Building Upgrades & Repositioning Office Assets in a Reset Market

Spec Suites, Tenant Improvements and Reuse Strategies That Drive Occupancy and Leasing Today

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  Robert Tersini

  Robert Tersini joined The Sobrato Organization in 2014. As Senior Vice President, Real Estate and Development, he is responsible for all aspects of The Sobrato Organization’s real estate projects in key geographic areas. This includes sourcing real estate opportunities through both new acquisitions and renovating the organization’s existing portfolio. He manages the development team and fosters relationships with governmental officials, local organizations, and oversees important relationships with partners and tenants. Robert has been a member of the Urban Land Institute and an active member of NAIOP's Developing Leader program since 2014. He received his Bachelor of Science degree from California Polytechnic State University in San Luis Obispo.

  The Sobrato Organization

  SVP, Real Estate and Development

  Robert Tersini

  SVP, Real Estate and Development

  The Sobrato Organization

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  Kathryn Hofstetter

  Katie is a Senior Vice President at Strada, concentrating on development, acquisitions, asset management, property management and marketing. She is involved in all stages of the development process, from initial diligence to entitlements to construction of a project. Katie currently acts as Development Associate on Strada’s 1629 Market Street and 1100 Clay Street projects. Additionally, Katie serves as the Property Manager for Strada’s Roseville Innovation Park and 3068 Kilgore properties in the greater Sacramento area. Katie earned a B.S. in journalism from California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo.

  Strada Investment Group

  SVP

  Kathryn Hofstetter

  SVP

  Strada Investment Group

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  Scott Clement

  Scott Clement is CEO of Revel Architecture & Design, a firm that knows design is not just about how it looks, it is how it performs. With more than 20 years of experience in the San Francisco market, Scott has worked on projects across the US and globally, bringing a steady, informed approach to a wide range of project types. Scott joined Revel in 2015 and has played a key role in shaping what the firm is today. Bringing experience working closely with landlords and ownership groups, along with servicing global clients from the tenant occupier position, he is comfortable working on both sides of the table, giving him a clear understanding of how projects succeed from multiple perspectives. Since then, he has helped guide the firm through the challenges of the pandemic and more recently has supported its continued growth, expanding the team of Revelers and opening offices in Los Angeles, Austin, and most recently Silicon Valley in Palo Alto. Now serving as CEO, Scott is focused on continuing excellence, mentoring a growing next generation of firm leadership, and strengthening the firm’s presence in key markets. Scott has a Bachelor of Architecture from Mississippi State University and is licensed in six states. He is an active member of the IIDA, AIA, and CoreNet Global, and is actively building connections at the leadership level of the San Francisco Department of Building Inspection.

  Revel Architecture & Design

  CEO

  Scott Clement

  CEO

  Revel Architecture & Design

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  Marc Pfenninger

  Marc seeks out challenges—the more complicated the better. With unwavering optimism, he guides clients and teams through complexity toward easier paths and unexpectedly elegant solutions. Marc is skilled at navigating the multi-layered decisions that arise throughout the strategic planning, design, and construction phases. His knack for storytelling allows him to create shared understanding, keeping projects focused and moving forward. For Marc, the best reward is when clients are wowed by a built solution that they didn’t initially imagine was possible. Since joining STUDIOS in 1999, Marc has led civic, institutional, and commercial projects for education, tech, law, and other clients. Regardless of the type of work, Marc puts a strong emphasis on understanding the cultural and practical needs of his clients. He consistently leverages the unique qualities of an organization to produce design solutions that clearly express and support their identity and values, while also being highly functional.

  STUDIOS Architecture

  CEO, Principal

  Marc Pfenninger

  CEO, Principal

  STUDIOS Architecture

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  Kara Johnston

  Kara Johnston is a seasoned construction leader with more than two decades of experience delivering complex commercial tenant improvement projects across the San Francisco Bay Area. As founder of KR Johnston Construction, she has built a reputation for precision execution, strategic leadership, and unwavering client advocacy. Kara’s passion for construction began early and was solidified while earning her Bachelor of Science in Construction Management from Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo. While in school, she distinguished herself by gaining hands-on field experience as a carpenter framing homes—an uncommon foundation that continues to inform her practical, solutions-driven approach today. Over the course of her 20+ year career, Kara has led a wide range of high-profile projects, including large-scale tenant improvements, building lobby transformations, amenity and fitness spaces, and a 300,000-square-foot full building renovation. She is known for navigating complex urban build-outs with challenging logistics, consistently delivering projects on schedule and within budget. Kara serves as a trusted liaison between ownership teams, design partners, and construction crews—bringing clarity, insight, and strategic guidance to every phase of a project. Her ability to translate technical complexity into actionable decisions has earned her long-standing relationships with repeat clients throughout San Francisco and the greater Bay Area. Recognized for her expertise, integrity, and leadership, Kara continues to drive excellence in the commercial construction industry while championing collaboration, accountability, and high-performance results.

  KR Johnston Construction

  President, Founder

  Kara Johnston

  President, Founder

  KR Johnston Construction

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  Cherie Song

  Cherie Y. Song is a Partner in Lubin Olson's Real Estate and Business Practice Groups. She specializes in commercial leasing, acquisitions and dispositions, and telecommunications. Ms. Song represents institutional landlords, multi-billion dollar investment management companies, REITs, pension funds, and national retailers in a broad range of lease-related matters for office, retail, industrial, mixed-use properties and telecommunications assets. She also represents developers and investors in the acquisition, development, disposition and financing of commercial properties. Her practice also includes advising startups and private companies on various real estate and business-related matters. Prior to joining Lubin Olson, Ms. Song practiced in the San Francisco office of Buchalter Nemer and the Los Angeles office of McGuireWoods. Ms. Song was honored by Thompson Reuters as a Super Lawyer “Rising Star” in 2009 and 2010.

  Lubin Olson

  Partner

  Moderator

  Cherie Song

  Partner

  Lubin Olson

Workplace Strategy Today: Space, Utilization & Experience

What’s Driving Occupancy, Engagement and Productivity in Today’s Office

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  Josh Glynn

  Lead a cross-functional alliance of Workplace Research & Innovation, Tech, and Data teams to strategically evolve our global footprint. By partnering with regional leaders and business units, we deliver high-performance environments and services tailored to their specific success. Our approach is grounded in rigorous outcome measurement and future-of-work research, utilizing AI-driven Salesforce solutions and robust data infrastructure to streamline operations and elevate the user experience

  Salesforce

  VP, Real Estate and Workplace Services

  Josh Glynn

  VP, Real Estate and Workplace Services

  Salesforce

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  Alex Schwiebert

  Alex Schwiebert is a Senior Vice President of Asset Management at Jamestown. He is primarily focused on West Coast assets. Prior to joining Jamestown, Mr. Schwiebert was Asset Manager of a large, Northern Virginian data center portfolio for Digital Realty Trust, where he oversaw design, development, lease-up, and management of multiple large-scale projects in various stages of completion. Prior to that, he was Vice President of Acquisitions and Director of Asset Management at Level Office Management, a Chicago-based real estate investment company that focuses on value-add office and coworking. Mr. Schwiebert received a Bachelor of Arts in Economics with minors in Mathematics and Spanish from Hope College, where he graduated Summa Cum Laude and Phi Beta Kappa. He received a JD-MBA with a focus in real estate from the Kellogg School of Management and the Northwestern Pritzker School of Law.

  Jamestown

  SVP, Asset Management

  Alex Schwiebert

  SVP, Asset Management

  Jamestown

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  Colleen Werner

  Colleen Werner is the Founder and CEO of Playbook, a company transforming the future of the workplace through hospitality, placemaking, and human-centered design. Under her leadership, Playbook partners with leading owners and operators to reimagine office buildings as vibrant destinations—curating fitness, wellness, food & beverage, conferencing, and community programming that drive connection, productivity, and longevity. Since launching the company in 2014, Colleen has grown Playbook into a national leader in workplace experience, working with top real-estate partners across 18 markets. A former professional ballet dancer turned entrepreneur, she brings the discipline of performance, the creativity of artistry, and the strategic rigor of a business leader to every project. Colleen is a frequent speaker on the future of work, placemaking, and the intersection of hospitality and real estate. She is passionate about creating healthier, more connected workplaces that unlock human potential and ensure office buildings thrive in the new era of work.

  Playbook

  Founder & CEO

  Colleen Werner

  Founder & CEO

  Playbook

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  Rachel Fenton

  Rachel Fenton is recognized for her work collaborating on and accelerating infrastructure projects with municipalities throughout the West. She has a Master of Urban Planning from the University of Utah, a strong background in Government Relations, and significant experience in the wireless industry. This diverse background gives her the ability to create and foster longstanding symbiotic relationships with Municipalities, commercial real estate developers, and partners in the wireless industry. As the Director of Wireless Solutions in the Pacific Northwest, Rachel is responsible for working with jurisdictions, building owners, developers, and wireless providers (T-Mobile, Verizon, and AT&T) to augment networks in hard-to-reach and dense places. Her role includes addressing one of the major challenges facing many cities right now, which is to bridge the digital divide. She brings with her twenty-eight years of experience and has spent over ten years working within the City of Bellevue. Working for Boldyn Networks, a wireless infrastructure powerhouse with a global presence, Rachel is part of an international team and works to deliver advanced shared network infrastructures that are needed for a smart, inclusive, and sustainable future.

  Boldyn Networks

  Director

  Moderator

  Rachel Fenton

  Director

  Boldyn Networks

Office Deals That Pencil: Transactions & Leasing Strategies

How Leaders Are Underwriting Deals, Pricing Risk and Where Opportunities Still Exist

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  Connor Kidd

  Connor Kidd is President and CEO of The Swig Company and has over a decade of institutional commercial real estate experience. Connor joined The Swig Company in 2009 with the Investments Team and led the Asset Management team since from January 2019 until September 2023. Throughout his career, Connor has participated as a principal in transactions of over $5 billion in value, comprising over 6 million square feet and over 500 multifamily units. Before joining The Swig Company, Connor held real estate positions at Hunter Properties, AMB Properties (now Prologis), and North Star Realty Finance. Connor has a Bachelor of Science and an MBA from Stanford University. He is an active member of the San Francisco NAIOP chapter and a member of the Stanford Alumni Real Estate Counsel (SREC).

  The Swig Company

  President and CEO

  Connor Kidd

  President and CEO

  The Swig Company

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  Christine Yuen

  SVP, Leasing

  BXP

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  Alex Cheek

  Alex is a Partner at TMG and is responsible for overseeing the firm’s west coast investment activities. Alex has over 20 years of industry experience, and is a voting member of TMG’s Investment Committee. Prior to joining TMG, Alex spent 11 years at Goldman, Sachs & Co, where he was a Managing Director on the on the real estate investment team within the Asset and Wealth Management Division (AWM). Most recently, he served as the CEO of GS REIT, the firm’s flagship core-plus real estate investment vehicle. Previously, he served as the Head of Americas Office Investments, overseeing the firm’s office investment strategy and sourcing large-scale opportunities. Alex was also a voting member of the Global Real Estate Investment Committee, which governs the firm’s global real estate activities, and served as the Co-Chair of the Americas Core Real Estate Investment Committee. Alex joined Goldman Sachs in 2013 and was named Managing Director in 2017. During his tenure, Alex led more than $8 billion of investments across all major real estate asset classes throughout North America. Before Goldman Sachs, Alex was an Assistant Vice President at AEW Capital Management, a global real estate investment manager based in Boston, MA, where his responsibilities included acquisitions and asset management for AEW’s opportunistic equity platform, the Partners Funds. Prior to joining AEW, Alex was an Associate at New Boston Fund, a Boston-based real estate private equity firm, where he was a member of the acquisitions team. Alex has served on various profit and non-profit Boards, including the GS REIT Board of Directors, and the University of Virginia NorCal Regional Alumni Board. He also holds his Series 7, Series 79 and Series 24 securities licenses. Alex earned a B.A. in English from the University of Virginia and an M.B.A. from Harvard Business School.

  The Meridian Group

  Partner

  Alex Cheek

  Partner

  The Meridian Group

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  Mike Schmidt

  Michael T. Schmidt is Senior Vice President of Leasing for Northern California at Kilroy Realty Corporation, where he leads leasing strategy and execution across the company’s office portfolio in the region. With more than 25 years of experience in the commercial real estate industry, Mr. Schmidt brings a deep background across leasing, asset management, and acquisitions. Prior to joining Kilroy, Mr. Schmidt held an executive role at Lake Washington Partners, where he oversaw asset management and acquisitions for a large, diversified national portfolio spanning multiple property types. He also served as Senior Vice President at Columbia Property Trust, leading leasing and asset strategy across the Western United States. He began his career at CBRE Global Investors, where he held roles in acquisitions, asset management, and portfolio management, advising a variety of separate account clients. Mr. Schmidt is a member of NAIOP’s Innovative Technologies in Real Estate Forum, where he engages with industry leaders on emerging trends shaping the future of the built environment. Mr. Schmidt holds an MBA from the University of North Carolina’s Kenan-Flagler Business School and a Bachelor of Science in Construction Management from the University of Washington.”

  Kilroy Realty

  SVP, Leasing, Northern California

  Mike Schmidt

  SVP, Leasing, Northern California

  Kilroy Realty

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  Arthur Milston

  Arthur Milston is a Senior Managing Director with NAI Global and Head of the Capital Markets Group. Approaching his third decade in commercial real estate investment sales, his entire career has been in real estate and investment banking with a focus on capital market transactions. He has broad oversight of the Capital Markets Group including administration, new business development, transaction execution, marketing, promotion and financial reporting. He is actively engaged with capital markets clients and all NAI offices around the globe. Mr. Milston joined NAI Global in 2014 after spending 18 years at Savills LLC and its predecessor, Granite Partners. He has worked nationally on numerous and varied sales and financing transactions including retail, office, residential, hotel and entertainment projects. Representative sales transactions include: 6 million SF Colonial Properties Trust Mall Portfolio; 1 million SF Queens Atrium Corporate Center, Long Island City, New York; 325,000 SF Shops at Georgetown Park, Washington, DC; 300,000 SF leasehold interest in the retail and office component of the National Landmarked Union Station, Washington DC. Earlier in his career, Mr. Milston was with Cineplex Odeon Corporation where he worked on acquiring, developing and managing theatre properties throughout the Eastern U.S. Mr. Milston earned a B.S.B.A. with a concentration in Finance from Boston University.

  NAI Global

  Senior Managing Director & Head of Capital Markets

  Arthur Milston

  Senior Managing Director & Head of Capital Markets

  NAI Global

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  Tony Natsis

  A name partner of the firm, Anton N. Natsis is Chair of Allen Matkins’ Real Estate Department and is one of the top real estate attorneys in the United States. His practice focuses on development, leasing, purchase and sale, and portfolio investment sales transactions involving office, retail, and industrial projects, as well as arbitrating numerous fair market value disputes, CAM disputes and other significant landlord/tenant disputes. He also has extensive experience in debt, equity, and joint venture workouts, and the purchase of distressed assets and distressed debt. Tony is continually sought out by some of the largest national land owners, such as J.P. Morgan Asset Management, Blackstone Real Estate, Brookfield Properties, HCP, Vornado Realty Trust, Regent Properties, The Irvine Company, Boston Properties, Equity Office Properties, Kilroy Realty, Inc., Beacon Capital Partners, MPG Office Trust, Kamehameha Schools (The Bishop Estate) and Westfield Corporation. He represents many governmental entities, including the LAUSD, State of California, and City of Anaheim. Tony is also frequently retained as counsel for major national office tenants, such as AT&T, Citicorp, the FDIC, AIG, The Walt Disney Company, and the Los Angeles Times. A frequent lecturer and author, Tony is the chief consultant for the California Continuing Education of the Bar Commercial Leasing Series, the legal education reference book on leasing for California attorneys, is an adjunct professor of law at Loyola Law School for a course covering commercial real estate transactions, and has spoken before such national real estate groups as ULI and BOMA. Tony is a founding board member of The Ziman Real Estate Center, which is governed under the joint auspices of the UCLA Anderson School of Business and the UCLA Law School. In the past decade, Tony has closed commercial office leases exceeding 50 million square feet. He has worked on real estate purchase contracts with a total consideration of more than $30 billion and on development transactions with a total consideration in excess of $25 billion. Since 2006, Tony has represented clients in office building portfolio investment sales transactions involving over $75 billion of consideration. One of Tony's most significant transactions is the largest real estate acquisition deal in the history of the United States. He provided extensive real estate services in connection with Blackstone Real Estate's purchase of Equity Office Properties Trust, at that point the largest owner of office space in the U.S. other than the Federal Government, for $43 billion. Subsequently, Blackstone contracted to sell over 50% of the properties it purchased with such sales closing in the first and second quarter of 2007. Tony assisted Blackstone in its acquisition due diligence related to EOP and the subsequent sales of the properties. The transactions related to this deal included Maguire Properties' purchase of Blackstone/EOP in Orange County for $2 billion, Irvine Company's purchase of Blackstone/EOP in San Diego for $1 billion, Morgan Stanley's purchase of Blackstone/EOP in San Francisco for $2.5 billion, and Beacon Capital Partners’ purchase of Blackstone/EOP Seattle for $6.3 billion.

  Allen Matkins

  Partner

  Moderator

  Tony Natsis

  Partner

  Allen Matkins