Keynote Remarks

• Keynote

  Brandon Scott

  Mayor

  City of Baltimore

Beyond the City: Exploring Investment Opportunities in Baltimore’s Suburban Counties

• 

  Mark Renbaum

  Mark Renbaum, Founding Principal, has nearly 25 years of direct real estate experience spanning acquisitions, development, finance, operations, and law. Under his leadership, MLR Partners has grown from a small entrepreneurial platform into a vertically integrated investment firm with institutional capability and family-office agility. Before founding MLR Partners, Mr. Renbaum held key positions across the Mid-Atlantic real estate industry, including: • Retail Developer, St. John Properties • Director of Development, Black Oak Associates • Asset Manager, Greenberg Gibbons Commercial Corporation Mr. Renbaum also serves as Chief Executive Officer of Schwaber Holdings, LLC, a Baltimore-based family office established in the 1920s that maintains a diversified portfolio of retail, office, and mixed-use properties across the region. He earned his Bachelor of Business Administration from Emory University and his JD/MBA from the University of Baltimore. Mr. Renbaum is an active member of the International Council of Shopping Centers (ICSC) and serves on the Boards of the Dr. Michael Feinglass Cancer Foundation, Associated Jewish Charities, FIDF Baltimore, and (Advisory Board Member) the Real Estate Program at Loyola University Maryland’s Sellinger School of Business. His prior civic involvement includes board service with the Jewish Community Center of Baltimore and numerous other charitable organizations.

  MLR Partners

  Principal

  Mark Renbaum

  Principal

  MLR Partners

• 

  Wayne Gioioso, Jr.

  Wayne R. Gioioso, Jr. began his real estate career in 1984. Shortly thereafter, in 1987, he founded Mid-Atlantic Properties, Inc. The company’s substantial portfolio includes office, retail, parking, residential and storage properties, in addition to industrial land, throughout the Mid-Atlantic region. Over the course of his 40-year real estate career, Wayne has earned numerous awards and honors including winning the Baltimore Business Journal’s “Top 40 Under 40” award, being named a finalist for Ernst & Young’s “Real Estate Entrepreneur of the Year” award, receiving The St. Ignatius Award from St. Ignatius Parish and Fr. Bill Watters, and receiving the prestigious Kelley Medal award for distinguished alumni from his alma mater, Loyola Blakefield. Wayne is actively involved in the community and has served or is currently serving on the boards of: Cristo Rey Jesuit High School, Loyola Blakefield High School, Notre Dame Preparatory School, Johns Hopkins-External Affairs, Maryland State Fairgrounds, Baltimore County Economic Development Commission, Loyola University-Board of Sponsors and Signal 13 Foundation.

  Mid-Atlantic Properties

  President

  Wayne Gioioso, Jr.

  President

  Mid-Atlantic Properties

• 

  Jonathan Sachs

  Jonathan Sachs serves as Baltimore County’s Director of Economic and Workforce Development Department and was appointed by the County Executive to the role in April of 2024. The department has six divisions; Economic Development, Workforce Development, Tourism, Agriculture, Arts & Sciences, and Data and Economic Analysis. Jonathan oversees over 80 employees and a budget of about $100 million. Previously, Jonathan had a successful career as a healthcare executive. He served as CEO of a patient experience startup, Vice President and Chief Experience Officer (CXO) for Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital, and as Vice President of Experience Transformation at Adventist HealthCare. During his time in healthcare, Jonathan led Operations, Patient Experience, Foundation, Digital Health, Innovation, and Government Relations departments. He began his career focusing on economic development, leading advocacy efforts for the Montgomery County Chamber of Commerce. Jonathan is a Professional Certified Leadership Coach through the International Coaching Federation. He has coached CEO’s, COO’s, and other executives in government, for-profit, and not-for-profit companies. His passion is coaching emerging leaders, which is the subject of a book he authored called, Up or Out: How to Get Your First BIG Promotion, Without Playing Office Politics. He received his bachelor’s degree in Government and Politics from the University of Maryland, graduating with High Honors and serving as President of the Student Body. He has a Master’s in Business Administration from the Robert H. Smith School of Business at the University of Maryland. In addition, Jonathan has an Executive Certificate in Leadership Coaching from Georgetown University, and is a Fellow of the American College of HealthCare Executives. He also has a certification in Healthcare Innovation from Stanford University. Jonathan proudly calls Baltimore County home and lives in Pikesville. In his spare time, Jonathan can be found spending time with his family. He enjoys traveling, specifically to visit every Major League Baseball park, every Presidential Library, and every State Capitol building.

  Baltimore County

  Director of Economic and Workforce Development

  Jonathan Sachs

  Director of Economic and Workforce Development

  Baltimore County

• 

  Jennifer Jones

  Jennifer Jones has over 20 years of business and leadership experience in the private and public sectors. As Chief Executive Officer of the Howard County Economic Development Authority, Jennifer is responsible for being a catalyst for economic growth, supporting existing businesses, targeting new businesses, and working with stakeholders to set the vision and direction for Howard County that positions it as a regional, national, and international business location. In her years in the public sector, she has been an integral part of the Howard County business ecosystem, directly assisting and helping thousands of Howard County businesses who have grown to know and trust her. As a former Deputy Chief of Staff in Howard County Government, she worked collaboratively with the Howard County Economic Development Authority, the Chamber, and others, to devise millions of dollars in grant programs that ultimately helped thousands of businesses survive and thrive through the pandemic. She also led in accelerating opportunities through the pandemic. Leveraging federal funds, she quickly produced a strategy and executed new public and private partnerships so that Howard County was the first in the state to stand up county testing sites and mobile vaccination. Previously, Jennifer served as Vice President, Business Development at Live Nation, where she was responsible for business analysis and market expansion. She also worked with various other Fortune 500 companies, notably Sony and Universal Studios on international business development, and as a Manager at Ernst and Young, LLP, assisting middle market companies with their corporate finance needs. A Howard County native and graduate of Wilde Lake High School, she holds a Juris Doctor from Pepperdine University School of Law, a Master of Business Administration from Pepperdine University School of Business, and a Bachelor of Science in Electrical Engineering from Purdue University.

  Howard County Economic Development Authority

  CEO

  Jennifer Jones

  CEO

  Howard County Economic Development Authority

• 

  Mark Franceski

  Mark Franceski is a managing director of research and securities at Zelman & Associates, based in Bethesda, Maryland. In his role, he is responsible for leading multifamily industry and REIT research for the firm. He has nearly 20 years' experience as a commercial real estate market research expert and data strategist specializing in the multifamily sector. Prior to Zelman, Mr. Franceski served as executive director of multifamily analytics at global brokerage Avison Young and spent 10 years as head of research at Bozzuto, a national mixed-use investor, developer, builder, and operator, where he focused on market research, business intelligence, and data analytics. Mr. Franceski earned his bachelors degree in economics from Washington and Lee University and his masters degree in business administration from George Mason University. Outside of the company, he serves as adjunct faculty for Georgetown University’s master’s in real estate program, teaching real estate market research and analysis. Mr. Franceski lives in Alexandria, Virginia, with his wife and four children.

  Zelman & Associates

  Managing Director - Research & Securities - Research

  Mark Franceski

  Managing Director - Research & Securities - Research

  Zelman & Associates

• 

  Matthew Rothstein

  Matthew Rothstein is a partner in Citrin Cooperman’s Owings Mills office. He offers a creative advisor approach to his clients in order to maximize business value and personal wealth by providing business advisory and sophisticated tax planning for businesses and high net worth families. Matt has more than 15 years of experience, allowing him to be involved in all areas of client service, including business and personal strategic tax planning, succession, estate and gift planning, choice of entity, mergers, acquisitions, and interactions with government agencies on tax related matters. He has experience in a variety of industries, including commercial and residential real estate, construction, technology, automotive, government, and distribution, as well as high net worth families.

  Citrin Cooperman

  Partner

  Moderator

  Matthew Rothstein

  Partner

  Citrin Cooperman

Revitalization of Baltimore’s Neighborhoods: Old Town, Harbor East, Downtown and West Baltimore

• 

  Chris Mfume

  As the managing partner of The Civic Group., Christopher Mfume is responsible for leading all development and investment activities and guiding the firm’s projects through inception to completion. Prior to founding CLD, Mr. Mfume worked for Beatty Development Group where he had active roles in over $400 million in real estate investment and development. He holds a B.A. from Wake Forest University and serves on the board of several non-profits and community initiatives including the UMB Cure Scholars, and The Baltimore Hotel Corporation. He is also a member of The Housing Association for Non-profit Developers (HAND) focused on the production and preservation of affordable housing in the Capitol Region, AAREP DC, the Urban Land Institute, and Thread, a volunteer-driven mentor program.

  The Civic Group.

  Managing Partner

  Chris Mfume

  Managing Partner

  The Civic Group.

• 

  Terri Harrington

  Managing Principal

  Harrington Commercial Real Estate Services

• 

  Claudia Jolin

  Executive Director

  Baltimore Peninsula Partnership

• 

  Kimberly Clark

  Kim Clark is the Executive Vice President of the City of Baltimore Development Corporation (BDC). In her capacity as EVP she oversees neighborhood development, business development, capital budgeting, Small Business Resource Center, Emerging Technology Centers, Baltimore Main Streets program, marketing, and research & analytics. Among her achievements at BDC, Clark helped structure public private partnership financing for several major redevelopment projects, including several Tax Increment Financing (TIF) projects; the redevelopment of Belvedere Square, all parcels at Inner Harbor East, Payment in Lieu of Taxes (PILOTS) for several major developments, including the Westside and several grocery store projects. She was instrumental in retaining various businesses of all sizes and assisted smaller businesses with expansions. Clark represented the City in the development of the Horseshoe Casino Baltimore Clark is also the Vice President of the Maryland Economic Development Association, Chair of the Urban Land Institute Baltimore Council, and Second Vice President and Committee Chair of the Star Spangled Flag House. She also serves on the board of the Emerging Technology Centers, Small Business Resource Center, Leadership Maryland and the Baltimore Office of Promotion and the Arts; and is a member of the International Economic Development Council. In 2016 Kim was named by the Daily Record as one of Maryland’s Top 100 Women. Kim graduated Leadership MD in 2009 and is a Greater Baltimore Committee Leadership Class of 2007 graduate.

  Baltimore Development Corporation

  EVP

  Kimberly Clark

  EVP

  Baltimore Development Corporation

• 

  Gowtham Reddy

  Gowtham Reddy is the founder and CEO of Genesis Capital. He established the company in 2018 and started by buying a single-family townhouse in Sayreville, NJ. Once that property was sold, he reinvested into new developments, eventually growing the company to over 200 million in AUM spanning NJ, Philadelphia, and Baltimore. Genesis Capital develops mixed-use multi-family and their own brand of Boutique Extended Stay Hotels called "Jaan". Their area of expertise ranges from raw land development to historic building conversions.

  Genesis Capital

  CEO

  Gowtham Reddy

  CEO

  Genesis Capital

• Moderator

  Elaine Asal

  Principal & Strategy Director

  Gensler