Real Estate Joint Ventures Forum

October 10th, 2023
New York

We are delighted to announce that the Real Estate Joint Ventures forum has been integrated into the prestigious Global Leaders in Real Estate Summit, set to take place on October 10th, 2023, in the vibrant city of New York.

The summit begins with insightful plenary sessions in the morning, laying the groundwork for engaging discussions across diverse topics. As the afternoon progresses, the agenda transitions into three specialized forums, each zeroing in on a distinct aspect of real estate. The Real Estate Joint Ventures Forum, a key component of this summit, is designed to delve into the critical dimensions of joint ventures within the broad canvas of real estate finance.

In an era where joint venture partnerships in real estate are in heightened demand, the forum provides a platform for participants from all corners of the industry. With an increasing trend in allocations to commercial real estate, a broad spectrum of capital sources is seeking alignment with quality sponsors and investment opportunities. At the same time, sponsors rely heavily on equity partners to fill a pivotal role in the capital stack, facilitating the advancement of projects.

Network with leading:

  • Real Estate Private Equity Firms
  • Real Estate Developers & Project Sponsors
  • Real Estate Owners & Operators
  • Senior & Mezzanine Lenders
  • Institutional Investors & Family Offices
  • Asset Managers
  • Attorneys & Accountants

Please find below the comprehensive agenda for the Real Estate Joint Ventures forum. For a detailed overview of the entire summit agenda, kindly click here.

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Agenda

12:15 pm - Luncheon Workshop: Leveraging Data and AI for Value Creation in CRE

  • Explore how the fusion of data and AI can drive smarter decision-making, optimize operations, and uncover strategic opportunities in CRE.
  • Hear from one of our distinguished clients who will share their journey of using Prophia's cutting-edge data management and AI-powered solutions to unlock new dimensions of value in CRE
  • Learn to utilize AI and data-driven insights to optimize acquisition and disposition strategies, enhancing deal analysis, risk assessment, and informed decision-making.
  • Leverage AI-powered tools to elevate portfolio reporting, perform in-depth analysis, and forecast market trends

Cameron Steele

CEO and Cofounder Prophia

Cameron Steele is CEO and Cofounder of Prophia, a generative AI data management platform for the commercial real estate (CRE) industry. He brings over 30 years of experience in software, equity and business, which has helped shape Prophia into the future system of record for CRE data. Cameron launched Prophia in January of 2018 in an effort to address data inefficiencies in the CRE market and offer investors a single source platform for data extraction, analysis and insights. Cameron was led to this venture after serving in executive roles at OpenTable and Booking.com, respectively. Cameron was also the COO and part of the founding executive team at buuteeq, Inc. which was acquired by Booking Holdings/Priceline Group in 2014. Cameron has an undergraduate degree from Stanford University and an MBA from the Tuck School of Business at Dartmouth.

Michael Rak

Senior Vice President Spear Street Capital

Michael has forged a successful career spanning over a decade in finance and real estate. He currently holds the position of Senior Vice President at Spear Street Capital, a role he assumed after joining the company in 2015. Prior to joining his current company, Michael  was contributing to his wealth of experience with A&E Real Estate, Goldman Sachs and Robert W. Baird & Co. after completing a degree in Accounting and Finance from Wisconsin School of Business. With a proven track record in finance and real estate, Michael Rak continues to be a valuable asset in these dynamic industries.

1:15 pm - Chairperson’s Opening remarks

Ellie Perlman

Founder & CEO Blue Lake Capital

The founder of Blue Lake Capital Group, Ellie Perlman, has over fifteen years of experience in real estate investment, law, and property management. Ellie leads Blue Lake Capital, which owns and manages over 3,300 multifamily units across the U.S.Ellie started her career in Israel as a commercial real estate lawyer, leading real estate transactions for Israel's largest development company.

Later, as a property manager for one of Israel's most prominent oil and gas companies, she oversaw an extensive portfolio of properties.Ellie holds an MBA from MIT Sloan School of Management Bachelor's and a Master's in Law from Bar-Ilan University in Israel, as well as a bachelor’s degree in law.

In addition, Ellie is a long-term Forbes author on real estate investing.

1:30 pm - Panel Discussion: Joint Venture Partnerships in an Uncertain Market: Managing Risks and Overcoming Challenges

  • Risk management: cost overruns, partner defaults, meeting project schedule, worries from LPs, worries from GPs and control issues
  • Interest reserves shortfalls - how can partners share the burden?
  • How should cost sharing be structured between GPs and LPs in long-dated closing situations?
  • Why are fewer investors stepping up to be GPs?
  • How do partnerships navigate zoning approvals, the construction process and cost overruns?
  • What happens in receivership and liquidation?
  • How long will multifamily maintain its outperformance over other asset types in REJV partnerships?
Moderator

Andy Charles

Partner Kramer Levin

Andrew Charles has extensive experience in all aspects of commercial real estate law, including partnerships and joint ventures, financing for borrowers and lenders, acquisitions and sales, and development and leasing. His client base includes private equity funds, financial institutions, developers, and operators in the acquisition, financing, development, sale and leasing of all classes of commercial properties including office, hotel, multifamily, retail, public storage, mixed use and condominium properties. Andrew focuses mainly on structuring transactions for institutional investors and opportunity funds such as joint ventures, preferred equity investments, mezzanine financing and mixed debt/equity investments.

Adam Fruitbine

Chief Investment Officer MAXX Properties

Adam is a senior real estate investment professional with 25 years of industry experience, with a concentration in the multifamily asset class. This includes leadership expertise in acquisitions, structured equity finance investing, capital markets, building and leading investment management platforms, fundraising and distribution outreach, development and portfolio management.

Adam currently serves as the Chief Investment Officer for MAXX Properties, a national multifamily owner, operator.  Adam is responsible for leading the firm's sourcing and origination of multifamily investment opportunities throughout the U.S.  Investment strategies include: wholly-owned core and value-add acquisitions as well as providing GP co-investment and JV/LP equity capital to local operators and multifamily developers.  Additionally, Adam is responsible for collaboration with MAXX leadership to build-out the firm's investment management business. This includes building and leading a team of investor relations and capital markets professionals.

 

Frederick N. Cooper

Senior Vice President Finance International Development & Investor Relations Toll Brothers

Fred Cooper is Senior Vice President - Finance, International Development & Investor Relations at Toll Brothers (NYSE:TOL).  Toll, a Fortune 500 Company, is the 5th largest U.S. home builder by revenues, the 6th largest multifamily rental apartment developer, and among the largest land and community developers in the U.S. Toll is also one of the nation’s largest urban high-density/high-rise condo and rental tower developers with 50+ buildings and over 7,000 units completed. 

Raphael Sidelsky

Chief Investment Officer W5 Group LLC

Raphael Sidelsky is the head of real estate investing for W5 Group, which has offices in New York, Miami, and Switzerland. Established in 2009, W5 Group is the Winter Family Investment Office. W5 Group focuses on innovative real estate investments, either directly or alongside high-quality sponsors and provides capital without any pre-determined hold periods. Target investment sectors include multifamily, student housing, co-living, micro-apartments, single family rental, lodging, and mixed-use. Investment structures include single or programmatic joint ventures, direct, entity level, preferred equity, and mezzanine debt. W5 Group has permanent capital, a flexible mandate, and seeks to create enduring value and long-lasting relationships.

Mr. Sidelsky has worked on over $7 billion of direct, entity level and joint venture real estate investments across a broad array of sectors and markets in the United States and Caribbean. Prior to W5,he worked as a Senior Managing Director at CIII Capital Partners ($8BN in AUM) and before that as a Managing Director at Fremont Realty Capital, the Bechtel Family Office. He began his career as an architect and worked in Tel Aviv, Berlin, Los Angeles, Johannesburg, and then in New York for Skidmore Owingsand Merrill. Mr. Sidelsky received a Bachelor of Architecture in South Africa and an MBA from Columbia Business School. He is a board member of the Columbia Business School Real Estate Circle.

Nicholas Baccile

Director Canyon Partners Real Estate LLC

Stephen Woodard

Managing Director Westport Capital Partners LLC

Mr. Woodard is a Managing Director based in the Connecticut office.

Prior to joining the firm in 2011, Mr. Woodard was a Vice President in the Commercial Real Estate Department at CIT Group, Inc. Before joining CIT, Mr. Woodard was an Acquisitions Associate at Lexington Realty Trust.

Mr. Woodard holds a B.A. in Economics from Union College and an M.P.S. in Real Estate Finance and Investment from Cornell University.

2:00 pm - Panel Discussion: Joint Venture Opportunities Outside of Multifamily

  • What assets are joint ventures looking at today?
  • How do key factors such as opportunity zones, tax incentives, construction financing, and international investments impact joint ventures?
  • A deep dive in the rise of joint ventures in life science buildings, data centers, medical offices, industrial properties, and loan assumptions.
  • How do joint venture partners structure their relationships and responsibilities for alternative asset types?
Moderator

Patrick Fitzgerald

Partner Phillips Lytle

Patrick T. Fitzgerald is a partner at Phillips Lytle LLP and the Co-leader of the firm’s Private Equity Team.  He has decades of experience in the real estate industry, providing legal advice to investment funds, general partners, limited partners, real estate developers and other clients in complex real estate transactions and investment matters. He advises clients on the formation, structuring, and operation of investment funds, and he has a deep understanding of the underlying documents, including partnership agreements, operating agreements and subscription agreements. He is well versed in regulatory compliance issues affecting real estate investment funds and regularly provides guidance on ongoing operational matters, such as investor communications and fund governance. 

Patrick has extensive experience working on all aspects of commercial real estate transactions, including sales and acquisitions, financing, leasing, land use and zoning, easements and covenants, conditions and restrictions. He assists his clients with their matters from start to finish.

Alexander Schaefer

Vice President - Acquisitions, Real Assets AXA Investment Managers

Alex Schaefer is Vice President, Transactions for AXA Investment Managers. AXA-IM is part of AXA Group, the Paris-based multinational insurance firm.  AXA-IM is the largest real estate asset manager in Europe and one of the largest worldwide.  At AXA-IM, Alex focuses on investments across the risk spectrum and across property types in institutional markets throughout the country where AXA typically invests alongside proven, vertically-integrated sponsors.

Before AXA, Alex worked for TKF Real Estate Investment where he focused on value creating investments in office and mixed-use assets located in urban centers throughout the east coast.  Previously, he was Head of Acquisitions for ALTO Real Estate Funds, a NY based private equity fund that invested in value-add assets across the country alongside veteran local operating partners. Before ALTO, Alex was a Director of Acquisitions for VEREIT, a publicly-traded REIT that owned over 4,000 properties in 49 states. He found himself at VEREIT after working for American Realty Capital in various capacities before eventually transitioning over to a publicly-traded investment vehicle that was merged in to VEREIT. Alex graduated from the University of Connecticut with a B.S. in Accounting before working for Cushman & Wakefield.

Chris Balestra

President and Chief Investment of Officer Taconic Partners

Chris is President and Chief Investment of Officer at Taconic. He also leads Taconic’s Acquisitions team. As President, Chris oversees corporate matters across the firm. As Chief Investment Officer, he is responsible for all aspects of Taconic’s acquisition businesses and investments. With 20 years of real estate investment experience, Chris has led or been directly involved in the acquisition of nearly $6 billion of real estate while at Taconic, all in New York City metro area. He is also responsible for deal sourcing and structuring, and oversees all of Taconic’s debt and equity financings, as well as fundraising and rezoning initiatives. Prior to joining Taconic in 2005, Chris was a Bank Officer at M&T Bank where he was responsible for underwriting and sourcing commercial real estate loan opportunities in the New York City metropolitan area. Chris earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in economics from Colgate University.

Jerome Nichols

President Standard Real Estate Investments

Jerome Nichols is President of Standard Real Estate Investments, where he is focused on new business development and investment sourcing, in addition to his involvement in all major decisions pertaining to the business. 

Prior to co-founding Standard Real Estate Investments, Jerome spent six years at CBRE Investment Management as a Senior Director and Deputy Portfolio Manager of the CBRE U.S. Development Partners Fund Series. In this role, he served as the lead development sourcing officer for CBRE IM Americas and sourced $6 billion in deal volume. He was actively involved in several initiatives at CBRE IM, including his role as the Chair of the Social Impact Counsel. 

In addition to his time at CBRE IM, Jerome spent six years with The Bozzuto Group, a vertically integrated multifamily development and operating company. He is also a former professional football player.

Jerome is an Alumnus and active supporter of the Robert Toigo Foundation.

He received an MBA from the University of Chicago Booth School of Business and a Bachelor of Science in Business from Wake Forest University.

Patrick Keeley

Executive Director Morgan Stanley Real Assets

2:30 pm - Panel Discussion: Capital Solutions for your Joint Ventures Amid the National Deal Volume Dip

  • Where does the equity come from? Alternative channels for JV equity
  • How do you transition your firm from high-net-worth capital to institutional capital?
  • Foreign capital seeking joint ventures - which countries are most active?
  • Key considerations in cultivating and structuring joint ventures with families and private companies
  • Is joint venture real estate development through Tenancy in Common Investment (TIC) a golden opportunity for 1031 exchange investors?
Moderator

Carly Saviano

Partner Willkie Farr & Gallagher LLP

Carly G. Saviano is a partner in the firm's Real Estate Department. Carly represents all types of clients in the real estate industry, including developers, private equity investors and funds, hedge funds, REITS, public companies, high net worth real estate families and other real estate investors and operators, across all real estate asset classes. She advises on a broad range of complex real estate transactions, including acquisitions, dispositions, joint ventures, preferred equity investments, financings, workout negotiations and restructurings.

Carly was recognized as a 2020 Law360 Rising Star in Real Estate. She was also selected to serve on Law360’s Real Estate Editorial Advisory Board in 2020.

Philip McAndrews

Sr EVP, Chief Strategy Officer RXR Realty

Michael Sorochinsky

Principal Cypress Equity Investments LLC

As Founder and Chief Executive Officer, Michael Sorochinsky is the visionary of CEI and the driving force behind the company’s real estate portfolio. Michael’s investment strategies, business philosophy, and transaction execution diligence has brought about substantial annualized returns to equity.

Michael received his JD from the UCLA School of Law and is based in Denver, Colorado.

Paul Fried

Executive Managing Director, Head of Equity Capital Markets Greystone

Craig Deitelzweig

CEO Marx Realty & Improvement Co

Craig Deitelzweig joined Marx Realty as its President and CEO in 2017 and has been responsible for growing the company as well as streamlining the company’s strategy by focusing on value-add office investments in three core markets: New York City, Washington D.C. and Atlanta. Craig is also charged with repositioning Marx’s entire portfolio as well as growing the Marx team and profitability. Over his 25-year career, Craig has vast experience in every aspect of the real estate industry and believes in a very hands-on approach.  

Prior to Marx, he held senior roles at both private equity and private development companies, including redeveloping over 50 assets in major markets across the country with a particular emphasis on NY and DC. Craig’s projects have received various awards from industry groups such as NAIOP, BOMA, Globe St., Crain’s, Washington Business Journal and AIA. He has been interviewed as a thought and innovation leader in several features in the Wall Street Journal, Fortune, CNN, CBS, Bloomberg and on CNBC, and was selected as one of the Real Estate Forum’s Best Bosses of 2019. Under Craig’s leadership, Marx was selected to Crain’s Best Places to Work in 2020, 2021, and 2022. 

Craig graduated Cum Laude from Tulane University’s Freeman School of Business (where he currently serves on the Executive Committee of the Advisory Board) and earned a J.D. at Fordham University’s School of Law. Craig serves on the Mixed-Use Council of the Urban Land Institute as a ULI mentor; on the Strategic Advisory Council of Shadow Ventures, a venture capital firm specializing in PropTech investments; and on ULI's New York Awards Selection Committee. 

3:00 pm - Closing Keynote Interview

Interviewer

Ellie Perlman

Founder & CEO Blue Lake Capital

The founder of Blue Lake Capital Group, Ellie Perlman, has over fifteen years of experience in real estate investment, law, and property management. Ellie leads Blue Lake Capital, which owns and manages over 3,300 multifamily units across the U.S.Ellie started her career in Israel as a commercial real estate lawyer, leading real estate transactions for Israel's largest development company.

Later, as a property manager for one of Israel's most prominent oil and gas companies, she oversaw an extensive portfolio of properties.Ellie holds an MBA from MIT Sloan School of Management Bachelor's and a Master's in Law from Bar-Ilan University in Israel, as well as a bachelor’s degree in law.

In addition, Ellie is a long-term Forbes author on real estate investing.

Dean Allara

Vice Chairman Bridge Investment Group

Dean Allara has served as one of Bridge Investment Group Holdings Inc.'s directors since its formation and is the Head of Client Solutions Group and a Partner of the Operating Company. Mr. Allara has been a principal of BFG since 1996. Mr. Allara currently serves on the investment committees for the general partners of Bridge Multifamily Funds III and IV, Bridge Workforce Funds I and II, Bridge Seniors Housing Funds I, II and III, Bridge Office Funds I and II, and Bridge Opportunity Zone Funds I, II, III and IV. He has over 30 years of experience in the real estate investment process including analyzing, capital raising, acquiring, financing, developing, managing, improving and selling properties. Mr. Allara has been directly responsible for capital raising and investment of over $5.0 billion in multifamily, seniors housing, single family residential, commercial office, resort, golf, hotel, and retail properties. Mr. Allara has experience in real property development including permits and zoning, master planning, debt financing, insurance, construction management, homeowners' association management, marketing, and residential sales. Mr. Allara received his Bachelor of Science degree in Business Administration from St. Mary's College with a year spent at Loyola University of Rome and his Master of Business Administration from Santa Clara University including studies at University of Tokyo.

3:30 pm - Roundtables

Choose your topic for an interactive discussion with fellow attendees on the most pressing issues facing the industry. Network at small tables and participate in lively topical conversation. This format provides an excellent opportunity to meet your industry peers in a unique setting.

 

4:30 pm - Cocktail Reception & One-to-One Networking

 

Register Today

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