Digital Keynote from Mayor Robinson: Building a Thriving and Vibrant City

From Building Infrastructure to Addressing Housing Needs, Hear How the City Plans to Grow and Attract Businesses and Residents

• 

  Lynne Robinson

  Mayor Lynne Robinson joined the City Council in 2014, and she has a long history of civic involvement. She is a champion for startups and small business, and has encouraged startup and equity crowdfunding workshops at City Hall. Her colleagues voted her deputy mayor in January 2018 and mayor in January 2020 and again in January 2022. Lynne also advocates for the environment, parks and open spaces, human services and affordable housing in Bellevue. She proposed a property tax exemption adopted by the council for multifamily complexes that include affordable housing. She represents the council on the King County Mental Illness and Drug Disability Advisory Committee, the King County Affordable Housing Committee and the Puget Sound Regional Council Executive Board. Before her election to the council, Lynne served on and chaired the Bellevue Network on Aging and the Parks & Community Services Board. A physical therapist with her own business, Lynne holds a doctorate in physical therapy from Regis University and a bachelor's degree in physical therapy from Northwestern University Medical School. She also earned a bachelor's degree in community services from California State University Chico. In 2015 Governor Jay Inslee appointed Lynne to a three-year term on the state Board of Physical Therapy. Lynne developed an interest in computer science while in college, and she is on the Washington Technology Industry Association Cascadia Blockchain Council. Lynne and husband Dan Watson live downtown after moving from the Woodridge neighborhood, where they had resided since 1997. Their two children graduated from Bellevue public schools and are successful professionals.

  City of Bellevue

  Mayor

  Lynne Robinson

  Mayor

  City of Bellevue

Building the City’s Core: A Destination Downtown

Developing the Built Environment to Support Sustainable Growth: From Class A Office Buildings to Luxury Residential, Retail, and Placemaking

• 

  Patrick Bannon

  Patrick Bannon has been president of the Bellevue Downtown Association, a membership organization of business and civic leaders who champion a strong economic and cultural heart for Bellevue and the Eastside, since 2013. He was the communications and public affairs manager there for seven years before moving into his current role. Patrick and the BDA team support members with advocacy, marketing and major community events, and strategic programs to help the Downtown area thrive. Prior to the BDA, Patrick was an account executive for the Seattle and Los Angeles offices of Hill+Knowlton Strategies. He also worked for a year in Hokkaido, Japan as an English teacher for junior high students. Patrick serves on the board of the Seattle Metropolitan Chamber of Commerce, and he is a past chair and board member for Leadership Eastside. He graduated from Pepperdine University, where he also met his wife, Sunni. They are Eastside residents with two fast-growing kids and a yellow Lab.

  Bellevue Downtown Association

  President and CEO

  Patrick Bannon

  President and CEO

  Bellevue Downtown Association

• 

  Richard Weir

  Richard is Executive Vice President Acquisitions + Asset Management for Bosa Development Corp. Bosa Development is a fully vertically integrated real estate development company recognized internationally for pioneering new markets and creating developments that are catalysts for change. The company has completed more than 20,000 homes in California, Washington, British Columbia and Alberta. In addition, the company owns a commercial real estate portfolio of more than 5.5 million square feet, made up of multifamily, industrial, retail, office and hotel properties. Since joining the company more than 25 years ago, Richard has played an instrumental role in charting its growth and asset management strategies.

  Bosa Development

  EVP

  Richard Weir

  EVP

  Bosa Development

• 

  Mary Fialko

  Real estate professional with a background in architecture, urban design, policy, project management, and finance. I care about making smart spaces- ones that combine sustainable and attractive design and a sense of surprise or delight. I have a passion for communities, and am dedicated to creating the types of places that allow cities and communities to thrive socially, economically, and health-wise.

  Skanska

  Director, Real Estate Development

  Mary Fialko

  Director, Real Estate Development

  Skanska

• 

  Matt Chamberlain

  EVP - West Coast

  Patrinely Group

• 

  Sean Canady

  Sean is a Principal with GGLO and serves as Principal-in-Charge of mixed-use high-rise projects, multi-family urban developments, and urban design, leading teams in designing tall buildings across North America and in southeast Asia. Sean sees architecture and urban design as a calling that allows us to make the world a better place, a commitment informed by his global experience living and working around the world. As part of GGLO’s Design Leadership Group, Sean developed GGLO’s design philosophy and approach, and reviews projects across the office to help refine the essential principals of our craft. Sean passionately believes in the importance of research and questioning to understand, in discovery as a path to innovation, and beauty and artistic expression as essential principals of our work. Sean is a Board member of the Seattle chapter of Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitats, is active in ULI and NAIOP, and is a design instructor in the University of Washington’s Commercial Real Estate program.

  GGLO

  Principal

  Sean Canady

  Principal

  GGLO

• 

  Cori Palmer

  Cori Palmer joined Mortenson in 2009 after graduating from the University of Puget Sound. As Market Executive, Cori is responsible for fostering and maintaining relationships with clients to partner on their business objectives and growth plans. She has expertise in a wide range of markets, including healthcare, commercial, hospitality, industrial, and water infrastructure. Through her exceptional use of listening, communication, problem-solving, and awareness of market trends, Cori collaborates with teams and partners to develop pristine solutions that benefit every party involved. She makes it her mission each day to help create and lead an environment where everyone feels welcomed, valued, and motivated to put their best foot forward to work together with our customers and partners to build lasting facilities for our communities.

  Mortenson

  Market Executive

  Moderator

  Cori Palmer

  Market Executive

  Mortenson

Supporting the Growth: Bellevue Housing Outlook

From Market Rate to Affordable Housing: How Are the City's Leading CRE Executives Constructing, Developing, and Designing for Future Residents?

• 

  Susan Boyd

  Susan Boyd is Bellwether Housing’s Chief Executive Officer, leading the organization’s overall direction and strategy since 2017. Under Susan’s leadership as CEO, Bellwether Housing has dramatically expanded its pace of affordable housing development and acquisition. She previously served as Bellwether’s Director of Real Estate Development, following a 12-year career as an attorney with the firm Kantor Taylor Nelson & Boyd. This background gives Susan a uniquely broad perspective on the intricacies of financing and developing affordable housing, the challenges of operating an organization in a complex regulatory environment, and the importance of building relationships across sectors to accomplish one’s mission. Susan currently serves on the Affordable Housing Committee of King County’s Growth Management Planning Council, the Downtown Seattle Association Board of Directors, and the Housing Development Consortium of Seattle-King County Board of Directors.

  Bellwether Housing

  CEO

  Susan Boyd

  CEO

  Bellwether Housing

• 

  Lily Kim

  Housing Strategy and Impact Manager

  Amazon

• 

  Conor Hansen

  Conor has been an affordable housing developer since 2008. He comes to SRM with experience of acquiring, renovating, entitling, and/or constructing more than 1,500 affordable housing units. He was also instrumental in creating the Urban Brownfields program with the Washington State Department of Ecology that allows affordable housing developers access to funding and liability protection for projects that have contaminated land.

  SRM Development

  Managing Principal

  Conor Hansen

  Managing Principal

  SRM Development

• 

  Patience Malaba

  Patience Malaba is recognized for her leadership in addressing the intersecting crises of affordable housing, racial equity, and climate change and is the 2020 Bullitt Foundation Environmental Fellowship awardee. As Executive Director, at the Housing Development Consortium of Seattle-King County, she leads the association in a shared effort to increase access to affordable housing. A commitment to environmental and economic justice and her passion for an equitable society led her directly to the affordable housing sector. Prior to this role, she served as HDC’s Director of Government Relations and Policy. Previous positions include work with Seattle for Everyone, a broad coalition that was central to the success of Seattle’s Housing Affordability and Livability Agenda (HALA), Futurewise, and the Services Employees International Union (SEIU) Local 6. Patience co-chairs the Eastside Housing Roundtable, co-chairs Puget Sound Regional Council (PSRC)’s Regional TOD Advisory Committee, Chairs the Seattle Planning Commission Housing and Neighborhoods Committee, and serves on the PSRC Growth Management Policy Board. She serves on the board of directors of the Transportation Choices Coalition and is a member of Sound Communities. Her appointments include the City of Seattle’s Redistricting Commission and Washington State Department of Commerce Homeownership Disparities Workgroup. Patience holds a Master of Public Administration from Seattle University, an Organizational Leadership Certificate from George Mason University, and a BA in International Development from Lupane State University in Zimbabwe.

  Housing Development Consortium of Seattle-King County

  CEO

  Patience Malaba

  CEO

  Housing Development Consortium of Seattle-King County

• 

  Aaron Laing

  Team Responsibility | Aaron is an Account Executive in our Commercial Department, serving a broad range of clients in the real estate, development, construction, restaurant, and hospitality industries. As an account executive, he leads a multifaceted team of talented, experienced colleagues who collaborate to tailor insurance programs to meet each client’s unique risk management needs. Background | Aaron joined Parker, Smith & Feek in 2022 after a 20-year career as a land use/real estate attorney, during which he served a broad client base of owners, developers, and property managers. His decades-long experience as a trusted advisor on all aspects of real property development, management, leasing, and litigation have provided him a unique and deep understanding of his clients’ challenges and needs. Aaron has extensive knowledge of real estate transactions, the development lifecycle, business considerations, litigation, and the risks associated with those activities. Experience & Approach | Relying on his experiences as an attorney, Aaron works to understand the nuances of his clients’ businesses in order to best guide them through their risk management efforts. He uses a proactive approach to risk control, claims management, underwriter negotiations, emphasizing mitigation of risks present in construction and development operations through risk assessment and clear contracts. Professional and Community Involvement | Aaron’s deeply held beliefs in serving others and teamwork led to his successful legal career and are the cornerstones of his approach to risk management. He also believes strongly in community involvement. He has served as board member and president of Bellevue United FC, and he volunteered on the City of Bellevue’s Planning Commission for over eight years. He is a member of the International Council of Shopping Centers (ICSC) and serves on the state committee as the private sector public-private partnership co-chair. Aaron is also a member of the Bellevue Chamber of Commerce Land Use, Sustainability & Housing (PLUSH) committee and the Building Industry Association of Washington’s (BIAW) Legal Committee. Aaron enjoys playing, coaching, and cheering for his kids in soccer.

  IMA Financial Group

  VP, Real Estate

  Aaron Laing

  VP, Real Estate

  IMA Financial Group

• 

  Rob Warnaca

  I'm the President of GenCap Construction Corp, based in Kirkland, WA. We are a commercial and multi-family builder that focuses on bringing new technologies and efficiencies to the construction market. This reduces cost and improves our customers’ ability to deliver affordable and highly desired housing to the communities we serve. I am a 30-year construction management veteran and served 24 years at Mortenson Construction, a national GC, where I led the operational, estimating, preconstruction, and design phase services of the business while specializing in the sports, life sciences, and higher education markets. I am responsible for our company and the success of our clients and partners on every project we deliver. Our focus is “Building Better Lives”—for our team members, our customers, our partners, and the communities and structures we build. We turn Spaces into Places. Our leadership team’s #1 focus is on developing our people through enhanced training, a diverse workforce, and an understanding of customer value. By applying these key traits, we have grown our business volume and customer base by 400% in 5 years. Currently, in 2024, GenCap is the fifth fastest-growing company on the Eastside. I serve as a board member for the Eastside Foundation, chair emeritus for the University of Washington Construction Industry Advisory Council, and former Project Review committee member for Washington State CPARB. I also proudly educate students at the UW as an adjunct professor of construction management. Most importantly, I am a husband to my soulmate, father of 4 wonderful young adults, and buddy to my French bulldog, Sparky, and Labrador, Moose!

  GenCap Construction

  President

  Rob Warnaca

  President

  GenCap Construction

• 

  Abigail Pearl DeWeese

  Abigail provides critical insight and advice to residential, commercial, and institutional developers. She has devoted her career to understanding the challenges faced by developers, land owners, and architects throughout Washington in all aspects of land acquisition and development, from initial due diligence to full entitlement and defending appeals. Abigail takes great pride in offering an integrated suite of services, including providing land use, environmental, and real estate advice. With a depth of experience in the Puget Sound Region, including in Seattle, Bellevue, Redmond, Kirkland, and Renton, clients benefit from Abigail’s solution-oriented approach and deep insight into their business challenges. Abigail’s practice has been particularly active in Bellevue since the Downtown zoning code update. Since then, she’s been involved with projects in Bellevue that total over 2.9 million square feet of commercial development and provide over 1000 residential units, with more in the pipeline.

  Hillis Clark Martin & Peterson

  Attorney

  Moderator

  Abigail Pearl DeWeese

  Attorney

  Hillis Clark Martin & Peterson