Keynote Conversation with Christopher Rising, Rising Realty

Investment Strategies & Principles Of Underwriting

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  Christopher Rising

  Christopher Rising is the CEO of Rising Realty Partners (RRP), a Los Angeles-based real estate investment and operating platform that owns and manages over five million square feet of properties. He serves on the company's Executive and Investment Committees, drawing on his extensive experience in managing acquisitions and creative development. Prior to joining RRP, Christopher was Senior Vice President of Asset Transactions at MPG Office Trust, where he worked directly with the CEO to improve finances through debt reduction and restructuring. Under Christopher's visionary leadership, RRP has spearheaded the revitalization of historic buildings in Downtown Los Angeles into creative office spaces, attracting unique businesses back to the region. The company's transformation and subsequent sale of the PacMutual Campus, one of the oldest office buildings in the heart of DTLA, was described by the Los Angeles Times as a "record price for a pure office building downtown." More recently, RRP has generated great success by entering the industrial space, acquiring five multi-tenant light industrial properties in the past year. Christopher's success in the real estate industry has earned him recognition by the Los Angeles Business Journal as one of the 500 most influential people in Los Angeles. In 2003, Christopher founded The Rising Real Estate Group (RREG) and eventually partnered with Barker Pacific Group to create Hamilton Capital Partners (HCP), an equity fund vehicle. RREG is also a principal in 626 Wilshire Blvd, a 156K square foot office building located in downtown Los Angeles. Christopher began his career as an associate at Pillsbury Madison & Sutro and later worked at Cushman Realty Corporation (CRC) under brokerage legend John C. Cushman, III. He then served as a Director at Cushman & Wakefield of California, Inc. (C&W), joining C&W after its merger with CRC in 2001. Outside of work, Christopher is an active member of the Los Angeles community, serving on the River LA Board and The Rose Bowl Legacy Foundation. He formerly sat on the Board of Overseers at Loyola Law School and the Duke Athletic Advisory Board. He is a past President of the Board of Chandler School in Pasadena and served for ten years on the Board of Regents of Loyola High School, where he chaired the Investment Committee. Christopher holds a J.D. in Real Estate Law from Loyola Law School and a B.A. in History and Political Science from Duke University. He also attended Duke on a football scholarship and was a member of the 1989 ACC Championship team.

  Rising Realty

  CEO

  KEYNOTE

  Christopher Rising

  CEO

  Rising Realty

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  Elizabeth Dryden

  Elizabeth Dryden is a Partner in the Real Estate Department of Ervin Cohen & Jessup LLP. Elizabeth’s practice covers a broad range of real estate transactions, including acquisitions and dispositions, leasing, financings, and joint venture and syndication formations. Her practice experience includes extensive representation of institutional and noninstitutional lenders, property owners and developers, private equity investors and high-net worth individuals across all asset classes. With a strong background in finance, Elizabeth specializes in structuring and negotiating real estate finance transactions, including first mortgage loans, mezzanine and other subordinate loans, preferred equity and joint venture structures, syndicated credit facilities, Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae loans, bridge loans and construction loans. Prior to joining Ervin Cohen & Jessup, Elizabeth worked at the Am Law 100 firms Paul Hastings LLP and Morrison & Foerster LLP. Elizabeth holds a Juris Doctorate from New York University School of Law and Bachelor of Arts in Economics and Philosophy from Columbia University. She is also the Co-Chair of the Beverly Hills Bar Association Real Estate Section.

  Ervin Cohen & Jessup LLP

  Partner

  Moderator

  Elizabeth Dryden

  Partner

  Ervin Cohen & Jessup LLP

Debt & Equity Outlook

Where Is The Money Flowing And How Is Capital Entering The Market?

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  Josh Katzin

  Josh Katzin is Chief Investment Officer of AECOM Capital, where he is focused on sourcing, structuring, and negotiating complex development and value-add projects. Previously Mr. Katzin was a Managing Director at ACORE Capital, a leading commercial real estate finance company, where he was responsible for the origination of transitional and construction debt in the Western U.S. Prior to joining ACORE, Mr. Katzin was Vice President of Acquisitions at Starwood Capital Group, where he sourced and executed direct commercial real estate acquisitions and joint ventures across asset types. Mr. Katzin holds an A.B. in economics from Harvard College, a J.D. from Harvard Law School, and an M.B.A from Harvard Business School. He is a member of the California Bar and the Urban Land Institute.

  AECOM

  Chief Investment Officer

  Josh Katzin

  Chief Investment Officer

  AECOM

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  Mike Hu

  Mike Hu has over 14 years of real estate and management consulting experience and currently leads the Capital Markets team in the US. He is currently based in the LA office (Gaw USA headquarters) and is responsible for capital formation, co-investments, investor relations and marketing. He joined Gaw in 2011 and was previously a member of Gaw Capital Partners’ acquisitions and investment team based in Hong Kong (the global headquarters), and formerly worked for Tishman Speyer as part of their Leadership Development Program. While at Tishman Speyer, he completed rotations in their London and New York offices, working in acquisitions, debt financing/restructuring, property and asset management, and design & construction. Prior to business school, Mike was a strategy and operations consultant for five years focused primarily on the real estate and energy industries. He has significant experience working in Asia, Europe, and the US. Mike is conversationally fluent in Mandarin Chinese. He received his Bachelor of Arts in Economics/International Area Studies with college and Latin honors from University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), and a Master of Business Administration from London Business School.

  Gaw Capital Partners

  Managing Director, Capital Markets

  Mike Hu

  Managing Director, Capital Markets

  Gaw Capital Partners

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  Bruce Lowrey

  Bruce Lowrey has over 30 years’ experience in commercial real estate (‘CRE’) investing (debt and equity), capital markets, and the management of CRE lending operations. His focus has been on the hospitality sector where he has been involved in the direct origination, underwriting and closing of over $13 billion in hotel loans across more than 800 separate transactions. Prior to joining CIM he served as the chief lending officer for Access Point Financial, as managing director of credit strategies at Rockbridge Capital and as senior vice president and co-head of the Capmark Financial Group, Inc, (formerly known as GMAC commercial mortgage) hospitality industry division. He is also experienced in the primary and secondary debt markets, as well as the origination, management, and sale of both performing and non- performing loans.

  CIM Group

  Managing Director, Investments

  Hosting topic table on Borrowing & Raising Capital In Today’s Market

  Bruce Lowrey

  Managing Director, Investments

  CIM Group

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  Seth Grossman

  Mr. Grossman is a Senior Managing Director at Meridian Capital Group. He opened the firm’s San Diego office in May 2011 charged with expanding the company’s presence throughout the western and southwestern states. In his 10+ years leading the west coast for Meridian, Mr. Grossman has built a team that has originated and closed more than $12 billion of debt and equity transactions spanning more than 600 loans across primary and esoteric asset types. Prior to opening Meridian’s San Diego office, Mr. Grossman was a Structured Finance Analyst Fitch Ratings, a Principal at Mission Peak Capital, and worked in Meridian’s New York City office where he closed in excess of $3 billion. Mr. Grossman attended NYU, where he received a Bachelor of Science in Finance and Management. Industry Recognition: 2013: Named to Commercial Observer’s national list of “Top 20 Commercial Mortgage Brokers under 35” 2015: Named to Commercial Property Executive’s list of 17 national “Stars to Watch” in the real estate industry 2015: Named by Real Estate Forum as one of 20 “Tomorrow’s leaders of Southern California”

  Meridian Capital

  Senior Managing Director

  Seth Grossman

  Senior Managing Director

  Meridian Capital

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  Blaise Golightly

  Blaise joined Riverside Risk Advisors after spending more than ten years on a derivatives desk of a global bank. More specifically, Blaise led the development, structuring and execution of bespoke interest rate hedge strategies for private equity sponsors and corporate end-users within the real estate, power infrastructure, and entertainment finance sectors. Riverside Risk Advisors is a boutique advisory firm offering unparalleled expertise in hedging interest rate, currency, equity, and commodity risk. As an advisor, Riverside supports developers and borrowers as part of your deal team, helping you lower costs, improve terms, optimize execution, and manage the execution of hedging programs.

  Riverside Risk Advisors

  Director

  Hosting Topic Table On Interest Rates & Hedging Strategies

  Blaise Golightly

  Director

  Riverside Risk Advisors

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  Olga Zarney

  Olga Zarney is the Managing Principal of the Los Angeles office. Olga has 20 years of experience as a respected CPA and business advisor to entrepreneurs and their businesses. She provides tax compliance and planning for individuals, partnerships, closely-held businesses, corporations, and nonprofit organizations. She focuses on serving clients in the real estate industry including retail, office, residential, hospitality, industrial, and developers. Olga works closely with large real estate family owned offices to help them with tax saving strategies such as 1031 like-kind exchanges, cost segregation studies, use of federal and state tax credits and advises on entity formation and structure. She also works closely with attorneys on estate and gift tax planning to assist clients with a successful transition of family businesses to next generations. Additionally, Olga has handled tax controversy matters, including representation of taxpayers before federal, state, and local taxing authorities.

  CLA

  Managing Principal of Office

  Moderator

  Olga Zarney

  Managing Principal of Office

  CLA

Evolution of the Capital Stack

Structuring Deals And Financing Strategies in Times of Uncertainty

• Hosting Topic Table On Building Productive & Long-Term Relationships in CRE

  Samuel Landman

  Managing Principal

  SL Equity

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  Gary Bechtel

  Gary Bechtel leads the investment management leadership teams with direct oversight of all portfolios. Gary Bechtel served as President of Money360 and was responsible for developing and executing Money360’s expansion strategy. Gary also served on Money360’s Credit Committee and Board of Directors. Prior to joining the Company, he was Chief Lending/Originations Officer of CU Business Partners, LLC, the nation’s largest credit union service organization (CUSO). Previously, Gary held management or production positions with Grubb & Ellis Company, Meridian Capital, Johnson Capital, FINOVA Realty Capital, Pacific Southwest Realty Services and Hometown Commercial Capital. Gary began his career with the Alison Company and over the past thirty-four years has been involved in all aspects of the commercial real estate finance industry, as a lender and as an intermediary, including the origination, underwriting, structuring, placement and closing of over $10B in commercial debt transactions, utilizing various debt structures which have included permanent, bridge, equity, mezzanine and construction on transactions of $1M to $250M. These transactions were placed with a variety of capital sources that included life companies, commercial banks, credit unions and equity and mezzanine funds, on property types that included office, retail, industrial, multifamily, hospitality, self-storage and manufactured housing. He is or has been a member of the Mortgage Bankers Association of America, California Mortgage Bankers Association, National Association of Industrial and Office Properties, and International Council of Shopping Centers. Gary has spoken at numerous industry events and written articles and has been regularly quoted in a number of regional and national publications.

  Red Oak Capital

  CEO

  Gary Bechtel

  CEO

  Red Oak Capital

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  Daniel Kattan

  Daniel Kattan is an executive director of high yield originations at PGIM Real Estate. Based in Los Angeles, Daniel is responsible for sourcing, underwriting, and structuring high yield and structured real estate investments including senior loan, mezzanine, and preferred equity investments for the western U.S., including the Mountain States and Texas. Prior to joining PGIM Real Estate, Daniel was with Canyon Partners Real Estate where he was a Vice President with a focus on equity acquisitions and high yield debt originations throughout the Western US. In his five-year tenure, Daniel was responsible for executing $430 million of invested equity equal to $1.5 billion of total real estate capitalization. Prior to Canyon Partners Real Estate, Daniel was an associate with Colony Capital, an institutional real estate investment management firm, with a focus on equity acquisitions and bridge lending. Previously, he was an associate with CliftonLarsonAllen LLP, a leading accountancy firm, with a focus on tax and accounting services for institutional and high net worth real estate clients. Daniel has a bachelor’s degree in history and graduated magna cum laude from the University of Pennsylvania. He is also a member of the Jewish Federation Real Estate & Construction (REC) Network of Los Angeles.

  PGIM

  Executive Director, Financing

  Daniel Kattan

  Executive Director, Financing

  PGIM

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  Ed Wlodarczyk

  Ed Wlodarczyk joined PACE Loan Group in 2022. As Managing Director, Ed brings over 30 years of experience in corporate and real estate finance. Prior to joining PLG, Ed was a Vice President of Dividend Finance, where he focused on the C-PACE market and sustainable real estate finance. His experience also includes senior executive roles at Ten-X, Cushman Wakefield, Transwestern, and Coldwell Banker Commercial. His experience covers structured finance solutions, portfolio/asset management, consulting, and investment banking/capital markets. Ed attended Loyola University, Chicago and majored in business and communications disciplines.

  PACE Loan Group

  Managing Director

  Ed Wlodarczyk

  Managing Director

  PACE Loan Group

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  Matt Bear

  Matt Bear founded Bear Real Estate Advisors, LLC in 2018 with one goal – to cater to investors looking for personalized service and real world, battle-tested acquisition and disposition advice. He built the firm on a foundation of genuine sincerity and partnership to foster lifelong friendships that promote personal and financial growth for all. Before founding Bear, Matt was one of two founding partners of Venture Development Group, which specialized in the development of single tenant buildings, neighborhood and power center projects. The firm acquired, developed and/or disposed of 20 properties totaling $55 million. He led a team of 18 professionals across three regional offices that encompassed development, finance, property management and legal management. Matt was directly responsible for the development and execution of the firm’s investment/development strategies, while leading all aspects of acquisitions, dispositions and leasing of commercial real estate assets. In the wake of the 2008 global financial crisis, Venture Development Group discontinued operations and Matt resumed his career as one of the leading investment brokerage professionals with international commercial real estate services firms Avison Young and CBRE. A real estate and finance business leader with a rich history of nearly 30 years of transactional, development and advisory experience, including 10 years of principal investing and retail real estate development, Matt’s experience covers many of the major markets of the United States with clients and key business relationships that span across the real estate, finance and private equity sectors. Matt is an avid reader, a frequent blogger, a formerly good golfer, and an aspiring guitar player. He and his wife, Kelly, have been married for more than 20 years and are the proud parents of two beautiful, smart teenage girls who offer constant challenges and perplexity to their life, as well as an immeasurable amount of joy.

  Bear Real Estate Advisors

  Founder

  Hosting Topic Table On Building & Executing Your Real Estate Plan

  Matt Bear

  Founder

  Bear Real Estate Advisors

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  Nikole Zoumberakis

  Ms. Zoumberakis is a shareholder at Buchalter and has been a transactional attorney for over 15 years. Her practice covers a wide range of corporate, partnership and general securities matters, with a focus on real estate and private equity funds. She counsels on a broad range of legal and compliance issues faced by sponsors, including fund structure, portfolio investments, co-investment structures, and internal governance and compliance. Ms. Zoumberakis earned her J.D. at NYU School of Law and received her B.A. at the University of California, Berkeley.

  Buchalter

  Shareholder

  Moderator

  Nikole Zoumberakis

  Shareholder

  Buchalter