Alternative Real Estate Investments
1:30pm-2:45pm
Breakout Room- Lindy
Moderator- Craig Livingston
Managing Partner
As the Managing Partner of Exact Capital, Mr. Livingston is responsible for the core aspects of the firm’s Commercial Real Estate development activity including structuring, negotiating, financing and managing the firm’s development pipeline and the respective ventures formed around the firm’s development projects. Mr. Livingston has advised, structured, and executed in excess of $1.5 billion of financing for numerous transactions ranging from market rate luxury condominiums, hotels, & market rate rentals, to middle- and low-income affordable housing. To date Mr. Livingston has developed or preserved over 4,000 residential units and has spearheaded the firm’s national expansion into southern and Midwest markets. He has overseen the firm’s marquee development projects including Harlem’s first world class hotel rising above the site of the historic Victoria Theater, and an adjacent mixed income residential tower. Mr. Livingston also serves as Board Chair of the New York Real Estate Chamber (NYREC), the leading advocacy group for diverse developers within New York state. He has been instrumental in advocating for legislation and policies that support the ideals of increased economic opportunity and access to capital for Minority Commercial Real Estate developers.
Eric Freeman
Managing Partner
Eric is a Managing Partner and a founding partner of Grandview. Prior to forming Grandview, Eric served as a Managing Director in the Acquisitions Group at Greenfield which he joined in 2004. Eric’s responsibilities included underwriting and analysis of potential real estate investments as well as management of new and existing operating partner relationships. Eric was a member of Greenfield’s investment committee. Prior to joining Greenfield, Eric was an Investment Banking Analyst at Citigroup, Inc. in both the Mergers and Acquisitions and Real Estate and Lodging groups. At Citigroup, Eric’s responsibilities included providing financial advisory and merger analysis for office, industrial, lodging, and multi-family real estate investment trusts (REITs). Eric earned a B.S. from the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania.
Vanessa Cole
Co-Founder
Vanessa has been passionately leading Cole Klein Builders since 2016, with a vision to transform the company into the "Chick-fil-A" of affordable housing. This vision is rooted in building a company founded on faith-based principles, delivering not only a quality product but also exceptional service through a dedicated team. Her commitment to these values has been instrumental in the company's growth and success. Under Vanessa's leadership, Cole Klein Builders has seen the completion of fifty homes and the development of several communities, with a sales volume pipeline of $135 million. This impressive portfolio includes several significant projects, such as a 1500-acre development, a 100-acre project, a 43-acre community, and an 18-acre development, which is set to be Houston's first 3D print micro home community. In her role, Vanessa excels in building strong relationships with a diverse range of stakeholders, including office and field personnel, architects, engineers, city officials, investors, subcontractors, suppliers, and homebuyers. Her ability to forge robust networks and strategic partnerships has been a key factor in raising private capital and ensuring compliance with city and county regulations. Additionally, Vanessa oversees sales and marketing, collaborates with her team on strategies for continuous improvement, and regularly reviews project schedules and budgets. Her hands-on approach ensures that all major milestones are met, maintaining the high standards that Cole Klein Builders is known for. Vanessa's leadership style is characterized by her commitment to excellence and her ability to inspire her team to deliver their best. As Cole Klein Builders continues to grow and take on new challenges, Vanessa's vision remains clear: to be a beacon of quality, service, and faith-based principles in the affordable housing sector.
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Evens Charles
Founder/Managing Partner
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Evens Charles is the founder and managing principal of Fronter Development & Hospitality Group LLC. A natve of Washington, D.C, Mr. Charles atended Temple University in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania where he was a Big East Conference Division-I football athlete. During his five-year athletc tenure at Temple University, he earned a B.A. in Psychology and a Master of Educaton. Shortly thereafer, at the age of 25, Mr. Charles was inspired by his landlord to execute his first small transacton that required an out-of-pocket investment of $1,000 resultng in a $25K profit six months later. Mr. Charles organically grew over a ten-year period by executng several successful residental and mult-family acquisiton and development projects, then by the age of 36, made his first hotel investment. He has since grown Fronter to over a $250 million capitalized portolio of Hilton and Marriot Internatonally branded hotel assets across seven states, with another $1.1 billion of urban infill, commercial real estate development in its pipeline. Some of his recent accomplishments includes being recognized as a co-lead developer of Philadelphia’s 2023 Ben Franklin Parkway project award, which is a 850,000 square foot mixed-use project that will include a hotel, multfamily, retail and the development of the new African American Museum of Philadelphia, DMPED’s 2021 award of the Hill East Bundle II Project, which is 1.2 million square feet of waterfront, mixed-use development in Washington DC that consist of 1100 apartment units (65% affordable), hotel, retail, community park and 126 for sale units; The 2021 Business of the Year by Prince Georges County Bi-County Business; 2019 Black Enterprise largest 100 Black Owned Businesses in the naton and the 2019 Outstanding Entrepreneur Award by the Caribbean American Heritage. 2023 awarded President Joseph R. Biden’s Presidental Lifetme Achievement Award. Presented annually, to individuals who have a lifelong commitment to building a stronger naton through volunteer service. He has been featured in various publicatons including Hotel Business, Lodging Magazine, Black Enterprise & Business Journals across multple cites. He has an endowed scholarship in his name at Temple University targetng underserved students, supports many philanthropic causes and serves as a mentor to many. He is also a member of Temple University’s School of Hospitality & Tourism Board of Visitors, Executve board member of Experience Prince George’s, and a member of the Real Estate Executve Council (REEC), as well as industry organizatons such as the Natonal Alliance of African American Hotel Owners and the Asian American Hotel Owners Associaton.
Osei Rubie
Founder/CEO
Osei Rubie is the founder and president of National Standard Abstract (NSA), a full-service title insurance agency with expertise in residential and commercial real estate transactions. Since its launch in 2015, the family- and black-owned NSA has closed over $2 billion in transactions in New York and New Jersey. Working alongside him is his son, Nadir Rubie, who plays a crucial role in the company's success. In addition to their accomplishments with NSA, Osei and Nadir Rubie are the visionary founders of Reside in Opulence, a New York-based firm dedicated to creating experiences that blend luxury, leisure, and legacy. The firm's objective is to transform properties in historic, picturesque, and oceanfront communities, enhancing their value and generating revenue through short-term rentals or resale. Reside in Opulence is expanding its footprint within the luxury market beyond the Northeast, having renovated single-family homes in Martha’s Vineyard, Long Beach, and the Poconos.
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Robin Zeigler
Founder/CEO
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Robin Zeigler is the Founder & CEO of MURAL Real Estate Partners. MURAL is a privately owned, full-service real estate company that aims to spur economic development primarily through the conception, development, and management of mixed-use assets in urban and under-served neighborhoods. Prior to founding MURAL, Robin was the Chief Operating Officer, Sr. Executive Vice President for Cedar Realty Trust from March 2016. In her role as COO, she was responsible for the operations of the fully-integrated real estate investment trust’s nine million square feet of grocery-anchored shopping centers as well as the redevelopment of its mixed-use assets. Prior to joining Cedar, worked at Federal Realty Investment Trust as Chief Operating Officer for the Mid-Atlantic Region. In that capacity, she was responsible for the operations of a portfolio of over 40 shopping centers and five mixed-use projects representing approximately 7.3 million square feet. Additionally, Ms. Zeigler provided oversight and strategic direction on mixed-use development and redevelopment projects in the region. Ms. Zeigler holds a BS in Accounting from Florida A&M University and an MBA from Georgia State University. Robin is on the board of directors for three public companies: JLL Income Property Trust, RLJ Lodging Trust, and NETSTREIT. She is a Trustee of the International Council of Shopping Centers (ICSC), on the board of the ICSC Foundation as well as an ICSC Foundation Mentor. Ms. Zeigler is a Member of the Real Estate Executive Council, as well as the ULI Commercial and Real Estate Development Gold Council.