Investment Panel:

Where to place your chips in today's office market

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  Thad Ellis

  Thad, who leads Cousins’ Atlanta, Dallas, and Raleigh office portfolios, has more than 30 years of real estate expertise including development, leasing and property management for the Cousins’ Class A office portfolio. Thad began his real estate career in 1984. He joined Peterson Properties in 1986 and was a senior executive at Carr America through its 1996 acquisition of Peterson Properties. Thad was the Managing Director for CarrAmerica’s Atlanta and Florida offices. At CarrAmerica, Thad was directly involved with the acquisition, disposition and/or development of the office product and was a member of the firm’s Investment Committee. Prior to joining Cousins in 2006, Thad was the Managing Director of GVA Advantis’ Atlanta office and a member of the firm’s executive committee. Community Involvement Thad is an advisory board member and past president of the National Association of Industrial and Office Properties (NAIOP) and is on the board of the following organizations: the Buckhead Community Improvement District, the Executive Committee for the Midtown Alliance, Boys and Girls Club of Atlanta and the Corporate Campaign Committee for Woodruff Arts. He is also the past Chair for Washington & Lee’s Annual Fund. Education Bachelor of Arts degree from Washington & Lee University.

  Cousins

  Senior Vice President

  Thad Ellis

  Senior Vice President

  Cousins

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  Jim Bacchetta

  Prior to joining Highwoods in 2006, Jim was a private investor in industrial properties in Atlanta. Jim also acquired, operated, and sold a national trucking company, the revenues of which he grew 10-fold over a period of nine years. Jim’s real estate experience includes an extensive national background in acquisitions, finance, development, leasing and property management. Jim was director of acquisitions for Anderson Properties and vice president of acquisitions for Consolidated Resources. He started his career in Atlanta as a certified public accountant with Price Waterhouse, where he was employed for five years. He is a licensed GA real estate broker.

  Highwoods Properties

  Market Leader, Atlanta

  Jim Bacchetta

  Market Leader, Atlanta

  Highwoods Properties

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  Ariel Bentata

  Ariel Bentata, Managing Partner, Investments, is a Founding Partner of Accesso Partners, LLC. Mr. Bentata directs the company’s acquisitions, sales and mortgage financing of commercial real estate properties throughout the U.S. Since Accesso Partners, LLC formation in 2003, he has identified, negotiated and structured acquisitions of more than 40 institutional-class commercial properties. Previously, he was legal and business affairs counsel for MTV Networks Latin America and of counsel to a Florida law firm. He holds a Bachelors degree in Law from Universidad Catolica in Venezuela and a Masters degree from New York University.

  Accesso Partners

  Managing Partner

  Ariel Bentata

  Managing Partner

  Accesso Partners

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  John Davidson

  John C. Davidson is Managing Principal with Parmenter in the Atlanta office. With vast experience in the real estate industry, John is responsible for acquisition, disposition, development, leasing, management, and asset management in the Southeast region. He is also a member of the firm’s investment committee.

  PARMENTER

  Managing Principal

  John Davidson

  Managing Principal

  PARMENTER

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  Bill Weghorst

  As President of PMRG's Eastern Division, Bill Weghorst oversees long term strategies for the entire Eastern portfolio, which encompasses more than 20 million square feet. Mr. Weghorst brings more than 25 years of office leasing experience in the Atlanta market. He has completed more than 1,000 lease transactions totaling in excess of 6.0 million square feet and with an aggregate dollar value of more than $800 million. Prior to joining PMRG, Mr. Weghorst was Senior Vice President of Asset Services at CB Richard Ellis, where he was responsible for the marketing and leasing of approximately 4.5 million square feet of office space throughout Atlanta. His portfolio included major urban high-rise towers and multi-building suburban mid-rise developments.

  PMRG

  President, Eastern Division

  Moderator

  Bill Weghorst

  President, Eastern Division

  PMRG

Development Strategy:

What markets are smoking hot right now?

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  Bob Voyles

  Bob Voyles Principal, Chief Executive Officer Bob Voyles founded Seven Oaks Company in 2004 and is responsible for the strategic direction and deal sourcing for the company. Bob’s portfolio of projects at Seven Oaks and in his former position as Senior Development Officer at Hines, include the following: Developed over 3 million SF of Class A award-winning, mixed-use and office-oriented development throughout metro Atlanta, Developed headquarters facilities for King & Spalding, InterContinental Hotels Group, MCI-SE Region, and HomeBanc, Acquired three Class A office projects totaling 1.7 million SF, and asset managed over 6 million SF of Class A commercial office, Developed land projects in Georgia, Tennessee and Florida totaling approximately 1,800 acres and nearly $1 billion in total development value, Structured finances of nearly $1 billion in real estate projects with institutional partners such as GEAM, GM Pension Trust, Calpers and GE Capital, as well as entrepreneurial partners such as The Brookdale Group, St. Joe and the DeMoss Foundation. Bob holds numerous positions in local civic, community and charitable organizations: Perimeter Community Improvement District (CID) Board; Founder and Chairman (2004-2010), Georgia Regional Transportation Authority; Member; Chair, Land Development, Metropolitan Atlanta Chamber of Commerce; Board of Advisors Member, Cobb-Marietta Coliseum and Stadium Authority; Board Member; Chair, construction Committee, Metropolitan Atlanta CID Coalition; Co-Chair, Livable Communities Coalition; Board Member, Young Life-Africa; Board Member, Church of the Apostles; former Vestry Member and Church Warden.

  Seven Oaks Company

  CEO

  Bob Voyles

  CEO

  Seven Oaks Company

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  John Heagy

  Mr. Heagy is a senior managing director and is responsible for the leasing and marketing of the office projects and for securing corporate services and mixed-use development assignments in the Southeast Region of the United States. Mr. Heagy joined the firm in 1996 and has been active in Atlanta's commercial real estate market since 1977. Heagy received his BA in Political Science from the University of Georgia. Mr. Heagy serves on the Board of Directors of the Atlanta Commercial Board of Realtors, Central Atlanta Progress (CAP); Metro Atlanta Chamber; and the Perimeter Community Improvement District (PCID).

  Hines

  Senior Managing Director

  John Heagy

  Senior Managing Director

  Hines

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  Adam Allman

  Mr. Allman joined Regent Partners in 2006 and currently serves as a Principal on the Office Leasing and Development Team. His primary role consists of leasing activities and strategies for Regent Partners’ developments and acquisitions, as well as supporting acquisition efforts for office properties. Prior to Regent Partners, Mr. Allman spent three years at Bullock Mannelly Partners specializing in multifamily investment sales as well as debt and equity financing for office and retail projects across the Southeast. Mr. Allman obtained his BSBA degree from the University of North Carolina- Chapel Hill with a specialty in finance. He currently is a member of ULI, NAIOP, REGA, and is a licensed real estate agent in Georgia.

  Regent Partners

  Principal

  Adam Allman

  Principal

  Regent Partners

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  Bill Halter

  Bill Halter joined COOPER CARRY in 2010 as Director in the Office Workplace Studio and was named Principal in 2015. He has spent the last 30 years specializing in the design of corporate and commercial office buildings. While with COOPER CARRY, Bill has led the master planning and office design teams for the 300,000 SF Riverwood 200, the 585,000 SF Park Center (State Farm) One, the 240,000 SF Intergraph Headquarters, the 275,000 SF Mylan Pharmaceutical Headquarters and the Georgia Multi-Modal Passenger Terminal. Bill’s designs have received accolades from the American Institute of Architects and have been featured in publications such as Architectural Record. He has also been a key speaker at several conferences, including the 2011 Urban Land Institute (ULI) Infrastructure Conference in Atlanta, Georgia. He spent four-and-a-half years in China speaking on the virtues of a well-planned infrastructure in the form of exhibition centers and transit to manage urban transformation. Bill is a member of the American Institute of Architects (AIA), the National Council of Architectural Registration Board (NCARB), and is a Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design Accredited Professional (LEED). Bill is a member of CoreNet and the ULI – currently serving on the Public Development Infrastructure Council (PDIC). He has also served on the Atlanta Urban Design Commission. Bill hold a Bachelor in Architecture from Ohio State University, a Master in Architecture and Urban Design from the Georgia Institute of Technology, and is registered to practice in four states.

  Cooper Carry

  Partner

  Bill Halter

  Partner

  Cooper Carry

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  Kenneth Kraft

  Ken Kraft is the founder of the Parker Hudson Real Estate practice group. Over the course of his 40+ year career he has worked on billions of dollars’ worth of real estate transactions and more than 25,000,000 square feet of leases, in deals at all levels of complexity. His experience, judgment and reputation ensure that his clients are in the optimum position to achieve their objectives. A former senior executive for Atlanta developer Taylor & Mathis and The Ritz-Carlton Hotel Company, Ken truly understands and is oriented to the business of commercial real estate. He represents owners, lenders, and developers in the purchase, sale, financing, and development of office, industrial, residential, and hotel real estate. In addition, Ken regularly represents clients in large national headquarters leases and leasing of retail locations throughout the United States. Ken is steadfastly committed to seeing his clients’ deals through to a successful conclusion. The breadth of his experience over the commercial real estate landscape enables Ken innately to understand not only the needs of his clients, but also those of his clients’ counterparties, and thereby devise solutions that work without compromising client goals. One client described Ken’s leadership and creativity succinctly: "He cuts through the clutter" – Chambers USA 2017.

  Parker Hudson

  Partner

  Moderator

  Kenneth Kraft

  Partner

  Parker Hudson