Office Leasing, Finance & Investment Summit Speakers

Serge Appel Serge Appel, AIA, LEED-AP, USGBC-NY Member, Associate Partner, Cook+Fox Architects
Since joining Cook+Fox Architects 10 years ago, Serge Appel has become a key team member for the firm’s largest projects, including the environmentally avant-garde One Bryant Park (Bank of America Tower) in Midtown Manhattan. Serge truly enjoys grappling with, understanding and ultimately solving highly-complex three-dimensional problems through innovative design solutions. Key to his development as an architect, Cook+Fox has allowed Serge to be highly innovative in all phases, from the initial sketch through to the final punchlist.
Colton Brown Colton Brown, Regional Director Sales & Leasing, DuPont Fabros Technology
Colton Brown is a Regional Director of Sales and Leasing at Dupont Fabros Technology, and is based at DFT’s new 360,000 square foot, 36.4 megawatt NJ1 data center. Prior to joining DFT in May, Mr. Brown was at FirstService Williams since 2001, most recently as a Managing Director, and headed their Critical Facilities practice group, completing in excess of 125 megawatts and 2,000,000 square feet of critical facilities transactions on behalf of corporate, institutional, and private clients.
Sam Chandan Sam Chandan, PhD, FRICS, Global Chief Economist & Executive Vice President, Real Capital Analytics
Dr. Sam Chandan is Global Chief Economist and Executive Vice President of Real Capital Analytics and an adjunct professor of real estate at the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania. In addition to his primary role as RCA’s Chief Economist, Dr. Chandan oversees RCA’s Analytics Team and is a member of the firm’s Management Committee. Dr. Chandan’s commentary on commercial and residential markets, the economy, policy and regulation, and capital and credit markets is regularly featured national and global print publications.
Kevin Davis Kevin Davis, Partner, AREA Property Partners

Kevin Davis is a Partner at AREA Property Partners and is responsible for new investments and investment management. Prior to joining AREA in 2004, Mr. Davis was a member of the Acquisitions Group of Vornado Realty Trust and prior to that he worked at Secured Capital. Mr. Davis holds a Bachelor of Science from The Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania. AREA has overseen the investment of multiple real estate funds and joint ventures, through which it has invested over $9 billion in more than 465 transactions with an aggregate value in excess of $40 billion.
Hugh P. Finnegan Hugh P. Finnegan, Partner, Sullivan & Worcester LLP

Hugh P. Finnegan is a partner and the co-director of the Real Estate Department. Prior to joining the firm, Mr. Finnegan was a partner in the New York law firm of Siller Wilk LLP. He has over 25 years of experience as a real estate attorney with particular expertise in the following areas: commercial real estate financings (acquisitions, bridge, construction, project and mezzanine), loan restructurings and workouts, representing lenders and borrowers; sales and acquisitions of undeveloped and developed properties, including so-called “Green” developments; representing landlords and tenants in leasing transactions for offices, warehouses, shopping centers, restaurants and other retail users; and construction matters.
Paul Fried Paul Fried, Managing Director, Traxi, LLC
Paul Fried is a Managing Director at Traxi. His experience spans investment banking, distressed assets acquisition, workout and recovery, securitization, high-yield structured finance, equity joint ventures and fund raising. He’s handled over $10 billion in distressed assets, loans and securities. Mr. Fried previously was a Principal with AFC Realty Capital where he originated high-yield structured real estate financings and spearheaded the firm’s Restructuring and Re-capitalization practice. Before that, Mr. Fried was Principal and Chief Operating Officer of Allegiance Capital Partners, a structured finance firm focused on mezzanine investments and specializing in providing subordinate capital behind CMBS loans.
Paul Fried Dan E. Gorczycki, Managing Director, Savills Granite, LLC
Mr. Gorczycki joined Savills in 2000 and was made partner in 2006. Mr. Gorczycki has 22 years of experience in real estate and investment banking, with a primary focus on equity and debt financing. During his nine year tenure at Savills, Mr. Gorczycki has financed more than $3 billion of property financing and equity raising. He is a former director for Holliday Fenoglio Fowler, L.P., a division of Lend Lease, and has worked nationally on a wide variety of sales, financing, debt restructuring and equity raising transactions including office, retail, hotel, residential, industrial and mixed use projects during his career.
Mitchell Gould Mitchell Gould, Executive Vice President, BRT Realty Trust
Mitchell K. Gould is Executive Vice President of BRT Realty Trust since March of 2007. He was Vice President – Loan Originations from April 1998 when he joined the firm until March 2007. Prior to joining BRT, he was a real estate lending officer in the banking field with North Fork Bank, Bayside Federal Savings and Bear Stearns, Inc. Mr. Gould was the former president of the Metropolitan Mortgage Officers Society and former board member of the Young Mortgage Bankers Association of New York. He is a graduate of the University of Vermont, where he received a BS degree in small business management.
George S. Hasenecz photo George S. Hasenecz, SVP – Investments, Brandywine Realty Trust

At Brandywine Realty Trust, Mr. Hasenecz is responsible for the company’s portfolio management and investment activities. Mr. Hasenecz previously served as Brandywine’s Vice President of Investments and Director of Acquisitions from 2000 to 2006. Mr. Hasenecz worked at ProLogis as Vice President – Capital Deployment from 2006 to 2008 where he oversaw development and investments for the New Jersey and Pennsylvania regions. Prior to his previous tenure at Brandywine, Mr. Hasenecz served as Vice President – Acquisitions with Keystone Property Trust.
Abraham J. Hidary photo Abraham J. Hidary, President, Hidrock Realty

Abraham J. Hidary (Abie) got his initial business experience in the apparel and technology industries. At age 22, he started working at Hidrock Realty as the company’s controller. Hidrock is a commercial real estate firm with properties up and down the East Coast. By 2002, Abie was promoted to Director of Acquisitions for the company. His first acquisitions were office buildings totaling approximately 200,000 sf in New York City and Pennsylvania. His tasks included negotiating the purchases, procuring acquisition debt financing, conducting due diligence and ensuring a smooth closing and transition for the buildings’ tenants. Thereafter, Abie handled all of Hidrock acquisitions, dispositions and refinances.
Jeff Hipschman Jeff Hipschman, Senior Managing Director, CB Richard Ellis | Brokerage Services
Since starting his career on Wall Street, Jeff Hipschman has developed a unique skill set focused on the creative development, management, and expansion of multi-disciplined organizations. Tapping his 20 plus years of broad business experience spanning Information Technology, Operations, HR, Finance, Legal and specialized brokerage transactions, Jeff brings a comprehensive management perspective to his role of Senior Managing Director, overseeing 120 professionals in three locations that comprise CB Richard Ellis’ New Jersey operations.
James Houlihan James Houlihan, Principal, Houlihan-Parnes Realtors, LLC
Since 1973, Mr. Houlihan has been active in many areas of the commercial real estate industry throughout the United States with a main emphasis on the metropolitan New York area. Mr. Houlihan has been retained by many leading financial and not-for-profit and educational institutions as both a consultant and agent to consult, manage, lease, acquire, renovate and sell real estate.
Barclay Jones Barclay Jones, Executive Vice President-Investments, iStar Financial
Barclay G. Jones III has served as Executive Vice President – Investments of iStar Financial since March 2000, focusing on the Company`s corporate finance and leasing business. Prior to joining iStar Financial, Mr. Jones was a principal of ACRE Partners LLC, a privately held firm focused on providing public and private corporations with highly-structured, value-added financing solutions for their corporate real estate facilities. Prior to that, Mr. Jones served in a variety of capacities, including vice chairman and chief acquisitions officer, for W.P. Carey & Co., Inc. from 1982 to 1998. During that period, Mr. Jones was responsible for originating in excess of $2 billion of sale-leaseback financings and over $1 billion of mortgage placements.
Frank Kenny Frank Kenny, Founder and CEO, Willet Companies LLC
Willett is owned and managed by Frank Kenny and Bruce Beswick who have collectively over 40 years experience in the real estate industry and who in the course of the last 10 years have built a dynamic, energetic and focused property investment vehicle that has earned an outstanding reputation in its marketplace. Frank Kenny is the founder and CEO of Willett is a Fellow of the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors. Mr Kenny has worked in all aspects of commercial real estate investment and development on both the private and Institutional side of the business in Europe and in the US. Mr Kenny who is Irish came to the US in 1983.
Jim Kerrigan Jim Kerrigan, Executive Vice President, Grubb & Ellis.
Jim joined Grubb & Ellis in August 2008 after spending nearly 14 years as a principal at The Staubach Company. Jim has earned the reputation as being one of the leading data center experts in the country. He has completed more than 2 million square feet of transactions during the last three years, representing companies such as Equinix, DuPont Fabros, Fidelity Information Services and Savvis, amongst others. His approach in representing clients is similar whether it is office oriented or data center oriented. The services his team provides runs the gamut from power/fiber analysis to price per kilowatt breakdowns to project management.
Peter Lewis photo Peter Lewis, Founder & Principal, Wharton Equity Partners

Mr. Lewis is a founder and President of Wharton Equity Partners, a real estate investment firm located in New York City. Since its inception in 1987, Wharton has been actively involved in the acquisition, development, and disposition of over $500 million of real estate, including shopping centers, self-storage facilities, offices, hotels, land and residential housing projects. Recent transactions include the acquisition of an over 600,000 square foot hotel and office mixed use project in Lexington, Kentucky, which was acquired by Madison W Properties, an affiliate of Wharton.  In addition, in partnership with an affiliate of BRT Realty Trust, the company purchased and sold a 6,500-unit self-storage portfolio.
Saul Lubetski photo Saul Lubetski, Vice Chairman, Harbor Group International
Saul Lubetski is responsible for all aspects of building and maintaining relationships with a worldwide network of institutional, corporate, and high net worth icommercial real estate investors. He oversees all commercial real estate investors’ reports and distributions. Mr. Lubetski is also responsible for strategic relationships with capital sources for HGI. Prior to joining HGI in April 2000, Mr. Lubetski was Vice President of Global Real Estate and Lodging at Salomon Smith Barney Investment Banking. He worked on numerous financings and merger and acquisition advisory assignments. Previously, he was a tax lawyer at Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom, LLP, where he worked on merger and acquisition advisory assignments and financial products.
Mark Marasciullo Mark Marasciullo, Managing Principal, New Canaan Partners

Mr. Marasciullo is the founder and Managing Principal of New Canaan Partners, LLC (“NCP”). NCP is an owner/operator of commercial real estate. NCP also advises numerous financial institutions on their commercial real estate endeavors including Lehman Brothers Holdings, Inc. & Strategic Value Partners, LLC. Having spent the first 12 years of his career at Spaulding & Slye (DC), EastdilSecured (NY & DC) and Jones Lang LaSalle (NY), respectively, he has done acquisitions, asset management, office leasing, property management, investment sales and financings. Further, since 1998 Mr. Marasciullo has consummated in excess of $5B worth of equity & debt commercial real estate transactions.
Alanna Martin Alanna Martin, Principal, Green Properties New York

Alanna Martin is principal of Green Properties New York, a full service commercial real estate firm specializing in green leasing. Prior to starting GPNY, Alanna served as a broker with Sperry Van Ness Butler Kane and Tungsten Properties. Alanna is a licensed commercial real estate broker and certified LEED Accredited Professional by the US Green Building Council. Recently, Alanna has active in tenant rep work in the Midtown South Market. She is a graduate of Brooklyn Law School and Columbia University, and has completed coursework at New York University’s Real Estate Institute.
Robert Nash Robert S. Nash, Partner, Schulte Roth & Zabel LLP
A member of the firm’s real estate practice group, Mr. Nash’s areas of concentration include commercial leasing (on behalf of both landlords and tenants); real estate development, sales and acquisitions; real estate brokerage; and property management. He has extensive experience negotiating, on behalf of private investment funds and other companies, commercial leases in prestige properties, such as 9 West 57th St., GM Building, 888 Seventh Ave., 1211 Sixth Ave., Citicorp Center, the Seagrams Building, 712 Fifth Ave. and Carnegie Hall Towers. He is a past Co-Chair of the Commercial Leasing Subcommittee of the New York City Bar Association and a former Chair of the Commercial Leasing Committee of the New York State Bar Association.
Josh Rabina Josh Rabina, Co-President, Sentinel Data Centers
Josh co-founded Sentinel Data Centers, an owner and operator of multi-tenant corporate data centers, in 2002 and is currently Co-President of the Company. Sentinel has delivered in excess of 600,000 square feet of data center space to 40+ Blue Chip companies in the Northeast and currently has a 350,000 sf facility under development in Somerset, New Jersey for delivery at year end 2010. Josh previously worked in the Private Equity Group at Credit Suisse and is a graduate of Brown University and Harvard Business School.
Michael Schor Michael Schor, Executive Vice President/Counsel, The Treeline Companies
In his role as acquisitions manager, Michael is constantly sourcing new potential investments. He works closely with banks, mortgage brokers and private investors to identify new projects for the Treeline portfolio. With an extensive knowledge of real estate finance and the debt restructuring Michael’s efforts have proven invaluable in managing Treeline’s real estate acquisitions and finance activities. Michael’s network of contacts in the banking and financial community have enabled Treeline to complete recent transactions that total over $250 million. Michael’s real estate career began when he was an attorney at the law firm of Weil, Gotshal, and Manges. As an associate in the Business Financing & Restructuring Department, Michael worked on the insolvency cases of Olympia & York, Macy’s and Barney’s.
Jonathan Schultz Jonathan Schultz, Co-Founder and Managing Principal, Onyx Equities
As Co-Founder and Managing Principal of Onyx Equities, LLC, a private real estate investment, development and management company, Jonathan Schultz oversees the organization’s investor capital raising initiatives, strategic planning, portfolio management, investor relations and business development. Since its inception, Onyx Equities has purchased approximately three quarters of a billion dollars of suburban office, retail and industrial properties throughout the tri-state area. Jonathan is also a senior member of the firm’s investment committee where his 22 years of real estate experience were instrumental in establishing the firm’s rigid commercial real estate underwriting criteria which has resulted in the firm’s successful deployment of capital for its Phalanx family of funds.
Shekhar Shah Shekhar Shah, President, SRS Property Group LLC
Shekhar Shah is the founder and managing member of SRS Property Group LLC, a real estate investment and development firm tailored to small, high net worth investors. The overall guiding principal of SRS is to deploy capital into commercial properties that offer a strategic opportunity to turn around the asset while providing investors with a long term appreciation on their investment. SRS is looking to acquire commercial properties throughout the Tri-State area. SRS is currently working on a mixed use recreational development project in Monmouth County, NJ.
Andrew Simon photo Andrew G. Simon, Executive Managing Director, NAI Global — New York City

Mr. Simon joined NAI Global’s New York City office in early 2007 and has over 28 years of experience in the New York market, assisting both office tenants and landlords. Mr. Simon has assisted over 25 international banks in the New York market dealing with projects related to their occupancy. Differentiating Mr. Simon from many of his competitors has been his level of involvement in all areas of these projects: assisting clients in the selection of all consultants required for a particular assignment (i.e. architectural, engineering, project management / construction), and acting in a supervisory role throughout these projects to keep the different elements of the project moving smoothly together.
Scott A. Singer Scott A. Singer, Principal, Singer & Bassuk Organization
Scott A. Singer has arranged several billion dollars of construction and permanent financing on behalf of sophisticated real estate owners and developers. Major projects in New York City have included 75 Wall Street (twice), One Seaport Plaza (twice), MetLife Plaza, The Mark Hotel, Two Chase Manhattan Plaza, and 636 11th Avenue; as well as the Capital District Portfolio in Albany, NY; 215 Fremont Street in San Francisco, and 123 South Broad Street in Philadelphia. Scott has arranged financing covering more than 8,000 apartments, 16 million sq. ft. of commercial and retail space, and a variety of more specialized properties including art galleries, schools, and the headquarters of both the United Federation of Teachers and the American Jewish Congress.
Nick Smith Nick Smith, Executive Vice President and Chief Investment Officer, First Potomac Realty Trust
Nicholas R. Smith is one of the founders of the Company and has served as Executive Vice President and Chief Investment Officer since the founding of our Predecessor in 1997. He has over 25 years’ experience in commercial real estate in the Washington, D.C. area, including seven years as Vice President of Donatelli & Klein, Inc., a local real estate development and investment firm founded in 1973.
David Spiewak David Spiewak, Executive Vice President, CS Technology
Mr. Spiewak is Executive Vice President responsible for the data center and real estate practice at CS Technology. Mr. Spiewak runs global sales, CS Technology’s structured approach in assisting clients with the strategic planning, design, site selection, negotiation and implementation of data center facilities.
Neil Tucker Neil R. Tucker, Partner, Kramer Levin Naftalis & Frankel LLP
Mr. Tucker has a broad based real estate practice, including finance, sale leasebacks, purchase and sale, restructurings, leases and development. His clients include institutional investors, real estate developers, hedge funds and entrepreneurial investors. Mr. Tucker also regularly represents tenants and landlords in large leases.
Robert Verrone Robert Verrone, Principal, Iron Hound Management Company, LLC
Mr. Verrone is the principal owner and founder of Iron Hound Management Company, LLC. He has more than eighteen years of experience in commercial real estate. Prior to founding Iron Hound, Verrone was a Co-Head in Wachovia’s Real Estate Group where he had management responsibility for approximately 600 employees and oversaw a debt portfolio valued in excess of $80 billion. Before that, in 2002, Verrone formed, developed and managed Wachovia’s Large Loan Group, which grew to over $20 billion in loan originations by 2007. He started his career at Bear Stearns, where he spent four years in their Commercial Real Estate Group.
James R. Wacht photo James R. Wacht, President, Sierra Realty Corp.

A life-long resident of Manhattan, Jim brings three generations of knowledge of the New York real estate business to his role as President of Sierra Realty Corp. After graduating from the University of Wisconsin at Madison, he earned his Juris Doctorate degree at Boston University School of Law. He then worked for the New York law firm of Bachner, Tally, Polevoy & Misher, as a real estate attorney specializing in commercial leasing, property financing and acquisitions. In 1989, he joined Sierra Realty Corp. as a Vice–President and assumed his current position as President in 2000.
Tim Wang Tim Wang, PhD., Vice President, Research & Investment Strategy, ING Clarion

Tim Wang, Ph.D. is a Vice President and Senior Investment Strategist at ING Clarion. He joined the firm in 2006 and helps manage $38 billion commercial real estate investment including private equity real estate, public REITs, and distressed debt. Prior to ING Clarion, he worked at Federal Home Loan Bank of New York (FHLBNY). Tim holds an MBA from New York University and a Ph.D. from University of Georgia.
Marc Weil Marc Weil, Senior Associate, Avenue Capital
Marc Weil is a Senior Associate in the Real Estate Group at Avenue Capital Group, a global alternative investment manager headquartered in New York City with over $19 billion in assets under management. Avenue’s core strategies focus on distressed and undervalued debt and equity opportunities in the U.S., Asia and Europe. Marc is responsible for originating and sourcing opportunistic investment opportunities for Avenue’s separately dedicated real estate strategy. He has been involved in over $100 million worth of debt and equity transactions including residential, office, and retail properties.
Kevin P. Welsh Kevin P. Welsh, Senior Vice President, New York Capital Markets, CB Richard Ellis, Inc.
Mr. Welsh’s real estate career has primarily been focused on the representation of owners. His wide range of experience includes asset management and leasing, which served as the foundation for his career as an investment sales advisor. He is currently a member of the New York Institutional Group led by Jeff Dunne, which has consistently achieved annual sales on average in excess of $2 billion over the last four years. As Senior Vice President, Kevin is responsible for the New Jersey operation, which has completed 33 sales totaling approximating $2 billion of office, industrial, retail and multi-family properties, over the last 24 months.
Isaac Zion Isaac Zion, Managing Director, SL Green Realty Corp.
Isaac Zion is Managing Director of SL Green Realty Corp, a self-administered and self-managed real estate investment trust, or REIT, that predominantly acquires, owns, repositions and manages Manhattan office properties. The Company is the only publicly-held REIT that specializes in this niche. As of December 31, 2008, the Company owned 29 New York City office properties totaling approximately 23,211,200 square feet, making it New York’s largest office landlord. In addition, at December 31, 2008, SL Green held investment interests in, among other things, eight retail properties encompassing approximately 400,212 square feet, two development properties encompassing approximately 363,000 square feet and two land interests, along with ownership interests in 34 suburban assets totaling 7,656,500 square feet in Brooklyn, Queens, Long Island, Westchester County, Connecticut and New Jersey.