partnerships, capital markets securitizations, and structured finance transactions. Sandy’s career spans housing and commercial real estate, economic development, financial services, and green finance. In addition to her role at Tower, she has contributed her expertise to numerous boards and committees. She was appointed in 2025 to the Gaithersburg Economic and Business Development Committee and previously served on the District of Columbia Bar Association’s Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Accessibility Task Force from 2022 to 2025. She currently serves on the boards of Arcadia Center for Sustainable Food & Agriculture, Community Opportunity Fund, Association of Corporate Counsel National Capital Region, and the Carbon League. Her past roles include Adjunct Professor at American University’s School of Public Affairs, Treasurer and Finance Chair as well as Facilities Chair for the Montessori School of Northern Virginia, and Co-Chair of the ACC NCR Leadership Academy. Sandy is admitted to the bars of Maryland and the District of Columbia. She is also an active member of the Urban Land Institute (ULI) Washington Chapter, the Apartment and Office Building Association of Metropolitan Washington (AOBA), the Association of Corporate Counsel, and the Asian Pacific American Bar Association of Greater Washington DC. She earned her J.D. from Georgetown University Law Center, an A.M. in Policy Analysis and Evaluation from Stanford University School of Education, and a B.A. in History from Tufts University.

The Tower Companies

General Counsel

Sandy Paik

General Counsel, The Tower Companies

Deborah Hemingway

Managing Partner, Ecphora Capital

Why You Can't Miss This Year's Montgomery County Event

What You’ll Learn:

The economic, demographic and policy trends shaping commercial real estate in Montgomery County
How the county’s highly educated workforce, life sciences ecosystem and proximity to Washington, D.C. continue to attract employers and residents
Why multifamily housing, retail, office, and mixed-use developments are gaining momentum
How transit-oriented development and innovation districts are reshaping the county’s commercial landscape
Where the next investment and development opportunities are emerging across Montgomery County
How transportation infrastructure, Metro access and long-term planning initiatives influence development decisions
The challenges developers face including entitlement timelines, land constraints, construction costs and financing conditions

Why This Matters:

Montgomery County sits at the center of one of the nation’s most powerful innovation corridors, positioned alongside Washington, D.C. and home to a globally recognized life sciences and biotechnology ecosystem, demand continues to grow for housing, retail amenities and walkable communities. The county is entering a new phase of strategic development and redevelopment. Major projects and districts are already helping shape this next chapter, including the continued evolution of Downtown Bethesda and a growing life sciences cluster in North Bethesda. At the same time, mixed-use districts such as Pike & Rose, redevelopment initiatives in White Flint and Viva White Oak, and expanding employment hubs in Rockville and Gaithersburg continue to attract employers, residents and investment.

Join Bisnow as we convene developers, investors and public leaders to explore where Montgomery County’s market is headed, the projects shaping its future and the opportunities emerging across one of the Washington region’s most influential real estate markets. Explore how these projects, planning priorities and market fundamentals intersect will be critical for developers, investors and occupiers looking to capitalize on Montgomery County’s continued evolution.

Agenda

Time	Activity
8:00 AM 9:00 AM	Registration, Breakfast, and Networking
9:00 AM 9:45 AM	Montgomery County’s Next Chapter: Economic Growth and Development Outlook for the County. Montgomery County continues to be one of the region’s most influential commercial real estate markets, supported by a highly educated workforce, global life sciences and hospitality leadership and its proximity to Washington, D.C. From life sciences clusters to transit-oriented mixed-use districts, Montgomery County is balancing economic growth with long-term planning priorities around housing, mobility and sustainable development. Hear from local leaders and developers about the economic forces shaping Montgomery County’s real estate landscape, the role of innovation districts and transit-accessible development in future growth and how the county is positioning itself to attract employers, residents and investment.
9:45 AM 10:00 AM	Networking Break
10:00 AM 10:45 AM	Building Montgomery County: Development Trends Across Multifamily, Life Sciences, Retail and Mixed-Use Across Montgomery County, real estate development is evolving to meet demand for transit-oriented communities, office space and walkable mixed-use environments. Developers are delivering multifamily housing, neighborhood retail and modern workplaces designed to attract talent and support the county’s growing economy. With limited land availability and increasing emphasis on density around transit hubs, developers are navigating entitlement processes, rising construction costs and evolving tenant needs. Explore which asset classes are driving development momentum, how projects are adapting to Montgomery County’s planning framework and where new opportunities for investment and redevelopment are emerging across the county.
10:45 AM 11:15 AM	Closing Networking