Opening Keynote: Soft Landing Underway? Outlook for the US and Texas Real Estate Market

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  Richard Barkham

  Global Chief Economist

  CBRE

Lending in Today’s Market: An In Depth Look At Current Trends and the Impacts on Commercial Real Estate in the Dallas Market

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  Bob Mohr

  Bob Mohr serves as founder and chairman of Mohr Capital, a privately held commercial real estate investment firm based in Dallas, Texas. Prior to founding Mohr Capital, the Indiana native formed Mohr Partners – a global corporate real estate advisory firm – in 1986, amid Dallas’ great economic and real estate downturn. As chairman and CEO, Mohr leveraged tech advancements to provide corporate tenants with integrated real estate solutions until selling the firm in 2017. Upon sale, the firm served occupier clients in over 70 countries through 18 offices across the U.S. and three international alliances. In 2000, he founded Mohr Capital, leveraging his amassed capital and national network of industry relationships to acquire, develop, and value enhance corporate office, industrial and retail properties. Since its inception, the firm has completed more than $2.5 billion in transactions. Mohr teaches certification classes for the Council of Supply Chain Management Professionals, lectures at Career College Association events and speaks at industry events across the country. He also volunteers with several charities, including Jonathan’s Place and the St. Anthony School in south Dallas.

  Mohr Capital

  Founder & Chairman

  Bob Mohr

  Founder & Chairman

  Mohr Capital

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  Steve Galbreath

  As Chief Development Officer and Head of Design & Construction for Garfield Public/Private LLC, Mr. Galbreath manages the development of hotels, convention and conference centers, entertainment and mixed-use properties. Joining Garfield in 2016, he brought 22 years as a leader in the global hospitality sector for RTKL Associates in the Americas. In addition to the design of hotels and resorts, his experience has centered around hospitality and gaming components of large-scale, mixed-use developments combining retail, entertainment, sports, residential, office, hotel, and other uses known for their commercial success and lasting sense of place.

  Garfield Public/Private

  Chief Development Officer

  Steve Galbreath

  Chief Development Officer

  Garfield Public/Private

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  Christopher Morris

  Christopher is a vice president with Edge Capital Markets focused on investment sales and workout strategies, primarily the repositioning and disposition of commercial property across the country. Prior to joining Edge-CM, Christopher was a regional leasing manager for GameStop Corp. (NYSE: GME) responsible for negotiating more than 1 million square feet of corporate leases nationwide. He began his real estate career as a licensed Property Tax Consultant and prior to real estate, founded and led an accounting firm engaged in government and nonprofit audit, risk assessment, and compliance work for more than a decade. Christopher is an active member of the Urban Land Institute (ULI), participating nationally on the Commercial and Retail Development Product Council and as chair of the Champions of Change initiative for ULI Dallas-Fort Worth local district council. Additionally, he is a member of the CRE Finance Council (CREFC) and International Council of Shopping Centers (ICSC), where he was selected to the 2022-2024 ICSC Next Generation Leadership Network (NGLN). Christopher has earned the Certified Commercial Investment Member (CCIM) designation awarded by CCIM Institute and is currently a board member of the North Texas CCIM Chapter. He has also earned the Short Sales and Foreclosure Resource (SFR®) certification of the National Association of Realtors®. Christopher holds both a Bachelor of Science in Economics and Master of Science in Accounting from the University of Texas (UT System) and is a 2016 graduate of Project REAP - The Real Estate Associate Program. A former amateur boxer and martial artist, Christopher enjoys combat sports and as a girl-dad, he loves traveling and spending time with his two daughters and wife of 20 years.

  Edge Capital Markets

  VP

  Christopher Morris

  VP

  Edge Capital Markets

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  Branko Kuzmanovic

  Branko Kuzmanovic is head of the Acquisitions department at Empira Group, a fully integrated, institutional real estate investment firm focused on high-end multifamily development opportunities. Empira Group currently has mid-rise and high-rise development projects in Dallas and Miami. Earlier in his career, Branko held the position of Direction of Acquisitions at Next Realty where he spearheaded sourcing and underwriting of new acquisition opportunities. Branko holds a degree in Finance from the Purdue University as well as an MBA with a concentration in Finance from the Illinois State University.

  Empira Group

  Director - Acquisitions

  Branko Kuzmanovic

  Director - Acquisitions

  Empira Group

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  Ryan Chismark

  Mr. Chismark is a Partner with Meritax Advisors, a Texas based property tax consulting, due diligence and appeals practice. His team works with institutional owners of commercial real estate through acquisition, development and property tax protests. Meritax Advisors manages a portfolio of $50 Billion in real estate value. Ryan is a Certified Commercial Investment Member (CCIM) and licensed property tax consultant. He attended Le Moyne College in New York. Ryan grew up in Syracuse, NY before relocating to Texas in 2012. He lives in Dallas with his wife Chelsea, daughter Olive and son Archer.

  Meritax Advisors

  Partner

  Ryan Chismark

  Partner

  Meritax Advisors

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  Lee McCormick

  Lee is a registered municipal advisor with more than 25 years of experience in domestic and international finance. Lee founded Lone Star PACE to serve as a program administrator to the cities and counties within the State of Texas that elect to implement a Property Assessed Clean Energy (PACE) program. He works with public and private entities to help them achieve their energy and water conservation goals via the PACE financing program in their regions. Prior to founding Lone Star PACE, Lee created Community Development Associates, Granite Municipal Advisors and Sierra Management Group to help public, private and nonprofit entities navigate the requirements for various state and federal tax-advantaged financing programs. Since then, these entities have helped finance more than $40 billion in private activity bonds across 35 states. Lee also served as assistant treasurer for USA Waste Services, where he assisted with the aggressive growth strategy that involved acquiring more than 300 small to midsize companies, taking the company’s revenue from $600 million to $3 billion during a four-year period. The company successfully completed a reverse merger in 1998 with Waste Management Inc., bringing total revenues to more than $13 billion. Lee received his BA in finance with honors from Sam Houston State University and his MBA with honors from the University of Houston. He is a member of the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA) and the Frisco Chamber of Commerce, and he has served as an advisor on the Department of Energy C-PACE Working Group.

  Lone Star Pace

  President

  Lee McCormick

  President

  Lone Star Pace

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  Zach Sams

  Zach Sams joined Kensington Vanguard in November of 2016 after serving as Vice President of Sales & Marketing for Fidelity National Title’s Dallas/Fort Worth division from 2012-2016. Zach is focused on expanding KV’s footprint in the D/FW, Texas, Arizona and National markets. From selling real estate for to business development roles at prominent local and national title insurance companies, Zach has been active in the in the real estate market since 2005. Prior to the title industry, Zach attended The Golf Academy of America in San Diego, then spent two years playing professional golf on various mini tours in Southern California. Zach is a Veteran of the US Army. Zach lives in Argyle, TX with his wife Amber and their two boys 11&13. In his free time Zach enjoys playing competitive amateur golf and traveling with his wife and kids.

  Kensington Vanguard National Title

  EVP

  Moderator

  Zach Sams

  EVP

  Kensington Vanguard National Title

Leasing and Sales Activity: Navigating the Evolving Tenant and Buyer Demands Across Dallas

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  Robbie Baty

  Robbie Baty serves as a Vice Chairman and the Office Tenant Representation Leader of Cushman & Wakefield’s Dallas-Fort Worth market. The Dallas office holds a market-leading position for assisting clients with large, complex transactions including new leases, renewals, restructurings, and subleases. In this role, Baty is responsible for the overall strategic direction, recruiting and growth of the Office Tenant Representation service line. Currently, the team consists of 20 brokers ranking in one of Dallas’ largest brokerage firms. Additionally, Baty has helped companies with their headquarters locations for the last 17 years. His primary focus is Dallas-Fort Worth, also assisting clients with their portfolios across the country. Baty specializes in representing office tenants of all sizes in site selection, lease negotiations, build-to-suits, and municipal incentives negotiations. Over his career, he has distinguished himself as one of the top tenant representatives in the North Texas market, being honored as the NAIOP 2016 North Texas Office Broker of The Year.

  Cushman & Wakefield

  Vice Chairman

  Robbie Baty

  Vice Chairman

  Cushman & Wakefield

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  Doug Banerjee

  Regional Markets of Focus: Midwest USA Mountain West USA Arkansas Oklahoma New Mexico Texas Experience and Recognition: Multifamily Investment Sales Broker in Dallas, TX, and has been in the industry since 2011 Several years of multifamily experience with a national real estate services firm, focusing exclusively on advisory and disposition services for multifamily property owners in the South Central United States Worked for six years as a consultant for two top consulting firms in the world, Accenture and Deloitte Founded the Dallas office in 2014 and leads the Dallas Multifamily Sales Team Closed over $250M in Multi-family transactions during the year 2021 and was recently awarded D CEO Power Broker 2023 Expertise: Serves as the primary point contact for Greysteel’s Texas-based Multifamily Investment sales division Leads the Central U.S. Multifamily Practice and is responsible for start-to-finish deal execution on private capital and middle-market multifamily property transactions in the Greater Dallas submarkets

  Greysteel

  Sr Managing Director

  Doug Banerjee

  Sr Managing Director

  Greysteel

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  Emily Hoffman

  Emily Hoffman currently serves as a Senior Vice President at Colliers specializing in Office Tenant Representation. Using her extensive market knowledge and experience, she manages lease renewals, relocations, expansions and consolidation of office space. With over 16 years of experience in the Commercial Real Estate Industry, Emily has developed a deep understanding of her client’s overall business concerns. As a result, she creates real estate solutions that meet each company’s financial and operational objectives as well as other specific needs.

  Colliers

  SVP, Dallas Office Tenant Representation

  Emily Hoffman

  SVP, Dallas Office Tenant Representation

  Colliers

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  Reegan Busby

  Ms. Busby is responsible for office leasing and supporting marketing efforts and strategy across the portfolio. Before joining Pacific Elm Properties, she worked with the Office Agency Leasing group for Colliers North Texas office, where she and the team were responsible for leasing a portfolio of more than 8.5 million square feet. Ms. Busby began her early real estate career in the healthcare sector where she represented both Landlords and Tenants. Reegan graduated with a Bachelor of Arts degree from Pepperdine University.

  Pacific Elm Properties

  Vice President Leasing

  Reegan Busby

  Vice President Leasing

  Pacific Elm Properties

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  Brittney Austin

  Brittney focuses on spearheading national expansion for specialty retail concepts, luxury service operators, and boutique fitness users for upscale mixed use centers, street retail and regional malls across the country. She has a strong passion for emerging concepts in which she assists in implementing growth strategies for and introducing innovative merchandising approaches based on their target consumer. Brittney has worked on Landlord representation ranging from local Landlords to national REITs in Nevada, Michigan, Maryland, Florida, Utah, Colorado, and throughout Texas. Brittney strives to create unique and customized experience for both the Landlord and Tenant. She has completed transactions with Lululemon, Shake Shack, Marine Layer, Warby Parker, Love Shack Fancy, Drybar, Reformation, Sephora, Peloton, Travis Mathew, Tommy John, Mizzen + Main, Mejuri, Kendra Scott, Gorjana, and strong Texas Local’s such as Favor The Kind, Village Baking Company, ROAM Fine Goods, Rye 51 l Q Custom Clothier’s, Vandelay Hospitality, La La Land Kind Café and many more. Prior to joining SHOP Companies, Brittney was raised in Las Vegas and worked in Los Angeles at a Fashion PR firm which led her interests to retail and fashion. She then took a job in Plano, TX and spent four years working in the buying office at JCPenney Corporate. Brittney received a Bachelor of Science in Human Resources Management and Retail Business Administration from Texas A&M University.

  SHOP Companies

  Partner

  Brittney Austin

  Partner

  SHOP Companies

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  Greg Gordon

  As a third-generation builder, Greg Gordon has spent the last 25+ years continuing his family’s legacy in construction and real estate. The guiding passion through it all has been a passion for serving others. Whether it’s serving clients, subcontractors, employees, or his own family, Greg truly believes in the principle of servant leadership combined with the commitment to excellence. It’s with these in mind, that Greg founded Gordon Highlander in 2007. Under Greg’s leadership, Gordon Highlander has experienced tremendous growth becoming one of the top General Contractors in DFW. Recently the company was awarded the Dallas Business Journal’s Best Places to Work award, further reflecting Greg’s ongoing commitment to the people around him.

  Gordon Highlander

  President

  Moderator

  Greg Gordon

  President

  Gordon Highlander

Transformative Developments: Buildings That Are Reshaping the City’s Future

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  Donald Braun

  Mr. Braun is President of HALL Group and oversees the company’s day to day business activities and implementation of investment strategies. Mr. Braun has over 35 years of commercial real estate experience and has been with HALL Group since 1980, serving in a variety of management capacities. He has extensive capital market experience having secured a broad range of funding and financing facilities. Mr. Braun serves, and has served, on the board of directors of numerous companies across a broad range of industries including real estate, software and technology, and oil and gas. He has also served as an executive board member of various nonprofit organizations. Mr. Braun earned a Bachelor's of Art in economics from Albion College, and is a Certified Public Accountant.

  HALL Group

  President

  Donald Braun

  President

  HALL Group

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  Artemio De La Vega

  Artemio De La Vega is the founder and CEO of De La Vega Development, a commercial real estate firm specializing in dynamic mixed-use developments. Mr. De La Vega has more than 25 years of experience in the entrepreneurial and real estate industry, with a focus on single-tenant, multi-tenant retail centers and mixed-use developments. He brings a versatile and deep knowledge of development, master planning, entitlements, construction and capital markets to every project. Mr. De La Vega has successfully invested, acquired, developed or redeveloped more than 100 commercial real estate projects throughout the world. Some of his more notable projects include the 900,000 square-foot Las Palmas Marketplace in El Paso, TX; the 900,000-square-foot Canyon West in Lubbock, TX; the 400,000-square-foot Kings Crossing in Shreveport, LA; as well as multiple industrial distribution and manufacturing facilities for clients such as Chrysler, General Motors, Alcoa, Yazaki, Bergamasca and more. As a recognized leader in the commercial real estate industry, Mr. De La Vega frequently serves as a panelist for many leadership and future vision summits. He is also a guest columnist for a variety of publications and active with several professional organizations, including the International Council of Shopping Centers (ICSC) and The Real Estate Council (TREC). In addition, he serves on the Executive Committee of the Chancellor’s Council of the University of Texas System, is a board member and donor to the FEMAP Foundation, and a proud donor and supporter of the Artemio De La Vega Scholarship Fund for the benefit of Hispanic students at the University of Texas, El Paso. He received his Bachelor of Business Administration from the University of Texas, is a graduate of Culver Military Academy, Jr. Reserve Officers Training Corps and holds an FAA private aircraft license. Mr. De La Vega enjoys spending time with his wife and four children.

  De La Vega Development

  CEO

  Artemio De La Vega

  CEO

  De La Vega Development

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  Billy Prewitt

  Mr. Prewitt is responsible for development and execution of investment strategies. He is actively involved in acquisitions, dispositions, development and redevelopment efforts, and technical building operations. Previously, Mr. Prewitt was an Associate with Hillwood Investments, where he assisted in raising a $215 million separate account and the placement of $1.2 billion worth of real estate investments across multiple product types. Prior to joining Hillwood, Mr. Prewitt spent three years as an analyst in the energy and natural resources investment banking division of Bear Stearns. While at Bear Stearns, Mr. Prewitt completed 39 transactions totaling $14.7 billion. Mr. Prewitt graduated Magna Cum Laude from Texas Christian University in Fort Worth, Texas with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Economics and a Bachelor of Business Administration in Finance.

  Pacific Elm Properties

  EVP, CIO

  Billy Prewitt

  EVP, CIO

  Pacific Elm Properties

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  Dallas Cothrum

  Dallas Cothrum, Ph. D., serves as President of Masterplan and La Barba Permit Service, both Milrose companies. Throughout his career, Dr. Cothrum has worked on numerous technically challenging and politically charged cases. His practices include significant experience in public presentations before community groups, municipal boards, commissions, and councils. Dr. Cothrum assists clients with all facets of land use development, from due diligence and site selection to entire zoning and building permitting processes. An expert in land use, lobbying, permitting, and zoning, he represents clients ranging from schools and public agencies to billion-dollar companies. His company’s team of consultants has a track record of creating success for these customers.

  Masterplan

  President

  Dallas Cothrum

  President

  Masterplan

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  Harrison Polsky

  Principal of The Polsky Messer Team at Douglas Elliman Real Estate with an extensive track record of sales, Harrison encourages his clients to a) trust the process, and b) hire not just for pedigree, but also for potential. He is focused on delivering the best possible experience and outside-the-box solutions to every client, to build a high level of trust and confidence, and ensure that their needs are met and exceeded. With years of experience in real estate, Harrison began his career in the commercial arena as an analyst, then transitioned to the residential market where he specializes in development, new construction sales and resales. His analytical background fuels his keen pricing and market knowledge, and his ability to identify the best opportunities and strategies for his buyers and sellers. Clients appreciate the tremendous care and attention to detail Harrison brings to their transactions. His tenacious nature, aggressive yet deliberate approach, and extreme communication throughout the process put their minds at ease, knowing he will stop at nothing to keep them informed and help achieve their goals. Coupled with that is an exceptional flair for negotiating and bringing all parties together with success, adding value on the optimal level. “Real estate is not a cookie-cutter business, which is why I tailor my service and my strategizing to each individual client. Their needs go before my own, and their satisfaction is my reward. My emphasis on establishing lasting relationships was instilled by my grandfather, who'd order just a cup of soup whenever he went out to eat. When I asked him why, he said, ‘I just go for the company.' Words I live by every day.” A Manhattan native and longtime Highland Park resident, Harrison is an SMU graduate with a BA in International Economics, BA in Philosophy and GMCP in Marketing. He holds a Masters in Management and Strategy from Cox School of Business, and previously worked in the marketing department for the Dallas Mavericks. Harrison works out every morning, meditates every night, and loves spending time with his wife, daughters, dog and cat. He is an active member of Young Texans Against Cancer and Social Venture Partners.

  Principal Sales Agent, The Polsky Porpino Team at Douglas Elliman Real Estate

  Principal, Catēna Homes

  Harrison Polsky

  Principal, Catēna Homes

  Principal Sales Agent, The Polsky Porpino Team at Douglas Elliman Real Estate

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  Steven Upchurch

  Steven Upchurch is a Principal and Co-Managing Director of Gensler Dallas, and a practice area leader for the firm’s hospitality practice. With over three decades of design, planning, management, and real estate development experience, Steven actively grows and diversifies Gensler’s various practice areas with a focus on the firm’s culture, its people, and platforms. He applies his knowledge of local, regional, and international markets to deliver impactful and memorable experiences to owners, developers, operators, and brands.

  Gensler

  Principal & Co-Managing Director

  Moderator

  Steven Upchurch

  Principal & Co-Managing Director

  Gensler