Keynote Address: Raleigh Mayor Janet Cowell

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  Janet Cowell

  Raleigh Mayor Janet Cowell has fifteen years of prior public service, including Raleigh City Councilor, NC State Senator, and North Carolina State Treasurer. The first (and only) woman elected Treasurer, she managed over $100 billion in pension assets and administered the state health plan for over 900,000 state and local government workers and retirees. Before being elected Mayor, Janet worked closely with the City of Raleigh as the President and CEO of Dix Park Conservancy. The Conservancy works with the City to create Dorothea Dix Park, a 308-acre site less than one mile from downtown Raleigh. During her tenure, Janet raised over $40 million in private funds to help create the park. She oversaw the completion of renovation and adaptive reuse projects at the park including the Greg Poole Jr. Chapel and the Stone Houses and Visitor Center. She also established a significant public arts program featuring local, national, and international artists. Cowell has served on numerous boards throughout her career. She served eight years on the NC Board of Education and NC Community College Board. She currently chairs the Wharton School of Business Executive Education Board. She served as a corporate director of two publicly traded companies -- Channel Advisor and James River Insurance. Originally from Memphis, TN, Cowell is a graduate of the University of Pennsylvania and earned her MBA and MA in International Studies from the Wharton School of Business and the Lauder Institute.

  City of Raleigh

  Mayor

  Keynote

  Janet Cowell

  Mayor

  City of Raleigh

Why Invest in the Triangle?

Economic and demographic trends driving investor sentiment locally

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  Ryan Blair

  Managing Partner

  Heritage Capital Partners

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  Gaurav Patel

  Gaurav "G" Patel is a seasoned entrepreneur, restaurateur, business consultant, and 20-year veteran of the hospitality industry of Raleigh, NC. His clarity and natural optimism are drivers of his professional success. This includes his vision to help his local community grow and his interest in mentoring young minds. However, G's professional endeavors would not be possible without the support of his loving wife, Julie, and their children, daughter Zara and son Azil. Today, G leads the Acquisition and Investments for CityPlat Capital, combining his multi-dimensional experience across several leading industries with his passion for development. CityPlat is a leader in local growth while simultaneously building exceptional value for its investors. Together, they continue to change the landscape of commercial real estate in North Carolina. Click here to learn more about CityPlat.

  CityPlat Capital

  Partner

  Gaurav Patel

  Partner

  CityPlat Capital

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  Scott Underwood

  Scott Underwood focuses on North Carolina in the Triangle and Wilmington markets, and his work includes site selection, due diligence, pre-development planning, and oversight of consultants, and ultimately disposition. Prior to joining Woodfield, Scott had a successful career in the consumer-packaged goods industry with both Roll Global and Coca-Cola North America, and his duties included the development and implementation of national & international strategy. Scott completed his MBA at the University of North Carolina (Chapel Hill), and he earned his Real Estate Certification, and Certified Specialist of Wine Certification at the same time. Ultimately, his passion for real estate led him to Woodfield. Scott and his wife, Asheley, live in Raleigh-Durham, and he serves on the board of the Triangle Community Coalition and sits on several Urban Land Institute national and district councils.

  Woodfield Development

  Partner

  Scott Underwood

  Partner

  Woodfield Development

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  Ben Johnson

  Prior to joining Port Commercial, Ben Johnson was an Associate at Lightstone, where he played a key role in leading the Southeast office in Charlotte, NC. His primary responsibilities encompassed sourcing, underwriting, structuring, and closing industrial equity opportunities across the nation, with a particular emphasis on Southeast markets. Additionally, Mr. Johnson assisted in arranging financing for Lightstone development projects. Ben has focused on acquisitions in the industrial, residential, and hospitality sectors.

  Port Commercial

  Director of Acquisitions

  Ben Johnson

  Director of Acquisitions

  Port Commercial

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  John Zemet

  John serves as Chief Operating Officer and Chief Investment Officer for APG in Raleigh, North Carolina. John’s responsibilities include: portfolio, investor and revenue development, organizational development and acting as a lead company ambassador. Following his graduation from the US Military Academy at West Point, John’s professional career began with service to our country as an Army Infantry officer in the 82nd Airborne Division. His leadership experience ranges from US Army combat operations to teams of professionals assembled to work on real estate projects across the United States. John has hands-on experience in all of the disciplines of commercial real estate. His leadership responsibilities have included the entire real estate asset/portfolio development and management processes from site selection, budgeting, and design through acquisitions, engineering, entitlements, leasing and marketing, construction, finance, management, and disposition. He has had leadership roles in real estate projects ranging to over one million square feet in venues including office buildings, malls and shopping centers in mixed-use, suburban and urban projects across 22 states. He has led over $830 million of financing and asset development; raised tens of millions in private and institutional investment equity and crafted over $150M in creative debt re-structure transactions. In addition, John has led the workouts and turnarounds of companies across North America and trained corporate leaders in the implementation of sound leadership and best practices for business as an international management consultant. John’s passion is working with people to discover they can achieve things they don’t think are within their capabilities.

  APG Companies

  CIO & COO

  Moderator

  John Zemet

  CIO & COO

  APG Companies

Major Projects Defining Market Activity

The nature, scope and status of some of the Triangle's most pertinent projects

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  Kerry Painter

  Executive Director

  Raleigh Convention Center

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  Nate Hoffman

  Nathaniel “Nate” Hoffman is Vice President of Development at Hoffman & Associates, bringing a decade of experience in real estate development, acquisitions, and strategic planning across the Mid-Atlantic and Southeast. Since joining the firm in 2015, Nate has played a critical role in shaping transformative, community-driven projects, overseeing development from acquisition to completion. Having been immersed in Hoffman & Associates from an early age, interning in various roles every summer since earning his driver’s license, Nate has developed a deep understanding of the firm’s values, mission, and industry approach. Today, he provides strategic leadership across the company’s portfolio, managing complex entitlement processes, driving project execution, and delivering innovative, high-quality developments. On the acquisitions side, Nate has been instrumental in securing and underwriting key projects, ranging from single-parcel developments to large-scale, multi-parcel urban transformations. His work includes The Westerly, The Banks &Riverside Baptist Church in the Southwest neighborhood of Washington, DC, The Bower in The Yards neighborhood of Washington, DC, Seaboard Station in Raleigh, NC, and 3200 W Moore in Richmond, VA. In development management, Nate has overseen the successful completion of major projects spanning multifamily, hotel, condominium, retail, and mixed-use developments. His leadership has helped deliver The Banks Apartments, Riverside Baptist Church, Amaris Condominiums, and the Pendry Hotel in The Wharf neighborhood of Washington, DC, and West Falls B & D Garages, and The Oak Condominiums in the West Falls neighborhood of Falls Church, Virginia. Nate holds a Bachelor of Science in Management with a concentration in Real Estate from the Schreyer Honors College at Pennsylvania State University and a Master of Business Administration (MBA) from Georgetown University.

  Hoffman & Associates

  VP, Development

  Nate Hoffman

  VP, Development

  Hoffman & Associates

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  Terence McCabe

  Organizing teams to operate at their peak performance is Terence’s passion. He thrives on delivering successful projects for clients by applying his management skills and design insight. Terence focuses on pulling together the best architects and engineers into a cohesive team that elevates their performance above what they could achieve individually. As the Raleigh office Managing Director and Principal, Terence works closely with clients and design teams to define a project’s goals, budget, and schedule. Then, he puts that project on the pathway to success through careful organization. With Master of Business Administration and Master of Architecture degrees, he understands what clients are looking for and how to deliver a successful project to achieve your objectives.

  Page

  Managing Director

  Terence McCabe

  Managing Director

  Page

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  Andy Mills

  Andy Mills, PE, is a Senior Project Manager of Civil/Site Development at Colliers Engineering & Design with 38 years of experience in the site development industry. He has gained a reputation throughout the Triangle region as a problem solver regarding civil/site engineering, construction, and land development projects and has built valuable relationships with developers, site contractors, municipalities and regulatory authorities. Andy’s experience includes involvement with multiple new residential development projects across North Carolina. He has leveraged his expertise to bring these projects successfully from conception, through the entitlement process to final certificate of occupancy. Andy’s wide range of expertise includes a thorough working knowledge of managing site plans and construction documents, the rezoning process, stormwater management, sanitary sewer collection, water/fire flow systems, permitting, as-builts and certifications.

  Colliers Engineering & Design

  Senior Project Manager, Civil/Site Development

  Andy Mills

  Senior Project Manager, Civil/Site Development

  Colliers Engineering & Design

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  Noah Soven

  With over a decade of operational experience, Noah brings a results-driven mindset and strong client relationships that are key to expanding NRP’s third-party GC business across the Carolinas. Over his career, he has helped deliver more than $300 million in construction projects, spanning from multifamily units, as well as over 1,000,000 square feet of commercial and industrial space. Noah’s DNA as a Project Manager has led teams on projects ranging from retail and multifamily to industrial use, consistently delivering on time and within budget. His deep understanding of constructability allows him to advise owners from the earliest conceptual phases through preconstruction, value engineering, construction, and final closeout—maximizing value and minimizing risk. Prior to joining NRP, Noah held key roles at Fore Property Development and Williams Company Southeast, where he built a reputation for delivering high-quality projects while maintaining a sharp focus on client priorities and bottom-line results.

  The NRP Group

  VP

  Moderator

  Noah Soven

  VP

  The NRP Group

Opening Remarks

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  Julie Gurtis

  Julie R. Gurtis serves as Executive Vice President and President of United Bank, overseeing all banking services and United's more than 240 locations across the Company's footprint. Joining the Bank in 1990, she previously served as Chief Commercial Banking Officer. Throughout her career with United, she has held other leadership roles, including Commercial Lender, Market President, and Regional President. Active throughout the Bank's communities and industry organizations, Gurtis currently serves as Treasurer on the Board of West Virginia Independent Colleges and Universities. She also previously served on boards with Charleston Area Alliance, YWCA Charleston, and West Virginia Symphony. Gurtis is a graduate of West Virginia University, earning her undergraduate degree in finance.

  United Bank

  EVP

  Julie Gurtis

  EVP

  United Bank