The single and multi-family real estate sector is a dynamic market that is in a constant state of transformation. Join us for the How and Where We Live Panel at the 35th Annual Cornell Real Estate Conference to learn more about the trends shaping the housing sector in the foreseeable future. This event will feature a highly regarded panel of developers with insight into multiple facets of today’s residential real estate market. Panelists will discuss how current trends in demographics and home ownership are reshaping the single and multi-family housing sectors. Discussion will also focus on the surprising evolution of the products these developers are building, the amenities they are adding and subtracting, and where they are building in response to shifts in consumer demand.
Alan Riffkin will serve as the moderator for this esteemed panel. Alan is a Managing Director in the New York office of Lazard, a global investment bank. He specializes in mergers and acquisitions, special committee assignments, and other strategic advisory and restructuring transactions for leading real estate companies and homebuilders. Prior to joining Lazard in 2003, Alan worked at Goldman Sachs where he was involved in its investment banking activities since 1994. Previously, he worked in Citicorp’s real estate group specializing in commercial lending and restructurings. His activities outside of work include serving as a Governing Trustee of the Urban Land Institute, as well as, membership in various industry organizations including the National Association of Real Estate Investment Trusts, the International Council of Shopping Centers, the Cornell Real Estate Council and the Samuel Zell and Robert Lurie Real Estate Center at the Wharton School. Alan has a B.S. from Cornell University and an M.B.A. from The Wharton School, The University of Pennsylvania.
Chris Bledsoe will also be providing insight into the residential real estate market as a panelist. Chris is Co-founder and CEO of Ollie, an all inclusive coliving platform that provides fully furnished micro-studios and micro-suites with hotel-style services, curated events, extraordinary amenities and built in community. His prior experience as both an institutional investor and an angel investor in the consumer sector led him to re-imagine how the multi-family housing sector could be. Chris left his finance career in 2011 to found Ollie with his brother Andrew Bledsoe. Before making the entrepreneurial leap, Chris was a consumer staples analyst with Chicago-based hedge fund Citadel Investment Group. As a Senior Analyst with Lehman Brothers and subsequently Barclays, Christ was designated Wall Street’s “Best Up and Comer” in the Food/Agribusiness sector per the annual investor survey published by I.I. magazine. Likewise, based on tracking by Bloomberg Professional Services, his investment recommendations produced the highest total returns among Wall Street analysts in his sector group, outperforming the S&P 500 index by over 40% in the period measured. Chris holds a BS/BA degree in Business – Marketing & New Business Management from Georgetown University.
Brad Greiwe will also be serving on the How and Where We Live Panel. Brad is a Co-Founder and Managing Partner at Fifth Wall, a venture fund focused on technology for the Built World backed by the largest owners & operators of real estate, hospitality, and retail environments in the world. Prior to Fifth Wall, Brad was the Co-Founder and CTO of Invitation Homes (NYSE: INVH), the largest owner & operator of single family rental properties in the US backed by The Blackstone Group. He started his career at UBS Investment Bank in the real estate, lodging & leisure group. He then worked in real estate private equity at Tishman Speyer and Starwood Capital. Brad is from Cincinnati, OH, lives in San Francisco, CA and graduated from Harvard University where he received his BA in economics.
James Woods, Head of WeLive, will also provide insight into the housing sector as a member of the How and Where We Live Panel. WeLive is a co-living provider birthed from the WeWork co-working concept. With more than 20-years’ experience in real estate, hospitality and entertainment, Jim is passionate about helping create better places for people to live their lives. He currently serves as head of WeLive, where he oversees expansion, development, and operations for WeWork’s community-based apartment living division. Prior to joining WeWork in January 2017, Jim spent nearly five years as President and COO of Dayglo Ventures, a company committed to creating unique and meaningful cultural experiences. A graduate of New York University’s Stern School of Business, Jim got his start in the financial industry. He served as an analyst at Goldman Sachs and Credit Suisse before joining Starwood Hotels & Resorts, where he managed the launches of Starwood’s Aloft and element hotel brands and was charged with the development of new W hotels. Before returning to his home state of New York, Jim also served as a partner in the Dallas-based real estate private equity firm Hayman Woods, where he specialized in investments in residential and lifestyle properties as well as in the hospitality sector through Hayman Woods’ affiliate Keen Partners.
The final member of How and Where We Live Panel is Douglas Yearley, CEO of Toll Brothers. Toll Brothers is an award winning homebuilder and Fortune 500 company. Doug joined Toll Brothers in 1990 and has held various management positions over the past 27 years. He initially specialized in land acquisitions and project management, learning the home building business from the ground up. He then helped oversee our substantial growth through new market expansion and builder acquisitions. He has been an officer since 1994, holding the position of Vice President from January 1994 until January 2002, Senior Vice President from January 2002 until November 2005, and Regional President from November 2005 until November 2009, when he managed home building operations in nine markets throughout the country, oversaw the creation of the Toll Brothers City Living brand, and managed Toll’s Marketing department. In November 2009, Doug was promoted to Executive Vice President, and then to Chief Executive Officer in June 2010. He also became a member of the Board of Directors at that time. Doug is Co-Chair of the Pennsylvania Chapter of American Cancer Society’s “CEO’s Against Cancer” and is actively involved in the Yearley Family Foundation, which supports many charities assisting underprivileged children through education. Doug received a Bachelor of Science degree from Cornell University in Applied Economics and Business Management and a Juris Doctor degree from Rutgers Law School.
Be sure to join us for this engaging discussion on the trends transforming the residential development sector.
The 35th Annual Cornell Real Estate Conference is taking place on Friday, October 13th. The theme of this year’s conference is MEGA TRENDS IMPACTING THE REAL ESTATE INDUSTRY: Learn About and Debate the Future Today. For additional details on this event or to register, please check out the Conference website at http://www.cvent.com/d/w5qgf2.
