Keynote: The Power of Partnerships

Exploring JPMorgan Chase’s commitment to Black and Latina Women Developers in Baltimore

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  Dekonti Mends-Cole

  VP, Mid-Atlantic

  JPMorgan Chase

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  Faith Leach

  Faith Leach was appointed by Mayor Brandon Scott to serve as the Deputy Mayor of Equity, Health and Human Services for the City of Baltimore where she provides strategic direction to a portfolio of agencies at the forefront of quality-of-life issue, including Recreation and Parks, Library Services and the City’s COVID-19 public health response. Prior to joining the Scott administration, Faith served as Chief of Staff at the JPMorgan Chase & Co. Foundation; a global leader dedicated to driving inclusive economic growth in communities worldwide. In her role, she oversaw the Foundation’s commitment to invest $2B over the next five years to strengthen workforce systems, revitalize neighborhoods, grow small businesses, and improve the financial health of vulnerable communities across the globe. She was also instrumental in the development of the firm’s $30B business commitment to advance racial equity. Faith has spent more than a decade working to address the key drivers of economic inequality that fuel the racial wealth divide. Prior to joining JPMorgan Chase & Co., Faith served as the Chief of Staff to the Deputy Mayor for Greater Economic Opportunity under DC Mayor Muriel Bowser, standing up a first-of-its-kind government agency focused on revitalizing overlooked and underserved neighborhoods. As Chief of Staff, Faith provided strategic oversight and direction to a cluster of government agencies focused on workforce training and employment, small business growth and development and equitable, community-centered economic development. While in the DC Mayor’s office, Faith also led efforts to combat an uptick in community violence and developed a multi-agency approach to violence prevention. She has held posts in local governments ranging from the Mecklenburg County’s Office of Management and Budget, the City of Durham Office of Economic and Workforce Development and the North Carolina General Assembly. Determined to address inequality, Faith leverages her experience and personal passion to advocate for formerly incarcerated women and children with incarcerated parents. She serves on the Boards of the Meyer Foundation and Ladies of Hope Ministries. She is also a member of the United Justice Coalition and is an Ambassador with the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture. In 2019, she was honored with a 40 for 40 award by the NC State Black Alumni Society.

  City of Baltimore

  Deputy Mayor of Equity, Health and Human Services

  Faith Leach

  Deputy Mayor of Equity, Health and Human Services

  City of Baltimore

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  Karen Harris

  Karen Harris is a partner in CohnReznick’s Baltimore office and a member of our Affordable Housing and Healthcare practices. Karen has more than 20 years of extensive experience providing audit and accounting services to non-profit entities, which include community health centers and not-for-profit real estate developers, owners, and operators of multi-family properties. As a partner, she is responsible for leading the engagement teams through the planning and execution of audit fieldwork and supervising the overall audit process. Her responsibilities consist of designing, reviewing and approving the audit plan that will be used to evaluate the internal control systems of her engagements. This includes: determining the nature, timing and extent of the audit procedure; determining the audit scope; selection of audit procedures to be applied; review of audit work papers; identification, resolution, and summarization of significant audit issues. Karen has worked extensively in both the affordable housing industry and healthcare industry, particularly with Low Income Housing Tax Credits (LIHTC) Section 42 and Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) grant program specific to FQHCs. She has experience with various state agencies issuing LIHTC credits specifically the State of Maryland’s Department of Housing and Community Development (DHCD). Her accounting and auditing experiences includes understanding the rules and regulations of the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), and OMB Uniform Guidance for not - for- profits. Education  Stevenson University: Bachelor of Science, Accounting Professional Affiliations  American Institute of Certified Public Accountants  Maryland Association of Certified Public Accountants Community Involvement  Maryland New Directions, President and Finance Committee Member  Maryland Affordable Housing Coalition, Member  Stevenson University Alumni Association, Member

  CohnReznick

  Partner

  Moderator

  Karen Harris

  Partner

  CohnReznick

Prioritizing Opportunity and Affordability in the Charm City: Exploring Emerging Neighborhoods and New Partnerships

From ending food deserts to public-private partnerships, learn how local players are redefining Baltimore multifamily

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  Janet Abrahams

  Ms. Abrahams' career in public housing administration spans more than 20 years in which she has played key roles in developing innovative approaches to improving affordable housing communities and the quality of life for its residents. During this time, she served at three large housing authorities including the Chicago Housing Authority (CHA), the Newark Housing Authority (NHA), and most recently the New York City Housing Authority (NYCHA), the largest housing authority in the nation. At NYCHA, Ms. Abrahams had the privilege of being the first Senior Vice President for NextGeneration Operations, a strategic property management program designed to improve maintenance and repair service at targeted developments. The success of the program is attributed to her leadership, the collaboration with public housing residents, and increased staff accountability. Ms. Abrahams' portfolio included direct management of 67,000 units in 57 consolidated developments with a budget in excess of $70 million. Prior to joining NYCHA, Ms. Abrahams served for almost 10 years as Chief Operating Officer at the Newark Housing Authority, the eleventh largest public housing authority in the nation, where she managed all agency operations. Before Newark, she was Assistant Director of Operations at the Chicago Housing Authority, the country's third largest housing authority. Ms. Abrahams holds a Bachelor of Science degree from Norfolk State University and a Master's degree in Public Administration from Kean University.

  Housing Authority of Baltimore City

  President and CEO

  Janet Abrahams

  President and CEO

  Housing Authority of Baltimore City

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  Dan Bythewood

  Daniel Bythewood, Jr., President and Co-Founder, is also Managing Partner of La Cité Development, LLC, a privately held real estate development firm specializing in residential and mixed-use multi-family development as well as mixed use residential/commercial properties. Mr. Bythewood is responsible for all aspects of development and finance inclusive of raising private capital for his development projects which span from ground-up new construction to acquisition rehab properties, Mr. Bythewood is global and seasoned entrepreneur in the United States, Montenegro, Ghana, and other territories within Europe, and Africa. He has extensive experience in the real estate development and investments within numerous markets. Over the past 15 years he has developed, financed, constructed, structured debt and awarded grants, negotiated partnerships, public/private partnerships, and closed senior loans for his real estate development projects. Mr. Bythewood has also overseen the master planning of entire urban communities, that legislated structured TIF and Pilot agreements for his developments. Mr. Bythewood has overseen developments from initial concept through construction completion, renovation and lease-up of properties ranging from Harlem, through Baltimore and Long Island. Prior to founding La Cité Development, Mr. Bythewood Jr. was an Acquisitions Manager at New York Equity Fund(NYEF), a division of the National Equity Fund, the largest syndicator of tax credits in the 1990s in New York City. While at the NYEF, Mr. Bythewood managed the financing and administration of large development and disposition programs within the NYC Department of Housing Preservation and Development for its main disposition programs: Neighborhood Redevelopment Program (NRP), Neighborhood Entrepreneurs Program (NEP), and Neighborhood Homes Program (NHP). Many of the projects developed by NYEF involved the rehabilitation of both vacant and occupied buildings, with several projects requiring substantial relocation of building residents. These projects, located within the Central Harlem and Brooklyn neighborhoods, that served as catalysts for the redevelopment of these neighborhoods. He was also in charge of the $1.5 billion dollar portfolio where he managed the investment in excess of $150 million in tax credit equity. The multi-faceted nature of managing NYEF’s tax credit portfolio allowed Mr. Bythewood to fully utilize the skills he gained from overseeing: joint venture partners, public-private partnerships, complex financing structures, institutional banking relationships, traditional and non-traditional lenders, tax credit allocating agencies, and city governments. He is also an advisory board member of Carver bank and was a member of the CGNY (NY citizens budget committee for 4 years).

  La Cité Development

  President

  Dan Bythewood

  President

  La Cité Development

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  Jayson Williams

  Jayson T. Williams is the Chief Executive Officer of Mayson-Dixon Companies, a family of companies that was originally founded in 2015 as MD Strategic Consulting, a public affairs firm that utilizes campaign- style tactics to tell clients’ stories to achieve their missions. As the company grew, Jayson’s love of community organizing transformed into a passion for equitable community development. He has since started complimentary businesses such as, Mayson-Dixon Properties & Development, Modern Builders, and Modern Suppliers, that combined with MD Strategic Consulting created the first turnkey community development firm that engages in neighborhoods, builds residential and commercial projects, solves complex supply chain issues, manages properties of all sizes, and thoughtfully brings investment partners into underserved communities. Prior to becoming a small business owner, Jayson had a distinguished career in public service working for the late Maryland State Senate President Emeritus Thomas V. Mike Miller, former U.S. Senator Barbara Mikulski, U.S. Senator Ben Cardin, and former Prince George’s County Executive Rushern L. Baker, to name a few. Jayson was inspired to become an entrepreneur after his appointment by then- County Executive Baker to serve as the Vice President for Strategic Alliances for the Prince George’s County Economic Development Corporation. There, he was a part of the leadership team spearheading transformative community investment, small & minority business growth, the branding campaign for Prince George’s County, and playing a key role in enabling the development of the $1.2 billion MGM National Harbor. Since its inception, Mayson-Dixon Companies has become one of Bloomberg/Goldman-Sachs 10,000 Small Businesses alumni, has thrice won the “Bridging the Gap” Achievement Award from the Greater Baltimore Committee for the firm’s work in diversity and inclusion, and was voted as one of Baltimore Business Journal’s Healthiest Employers for their investment in holistic employee health. An alum of St. Mary's College of Maryland, Jayson has been named one of the Daily Record’s Very Important Professionals (VIP) Successful By 40 award recipients, 40 under 40 by the Baltimore Business Journal, LGBTQ 40 under 40 by Business Enterprise Magazine, LGBT Minority Business of the Year by the Maryland Minority Contractors Association, received the Trailblazer Award from the Reginald F. Lewis African American Heritage Museum and was awarded the Chairman’s Award, a unique honor, by the Asian-American Economic Development Corporation for his work in the Asian American business community. He currently serves as the first African American chair of the board of directors of the Pride of Baltimore II, Maryland’s Tall Ship, and on the board of directors of Lifebridge Health’s Levindale Hospital and the American Red Cross of Central Maryland. In 2021, he was appointed by Baltimore County Executive Johnny Olszewski Jr. to the Affordable Housing Workgroup focused on ensuring safe, accessible, and quality housing is available to everyone in the County. Jayson is also a member of the Harkins Builders Corporate Board of Directors since 2021. Before starting his businesses, for over a decade, Jayson was an adjunct professor in the “Semester in Washington” program at the George Washington University’s Graduate School of Political Management, from which he also graduated in 2002. Many of his former students have gone on to distinguished careers in public service and business.

  Mayson-Dixon Properties & Development

  President & CEO

  Jayson Williams

  President & CEO

  Mayson-Dixon Properties & Development

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  Donald Kann

  Donald Kann has planned, directed, and designed numerous large-scale, multi-family and mixed-use projects in the mid-Atlantic region throughout his 46-year career practicing architecture. As a Principal at Waldon Studio Architects, Mr. Kann oversees the Affordable Housing and Mixed-Use Studio, bringing specialized expertise in urban in-fill projects and design for the adaptive reuse of existing buildings. As a Qualified Historic Architect, in accordance with Federal Regulations 36 CFR 61, he has been instrumental in developing a highly recognized practice in Historic Restoration in Baltimore and Maryland. Additionally, he is a member of the Baltimore County Design Review Commission, and has previously served as the Chair of the Commission for Historical and Architectural Preservation (CHAP) in Baltimore City, Board Member of Preservation Maryland, Baltimore Heritage and the Maryland Historic District Commissions, AIA Baltimore, and lectured at a variety of public forums on a range of housing, preservation and design issues.

  Michael Graves Architecture & Design

  Principal

  Donald Kann

  Principal

  Michael Graves Architecture & Design

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  Ari Azarbarzin

  Ari Azarbarzin serves as Senior Director of Cushman & Wakefield’s Multifamily Capital Markets Group and is responsible for business development and investment sales of existing multifamily assets, single-family portfolios and residential development sites throughout the Baltimore Metro Area and Greater Mid-Atlantic Region. A Baltimore County resident, Ari has been recognized by his peers, the industry and multiple publications for the impact he has made on the commercial real estate market; he has been identified as a CoStar "Power Broker" and been awarded with the Baltimore Business Journal’s "40 Under 40" award. Ari is a member of the Cristo Rey Jesuit High School Leadership Advisory Committee, in addition to being a scholarship benefactor.

  Cushman & Wakefield

  Senior Director

  Ari Azarbarzin

  Senior Director

  Cushman & Wakefield

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  Jon Laria

  Jon M. Laria is a member of Ballard Spahr's Expanded Board, Managing Partner of the firm's Baltimore office, and a member of the firm's Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Council. He represents owners, developers, investors, and lenders in all types of commercial real estate transactions, including development, finance, acquisition, and leasing. Jon also has a leading land use and zoning practice and has provided counsel for some of Baltimore's most prominent development projects. Before becoming an attorney, he was employed by a major Baltimore-based developer, where he engaged in all aspects of commercial real estate transactions. Jon served on the Transition Teams for Baltimore Mayor Brandon Scott and Comptroller Bill Henry. He chairs the Mayor's Bicycle Advisory Commission, charged by the mayor with promoting bicycling and other forms of micromobility as a safe and convenient form of transportation and recreation, and coordinating City agency implementation of the City's Bicycle Master Plan. He previously served as a mayoral appointee on Baltimore's Tax Policy Task Force and on the group that developed a Comprehensive Economic Development Strategy for the City. Jon also co-chaired the Mayor's Safe Art Space Task Force, charged with recommending to the mayor ways to develop and sustain spaces that protect the safety of artists and patrons while meeting the logistical and technical needs of artists and audiences. Jon was appointed by the Baltimore City Health Commissioner to the Task Force on Drug Treatment Access and Neighborhood Relations, whose purpose was to facilitate the siting of necessary treatment facilities without causing undue burdens on local communities. In Baltimore County, Jon serves on the Blue Ribbon Commission on Ethics and Accountability, charged with reviewing county ethics laws and regulations. Jon was the founding Chair of the Maryland Sustainable Growth Commission, the successor to the State's Task Force on the Future for Growth and Development, which he also chaired. Created and enacted by the Maryland General Assembly, the Commission was charged with assessing and advising on the progress of state, regional, and local planning in achieving Maryland's economic growth, resource protection, and planning policy. Jon also served as a member of the Maryland Economic Development and Business Climate Commission, a joint commission appointed by the Maryland House Speaker and Senate President to examine the State's economic development structure and incentive programs, and to make recommendations to keep Maryland competitive in economic and private sector growth and prosperity. Jon co-chaired the Housing and Community Development Transition Team for former Maryland Governor Martin O'Malley and served on the governor's Transition Steering Committee. Nationally, Jon serves on the Futures Council for the Rails-to-Trails Conservancy, a panel of thought leaders who advise the Conservancy on its efforts to develop hiking and biking trails across the country, including the planned Greenway Trail Network in Baltimore. Jon is the Chair of the Baltimore City Chapter of the Maryland Building Industry Association (MBIA), a trade organization with more than 1,300 member firms. He is a founder of the Baltimore Development Workgroup, an affinity group of development professionals who work on real estate development issues and business climate in the City of Baltimore, and co-chaired the Partnership for Building Reuse, a joint project of the Urban Land Institute and the National Trust for Historic Preservation to maximize the productive re-use of existing buildings. Jon serves as an officer or member of many civic boards and organizations, including the Greater Baltimore Committee, a pre-eminent regional business organization, where he chairs the Transportation and Mobility Committee. He is vice-chair of Healthy Neighborhoods, Inc. and previously served as president of Live Baltimore, a nonprofit whose principal mission is the attraction of residents to Baltimore.

  Ballard Spahr

  Partner

  Moderator

  Jon Laria

  Partner

  Ballard Spahr

Baltimore Multifamily Outlook: Operations, Development, and Investment Trends

Learn how you can strike while the iron's hot in Baltimore's growing housing scene

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  Yonah Zahler

  Yonah Zahler founded ZAHLCO Development to make luxury living more widely accessible, and enhance the quality of life for fellow Baltimore urbanites. Bringing with him over 15 years of construction and design experience, under his vision and leadership ZAHLCO has grown into one of the leading privately held general building contractors in the region. A very hands-on manager, Yonah enjoys working with the team as he fulfills a passion for construction and design through ZAHLCO’s innovative developments.

  Zahlco Development

  CEO

  Yonah Zahler

  CEO

  Zahlco Development

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  Josh Fidler

  Mr. Fidler is a respected member of the Maryland business community. He is Co‐Chairman of Chesapeake Realty Partners, a diversified real estate development business, Founding Partner of Boulder Ventures, a venture capital fund active in the Mid‐Atlantic and Colorado, and President of the family office for the Macks and Fidler families. Chesapeake Realty Partners has developed nearly 10,000 apartments. CRP is presently building Avenue Grand at White Marsh – 324 units adjoining The Avenue and White Marsh Mall in Baltimore County; SouthLake Apartments – 325 units in a 1,300 home PUD developed by CRP and The Michaels Company in Bowie, Maryland; and Woodmore Grand – 163 units in Woodmore Town Center, Prince George’s County. Recent projects include: Belvoir Square – 283 apartments and 10,000 s.f. of retail space in Fort Belvoir, VA; Waterside at Reston – 276‐units in Reston, VA; Paragon Columbia – 320‐units in Columbia, MD; The Winthrop – 295‐units in Towson, MD; 1901 South Charles – 193‐units in South Baltimore, MD; and 2 East Wells – 153‐units with 6,000 s.f. of retail space in South Baltimore, across from our 1901 South Charles Street location. In 1998, the Macks and Fidler families contributed 3,300 apartments to Home Properties (NYSE: HME) in an UPREIT transaction. He served on the HME Board from 2004‐2011. In 2018, he contributed 670 units in 3 communities to BroadTree Residential, a successor to Home Properties, in another UPREIT transaction. He now serves on the BroadTree Board. CRP has also developed more than 30,000 lots and was the largest non‐national home builder in the Baltimore metro area into the '90's. Current for‐sale projects include: SouthLake (described above); Coastal Village and Saltwater Landing – 800+ lots in Selbyville, DE; Creekside Village – 820 lots developed with ATAPCO Properties in Glen Burnie, MD; Simpson Oaks – 184 lots in Columbia, MD; Banyan Bay – 305 lots on a 251‐acre waterfront property in Stuart, FL (Martin County); Parkeside Preserve – 70 single‐ family homesites and 86 townhome lots to be developed in Annapolis, MD; and Severn Meadows – 116 townhomes in Crestwood, MD. Other active real estate projects include: WeWorkU (the first WeWork co‐office community on a University campus at University of Maryland, College Park); and numerous self‐storage projects under the RightAway Storage brand. Mr. Fidler is also an active venture capital and private equity investor. He is Chairman of Private Client Resources and serves on the Boards of AgriFiber, BroadTree Residential, and BurnAlong. He was a member of the Board of First Mariner Bank from its recapitalization in 2013 until its merger into Howard Bank in 2018. Mr. Fidler serves on the Board of Johns Hopkins Medicine, is Vice Chair of The Baltimore Community Foundation, and an officer of The Associated: Jewish Community Federation of Baltimore. In 2016‐17, he offered monthly Public Commentary on WYPR radio and sponsors “Future City” with Wes Moore, also on WYPR. Mr. Fidler also held leadership positions in numerous other community organizations. Mr. Fidler received his law degree from New York University School of Law (cum laude) and his BA from Brown University. Mr. Fidler and his wife of 41 years, Genine Macks Fidler, are residents of Naples, FL.

  Chesapeake Realty Partners

  COO

  Josh Fidler

  COO

  Chesapeake Realty Partners

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  Mark Caplan

  Mark Caplan, is a Baltimore native active in real estate investment and management as well as equipment and vehicle financing in the region. He is the President and CEO of The Time Group, a real estate equity firm where he has worked since the mid-1970s. The Time Group has interests in approximately 7,500 units of multi-family, manufactured housing, and senior living. He is also a founder and is currently the Chairman of WPM Real Estate Management, a manager of multi- family properties as well as other property types currently comprising in excess of 23,000 units. In addition to his real estate activities, Mr. Caplan is Chairman of the Management Committee of Madison Capital, an independent vehicle and equipment financing firm. Mr. Caplan is a member of the Board of Directors at Capital Bank, (NASDAQ, CBNK). Mr. Caplan is active in the non- for-profit community in Baltimore, having served or currently serving on the Boards of The Walters Art Museum, Downtown Partnership of Baltimore, The Bryn Mawr School, The Enoch Pratt Free Library, The Gilman School, Center Stage, B.E.S.T., Charles Street Development Corp., Real Estate Advisory Board of Columbia Business School, and St. Ignatius Loyola Academy. Mr. Caplan graduated from Gilman School in 1976 and Johns Hopkins University in 1981 where he received his Bachelor of Arts degree in Social & Behavioral Sciences. He received his Master of Business Administration from the Columbia Business School in 1983, which he attended as a Dean’s Fellow.

  Time Group

  CEO

  Mark Caplan

  CEO

  Time Group

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  Alex Aaron

  Founder

  Blank Slate Development

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  Tom Liebel

  Tom Liebel, FAIA, LEED Fellow is a Vice President with Moseley, where he leads their Multifamily Housing Studio. Tom has been involved in integrating sustainable design principles into a variety of ground-breaking affordable housing projects, specifically utilizing adaptive use and historic preservation over the past twenty-five years. These projects have been recognized with multiple awards for design, smart growth, sustainable design and historic preservation. Elevated to Fellowship to both the AIA and USGBC in 2011, Tom is involved in ongoing research exploring the relationship between sustainability, preservation and urban design, with a particular emphasis in the use of urban adaptive use projects to promote affordability, neighborhood revitalization, and civic engagement. Tom served two terms as Chair the Maryland Green Building Council and chaired Baltimore City’s Commission on Historical and Architectural Preservation for a decade, serves on the Maryland Advisory Council for Historic Preservation, the Baltimore County Landmarks Preservation Commission, and served as the 2020 Moderator for the American Institute of Architect’s Strategic Council.

  Moseley Architects

  VP

  Tom Liebel

  VP

  Moseley Architects

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  Owen Rouse

  Owen joined MacKenzie Commercial Real Estate Services, LLC in 2019 as Vice President of Investment Sales, leading the firm’s investment sales team which specializes in the third-party acquisition and disposition of commercial real estate assets in the State of Maryland and surrounding region, and advises clients on investments strategies, value maximization, and stabilization. Prior to joining MacKenzie, Rouse was affiliated with Manekin, LLC of Columbia, MD. He was recruited in 1995 to unwind Manekin’s position in institutional joint ventures which ultimately gave rise to a boutique investment sales platform. As Director of Manekin’s Investment Services practice, Rouse represented clients in the purchase and sale of investment real estate, site selection and assemblage, underwriting, and structuring transactions. Rouse then assumed the position of Director of Brokerage overseeing 22 brokers across three offices. He finally shifted his role with Manekin to Capital Markets, identifying and structuring potential projects – and the venture partners to fund them – as well as playing an active role in the strategy and direction of the firm. Rouse is active with area nonprofits including the Advisory Council for Stevenson University where he is currently serving as President; and, Habitat for Humanity of the Chesapeake. He has also served as President of CORFAC International, a national/global network of commercial real estate services organizations and former President of the local chapter of National Association of Office and Industrial Properties.

  MacKenzie Commercial Real Estate Services

  VP

  Moderator

  Owen Rouse

  VP

  MacKenzie Commercial Real Estate Services