Opening Remarks

• Keynote

  Levar Stoney

  Mayor

  City of Richmond

• 

  Rex Smith, III

  Mr. Smith currently serves as Regional President of United Bank in Southern Virginia.  Prior to United Bank’s acquisition of Essex Bank in 2021,Mr. Smith was the President and Chief Executive Officer of Essex Bank since September 2010. From April 2009 to August 2010, he served as the Bank’s Executive Vice President and Chief Administrative Officer. From 2007 to 2009, he was the Central Virginia President for Gateway Bank and Trust and, from 2000 to 2007, he was President and Chief Executive Officer of The Bank of Richmond. Prior to that Mr. Smith held Executive positions at Guaranty Bank in Charlottesville Virginia and with Central Fidelity Bank in Richmond, Virginia. He has a B.A. in Economics from the University of Virginia and a Masters of Business Administration from the University of Richmond where he was an Honors Member of Beta Gamma. He is a published author on many banking topics such as; branch banking, transfer pricing methodologies and retail profitability analysis in the American Banker, ABA Marketing Journal and, the Community Banker. Mr. Smith formally served on the Boards of the March of Dimes and Children’s Hospital of Richmond. He is currently a Board member of Bankers Insurance, LLC.

  United Bank

  Regional President

  Rex Smith, III

  Regional President

  United Bank

Unlocking Opportunities: The Case for Investing in Richmond

Explore the region's strategic investments and the latest collaborative efforts that are shaping Richmond's future, fostering growth and enhancing the community

• 

  Jason Guillot

  Principal

  Thalhimer Realty Partners

• 

  Sharon Ebert

  Deputy CAO for Planning & Economic Development

  City of Richmond

• 

  Katherine O'Donnell

  EVP

  Richmond Region Tourism

• 

  Jose Romano

  Jose Romano is GRP’s Executive Vice President of Business Development. Jose has more than fifteen years of experience promoting economic growth and prosperity in both the public and private sectors. During his career, he has served four gubernatorial administrations in the states of Florida, Texas and Kansas. Additionally, he has represented various corporate clients as a site selector. Romano is a well-rounded professional with a proven track record of executive leadership and senior management in economic development, marketing and international business. His accomplishments account for the creation of more than 35,000 new jobs and projects totaling more than $10 billion in capital investment. He is a strategic thinker and maintains in-depth knowledge of leading industry trends. Romano attended Florida State University where he majored in Interdisciplinary Social Sciences. In 2021, he graduated from the University of Oklahoma’s Economic Development Institute. He was the recipient of the Development Counsellor International’s 40 Under 40 Award in 2017. He also commits his time to serving various non-profits

  Greater Richmond Partnership

  EVP

  Jose Romano

  EVP

  Greater Richmond Partnership

• 

  Elizabeth Steele

  Elizabeth G. Steele is Vice President of Business Development with Kensington Vanguard National Land Services LLC, in Richmond, Virginia. Liz received her J.D. from Seton Hall School of Law in Newark, New Jersey and was in private practice for several years before going in-house with the claims division of AIG Environmental in New York, New York. She relocated to Richmond Virginia many years ago where she has worked in the commercial title insurance industry in various capacities. She is mom to three, an avid runner and skier and a self-proclaimed “cranky yankee”.

  Kensington Vanguard National Land Services

  VP of Business Development

  Moderator

  Elizabeth Steele

  VP of Business Development

  Kensington Vanguard National Land Services

Navigating Richmond's Development: New Projects, Latest Asset Classes and Other Opportunities

Learn from the area's top executives about the asset classes that are growing, design trends, innovations and what to expect in the region's project pipeline

• 

  Neil Amin

  Mr. Amin started his career at Goldman, Sachs & Co., where he advised public and private technology companies on merger and acquisition transactions and capital markets activities. He currently has overall responsibility for 75 hotels owned and operated by Shamin Hotels, the largest hotel owner and operator in the Commonwealth of Virginia. Additionally, Mr. Amin oversees the operations of Shamin’s Assisted Living and Dementia facilities in Virginia. During his tenure at Shamin Hotels, the company has received numerous awards and recognitions including the Developer of the Year from Intercontinental Hotels Group and the Multi-Brand Developer of the Year, and New Build/Adaptive Reuse of the Year from Hilton Hotels. Mr. Amin has been repeatedly recognized as one of the Fifty Most Influential Virginians by Virginia Business and was awarded Hilton’s Lifetime Achievement Award in 2022. Mr. Amin graduated summa cum laude from The Wharton Business School at the University of Pennsylvania, completing his B.S. in Economics and MBA. He is passionate about assisting the communities where the associates of Shamin Hotels live and work and currently serves as the past chairman of the board of Richmond Region Tourism and serves on the boards of the Community Foundation, the Virginia Museum of History and Culture, the Virginia Community Development Corporation, Sports Backers, Venture Richmond, the Virginia Council on Economic Education, and the Virginia Cannabis Control Authority. Additionally, Mr. Amin serves on the Treasury Board of the Commonwealth of Virginia and the Governor’s Advisory Council on Revenue Estimates at the pleasure of the Governor of Virginia.

  Shamin Hotels

  CEO

  Neil Amin

  CEO

  Shamin Hotels

• 

  Natalie Mason

  EVP, Development

  Capital Square

• 

  Andrew Basham

  Andrew is a Principal and Co-founder of Spy Rock where he focuses on acquisition and development and management of project teams on all of Spy Rock’s ventures. Andrew relocated to Richmond from Falls Church in 2007 to start the Virginia Multifamily Development office for Colonial Properties Trust. From 2001-2007, Andrew was Vice President of Development and Acquisitions for The Silverwood Companies, a mixed-use, multifamily and land development firm based in Reston, VA. At Silverwood, he was responsible for the acquisition and development of over 1,000 multifamily units, including for-sale, market rate rental and LIHTC product. Andrew holds a B.A. from the University of Virginia and is a Board Member of the Home Builder’s Association of Richmond, an Executive Committee member and former Chair of HBAR’s Multifamily Council and a member of Virginia Housing’s (VHDA) Rental Advisory Board. Andrew was the Urban Land Institute’s member of the year for Virginia in 2016.

  Spy Rock Real Estate Group

  Principal & Co-founder

  Andrew Basham

  Principal & Co-founder

  Spy Rock Real Estate Group

• 

  Wes Patterson

  As the Director of Business Development for ARCO Design/Build, Wes Patterson brings over 10 years of experience in the construction industry. With expertise in construction management and building client relationships, Wes plays a crucial role in driving ARCO’s new business opportunities and helping future clients find solutions to their needs. Wes manages client relationships in the Richmond area and greater Virginia region. Prior to joining ARCO, Wes served as a Project Manager and Owner’s Rep for multiple developers and end users, most recently as a Senior Construction Manager for the Major Projects Division of Whole Foods Market. Wes graduated from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill with a double major in Economics and German.

  ARCO Design/Build

  Director

  Wes Patterson

  Director

  ARCO Design/Build

• 

  Vince Burke

  Vince serves in both development and investment and portfolio strategy roles for the Matan Companies. Prior to joining Matan, Vince spent 20 years at the B. F. Saul Company, performing a breadth of real estate disciplines, including transactions, development, asset management, and finance roles. He led transactions for the Saul Organization for over a decade, conducting the purchase and sale of properties of all product types, in multiple markets, throughout the east coast and mid-west of the United States. He has developed multiple institutional scale retail and residential mixed-use buildings, and the master planning of millions of square feet throughout the Greater Washington Metropolitan Area. Vince is a native Washingtonian, alumnus of Loyola University Maryland and the Georgetown Preparatory School. He is an active member of the community with associations to many industry and non-profit organizations. He has been a member of the Urban Land Institute, NAIOP, Seven Corners Land Use Task Force, Bethesda Master Plan Steering Committee, Bethesda Implementation Advisory Committee, EMPOWER Montgomery Governing Committee, Takoma-Langley Crossroads Owners Advisory Group, and the White Flint Implementation Advisory Committee. Vince has served in advisory and fundraising capacity to local non-profits including the Washington Jesuit Academy, the Salvation Army, Catholic Charities, and is currently a Board Member at the Don Bosco Cristo Rey School.

  Matan

  Director & Development

  Vince Burke

  Director & Development

  Matan

• 

  Maria Lobo

  Maria is a transformational leader and technical expert in the real estate and construction risk management industry with 20 years of combined experience and proven background as an engineer, underwriter, risk manager and broker leading enterprise risk management and insurance programs to mitigate business risks including execution and implementation of organizational policies. Maria’s approach is consultative and strategic. She leverages her unique combination of technical expertise to identify and treat risk, and create customized solutions that improve performance and transform operations for Contractors and Project Owners. Maria takes the time to develop a deep understanding of her clients’ needs and operations via risk assessments and evaluate options to transfer and manage their risk. During her career, Maria has played a pivotal role in leadership changes in the organizations she has served. Maria has been a strategic risk advisor on over 500 infrastructure, institutional, industrial, healthcare, commercial, power generating and real estate projects. Maria is a bilingual presenter and negotiator of real estate and construction risk management and insurance topics with work experience in organizations across North America, Latin America, and Europe with exposure to cross functional teams with multiple nationalities. Prior to her risk management career, Maria worked as a bridge hydraulics design engineer.

  Arthur J. Gallagher

  SVP

  Moderator

  Maria Lobo

  SVP

  Arthur J. Gallagher