Keynote

• 

  Jerome Russell

  H. Jerome Russell, Jr. is president of Russell New Urban Development, the entity that leads the family’s real estate strategic direction and new business development focus. He oversees the company’s real estate portfolio and chairs the Herman J. Russell Innovation Center for Entrepreneurs (RICE). In addition to real estate development, Jerome has experience in property management, beverage distribution, logistics and banking. Jerome serves on the boards of H. J. Russell & Company, Concessions International, LLC, RICE, the Georgia Historical Society, Central Atlanta Progress, the Urban Land Institute, and is a member of the Rotary Club of Atlanta, The Metro Atlanta Chamber of Commerce, Tiger 21, and The Carter Center, among others.

  H.J. Russell & Company

  President

  Keynote

  Jerome Russell

  President

  H.J. Russell & Company

• Opening Remarks

  TJ Ulam

  Regional Sales Director - Southeastern US

  SageGlass

• 

  Sabine Apollon-Lopez

  Sabine Apollon-Lopez is a Project Management Director in Cushman & Wakefield's Atlanta office with more than 25 years of diversified experience in corporate architecture, design, and project management. She delivers a multitude of design and construction services, including new construction, tenant improvement, mission critical facilities, strategic portfolio planning, program management, and move management. Ms. Apollon-Lopez has successfully executed small to multi-million dollar projects with her progressive experience managing multiple projects entailing a wide range of types, scopes and budgets. Prior to joining Cushman & Wakefield, Ms. Apollon-Lopez was a Senior Vice President at Colliers International. Additionally, she has experience on both the client and service provider side with past roles at major companies including Studley, Time Warner, and Blue Cross and Blue Shield, enabling her to have a unique understanding and respond exceptionally to her client's needs to deliver outstanding results.

  Cushman & Wakefield

  Senior Director, Project & Development Services

  Keynote

  Sabine Apollon-Lopez

  Senior Director, Project & Development Services

  Cushman & Wakefield

• 

  Kenisha Robnett

  Kenisha has been in the Commercial Real Estate Industry since 2006 with undergraduate degrees in Chemistry and Spanish, and a Master’s Degree in Real Estate Development. She spent 5-years as a Tenant Rep with UGL-Equis, (a company who has since merged with Cushman & Wakefield), and it was there, that she became known as a tenacious negotiator for end-users of space. Kenisha later transitioned to Corporate Real Estate at Walmart headquarters, where she was responsible for an $8 Billion portfolio and conducted lease negotiations, excess land sells, and helped to develop new stores. In 2017, Kenisha returned to full-time brokerage and joined RE/MAX Commercial in Atlanta, Georgia She is a CCIM, and in 2019 became one of the first black female CCIM Course Instructors in the institute’s history. She serves on the Georgia CCIM Chapter Board, and is passionate about paving the way for others. She was influential in establishing the CCIM/ REAP Mentorship program to promote diversity within commercial real estate, and assist these new professionals within their first few years in the business. She has also been a mentor with the Atlanta Commercial Board of Realtors for over 2 years. Kenisha is an educator, and very active within her community. Annually she is a guest lecturer in the Georgia State University’s real estate program and at an Atlanta public high school; therefore, due to her industry proficiency, and community service, she was nominated for WLI’s 2021 Leaders Award. She was also named “Broker of the Year” and a 2020 CRE Woman of Influence by GlobeStreet; and in 2019 she was a recipient of the Connect Media’s "Women in CRE Award;" recognized as a Regional and National Leader in the Industry.

  ReMax Commercial

  EVP

  Moderator

  Kenisha Robnett

  EVP

  ReMax Commercial

Development, Major Projects & Trends

• 

  Steve Baile

  As Chief Operating & Development Officer for Selig Development Company, Baile oversees Selig’s commercial, residential, and mixed-use development platform. Co-founding Selig Development alongside Scott Selig in 2014, Baile is recognized as one of Atlanta’s leading developers whose dossier accounts for over 5,500,000 square feet of commercial, hospitality, residential and mixed-use developments and acquisitions. Current projects include three new towers started in 2018, The Epicurean Atlanta Hotel, 40 West 12th Street (Condominiums) and 1105 West Peachtree (Office) plus street-level retail. The Works, a mixed-use 80+/- acre development on Atlanta's Upper Westside represent 1.5 million square feet of office, residential, retail and entertainment, 550 North Highland (residential) and two additional towers in Midtown round out Selig Development's current initiatives. Baile's ventures represent in excess of $2.5 Billion in the Atlanta Region since 2004. A graduate of Auburn University, professional and civic associations include: National Association of Industrial and Office Properties (NAIOP), Urban Land Institute (ULI), Atlanta Apartment Association and Board of Directors for the Midtown Alliance.

  Selig Enterprises

  CDO & COO

  Steve Baile

  CDO & COO

  Selig Enterprises

• 

  Todd Hill

  Todd is a Design Principal Landscape Architect and Land Planner who provides a combination of high design, personal touch and sustainable principles in his global portfolio of landscape architecture, public park and urban regeneration projects. Todd has worked across the United States and extensively internationally. His background includes comprehensive project work for both public agencies and private sector clients, providing services to establish the vision, principles, and design concepts through documentation. Todd has successfully completed and overseen the construction of many large award-winning design projects including communities, institutions, resorts, and urban parks. He has led multidisciplinary teams through the planning and design and documentation process, and construction observation, including 3 years of full-time on-site experience.

  DTJ Design

  Principal

  Todd Hill

  Principal

  DTJ Design

• 

  Debbie Frank

  Debbie Frank is the Director of Transit Oriented Development at the Metropolitan Atlanta Rapid Transit Authority (MARTA) in Atlanta, GA, managing the planning and implementation of the transit-oriented development program for the Authority. She is a real estate development and urban planning expert with over 25 years of success spearheading planning, development, and redevelopment initiatives for private for-profit and nonprofit organizations as well as the public sector in Alabama, Ohio, Tennessee, and Georgia. Prior to joining MARTA, Debbie served as managing partner of Urban Blueprint, a real estate development and consulting firm in Nashville, Tennessee with a primary focus on mixed-use development in emerging markets. Debbie also served as the executive director of the North Nashville Community Development Corporation, a nonprofit organization where she promoted the revitalization of the North Nashville community in partnership with Fisk University, Meharry Medical College, Tennessee State University, and the Nashville Area Chamber of Commerce. She credits the years as a nonprofit executive and city planner in Nashville as the ideal foundation for her career in real estate development. As a city planner, she developed land use policies and neighborhood redevelopment plans or Nashville-Davidson County. Debbie holds a Master of Community Planning degree from the University of Cincinnati and a Bachelor of Science degree in urban planning from Alabama A&M University. She is a member of the ULI Atlanta. While in Nashville, Debbie served in various leadership capacities with the Regional Transportation Authority, the Metro Traffic and Parking Commission, the Housing Fund, the Land Trust for Tennessee, the Nashville Civic Design Center, the Rotary of Club of Nashville, among other civic and nonprofit organizations.

  MARTA

  Director of Transit Oriented Development

  Debbie Frank

  Director of Transit Oriented Development

  MARTA

• 

  Chris Faussemagne

  A native Atlantan and graduate of the Westminster Schools, Chris graduated in 1994 from Hampden-Sydney College in Virginia. He began his real estate career in 1998 with The Winter Group of Companies and then joined Weaver & Woodbery Company in 2000. In 2005, he formed White Provision Development Co. to acquire and develop the historic buildings at 14th Street and Howell Mill Road in West Midtown Atlanta into a 335,000 square foot mixed-use development that soon became a catalyst for new development in the area. Working with neighboring properties, Westside Provisions District was created to provide one of the Southeast’s top restaurant and retail destinations. Chris joined Third & Urban in 2018 from Westbridge Realty Partners, which was formed in 2010 by the development partners of the White Provision Development Co. to continue focusing on adaptive re-use and urban infill projects as well as consulting on larger regional projects for institutional clients. In the fall of 2017, the company delivered a new historic adaptive re-use project in West Midtown called Stockyards, which has provided much needed office and entertainment space for the area. Chris has won Development of Excellence awards from The Urban Land Institute (ULI), Atlanta Regional Commission, Atlanta Urban Design Commission and the Georgia Trust for Historic Preservation for projects he developed. He is on the board of Upper Westside Improvement District, ULI Atlanta, and serves on various land use committees. Chris lives in the Buckhead neighborhood with his wife Katie and their two boys.

  Third & Urban

  Partner

  Chris Faussemagne

  Partner

  Third & Urban

• 

  Chris Conrad

  Chris Conrad is a partner in the tax practice at Smith & Howard and is a leader on our real estate team. Chris works closely with real estate companies, providing comprehensive services for the business and the owner(s), with an understanding that the goals and challenges of each are intertwined. Whether from the perspective of the developer, broker, property manager, leasing agent, or tenant representative, his guidance on real estate decisions is given in a larger context, incorporating all involved. Chris received his BBA in Accounting and Master of Accountancy from the University of Georgia. He is a member of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants and Georgia Society of Certified Public Accountants.

  Smith + Howard

  Partner

  Moderator

  Chris Conrad

  Partner

  Smith + Howard

Atlanta Construction Market Analysis

• 

  Jeff Garrison

  Jeff Garrison’s passion is to create dynamic, community-changing retail centers that encompass connection, walkability and activation. He believes development should drive neighborhood engagement and bring people together for experiential shopping and dining. His key strengths lie in shaping the future of a community layout and thoughtfully converting urban infill into thriving neighborhoods that benefit residents in meaningful ways. Jeff is a partner at S.J. Collins Enterprises and has been with the company since its 2007 inception. He handles the intricate mechanics that bring a vibrant development property together – from locating new sites, building tenant relationships and communicating with neighborhood groups to hiring contractors and shepherding the project to its final phases. Over the past decade, he has developed more than 5 million square feet of retail and mixed-use space across the country. Current projects include The Interlock, an award-winning $450 million mixed-use center rising in Atlanta’s West Midtown neighborhood, and Southern Post, a multi-use property soon to transform a much-needed section of Roswell, Georgia. Jeff graduated magna cum laude with degrees in real estate and speculative finance from the Wharton School of Business at the University of Pennsylvania. He holds a Georgia real estate license and is a member of the International Council of Shopping Centers. He currently serves on the board Mount Vernon Presbyterian School, where his children attend school. Jeff lives in Atlanta with his wife Jennie. The two have three children.

  SJC Ventures

  Principal

  Jeff Garrison

  Principal

  SJC Ventures

• 

  Travis Garland

  As Chief Development Officer, Travis Garland oversees the day-to-day business across all asset classes at Portman, playing a key role in shaping strategy, executing transactions, and driving the development of new and existing product types. Previously, Travis served as Managing Director of Office at Portman, where he led transactions totaling over $4 billion in gross value, including leasing, operations, and dispositions. He is an active member of NAIOP and ULI. His achievements have earned him recognition as a NAIOP “Top Producer” in 2014 and 2018, as well as the #2 Producer in 2016, 2020, and 2021. He was also named one of Real Estate Forum’s 40 Under 40 in 2014 and has been recognized as a CoStar Power Broker from 2013 to 2021. Travis holds a B.B.A. in real estate from the University of Georgia and is a licensed Broker in Georgia and North Carolina. He has been active in commercial real estate since 2005.

  Portman Holdings

  Chief Development Officer

  Travis Garland

  Chief Development Officer

  Portman Holdings

• 

  Ben Bunyard

  With nearly 30 years at Choate, Ben has managed a wide variety of projects and teams. As Division Manager, he establishes and oversees the execution of Atlanta’s short- and long-term business strategies.

  Choate Construction

  SVP

  Ben Bunyard

  SVP

  Choate Construction

• 

  Nick Sanfilippo

  Nick Sanfilippo serves as Senior Vice President of Project Management for Franklin Street. In this role, he leads the firm’s project management division, which provides comprehensive development and construction services for both investor and occupier clients, nationwide. Mr. Sanfilippo has nearly 20 years of experience in building and leading project management teams, while consistently creating value for his clients ranging from new developments to redevelopment projects to programmatic store opening rollouts. Throughout this career, Mr. Sanfilippo has completed over 30 million square feet totaling nearly $1 billion worth of development across the United States. He brings preconstruction and construction operations expertise in estimating, value engineering, bid procurement and final cost analysis. Before joining Franklin Street, Mr. Sanfilippo successfully led a team of project managers for DDR Corp., covering a region of Southern, Southeastern and Mid-Atlantic states, as well as Puerto Rico, which made up over half of the company’s portfolio. While serving in this Senior Director position, he completed projects totaling over $120 million and nearly 2 million square feet of tenant buildouts and ground-up construction across multiple markets and product types. Mr. Sanfilippo is a prominent member of the International Council of Shopping Centers (ICSC) and has previously served as the Chairman of ICSC’s Next Generation Chair Committee. He is also active with the Buckhead Club and the Association of Young Real Estate Professionals. Mr. Sanfilippo earned a bachelor’s degree in Business Administration from the University of Georgia and a Master of Business Administration in Real Estate from Georgia State University. He is a licensed Real Estate Salesperson in Georgia.

  Franklin Street

  SVP

  Nick Sanfilippo

  SVP

  Franklin Street

• 

  James Tomak

  Jim has over 29 years of experience in the A/E/C Industry with a focus on the construction phase of projects. He has been a key member of many successful teams in various sectors such as Office, Hospitality, Mixed Use, Multifamily, Institutional, and Industrial. Jim has extensive experience in all aspects of the construction industry and focuses on the construction phase of projects. His broad perspective and understanding of the principles and procedures required for successful construction projects enables him to proactively assist all parties to achieve common goals. Jim is detailed oriented and has the ability to focus on the true priorities of a project and completing them timely. He professionally engages and works with the contractor on each project to encourage the construction of the final product as it was designed.

  Smallwood

  Principal

  Moderator

  James Tomak

  Principal

  Smallwood