PHILADELPHIA REAL ESTATE COUNCIL - Key Persons
Job Titles:
- First American Title Insurance Co
- Vice President and Special Counsel at First American Title Insurance Corp
Alan Gottlieb is Vice President and Special Counsel at First American Title Insurance Corp. office in Philadelphia, PA. and Princeton, NJ. He specializes in underwriting and insuring large commercial real estate transactions. As a member of the National Commercial Services Division, Alan is responsible for helping clients anticipate and solve title problems relating to the acquisition, ownership and financing of real property. He has developed strategic relationships with his clientele, which include major law firms, developers, REITS, lenders, hospitals, universities and brokers.
Alan has extensive business and legal experience and has established a track record of innovation in response to complex title issues and rapidly changing business conditions. He is credited with helping his clients identify business opportunities, successfully close sophisticated real estate transactions and dramatically reduce expenses.
Alan previously served as the Vice President of Corporate Real Estate, Vice President of Purchasing, and Chief Financial Officer of the Human Resources & Services Division at Cigna Corp. in Philadelphia. Prior to joining Cigna, he served as real estate counsel at Stroock & Stroock & Lavan and Citicorp Real Estate in New York City. Alan is admitted to practice law in PA, NJ and NY.
Job Titles:
- Chairman
- Founder
- Founder and Managing Partner of Llenrock Group
Andrew Benioff is the Founder and Managing Partner of Llenrock Group, LLC, a real estate investment banking and advisory firm, and principal at Linden Lane Advisors, LLC, a value-added real estate investment firm. Mr. Benioff previously served as managing partner and head of the hospitality and leisure finance group at a Philadelphia-based real estate investment-banking company. In less than three years, he helped increase the firm's yearly transaction volume from $150M to more than $800M while also leading an extensive restructuring and rebranding of the firm.
Mr. Benioff has 15 years' experience in the operation and management of luxury hotels. He has held management and executive level positions at Pan Pacific Hotels and Resorts, Nikko Hotels International, the Ritz-Carlton Hotel Company in the U.S., and a traditional Ryokan (Inn) in Atami, Japan.
Author of numerous articles, Mr. Benioff has discussed real estate finance in the pages of Scotsman's Guide, Hotel Business, Hotel Real Estate, and the Cornell Real Estate Review. He has appeared as a guest speaker for the real estate programs of Cornell University, Villanova University, the University of Pennsylvania's Wharton School of Business, and Temple University, and has served as a panelist and moderator at numerous national real estate conferences.
Mr. Benioff received his M.B.A. with a focus on Finance and Real Estate from Cornell University's S.C. Johnson Graduate School of Management and holds a B.A. from Connecticut College.
Job Titles:
- Chief Financial Officer of Hersha Hospitality Trust
Ashish R. Parikh has been Chief Financial Officer of Hersha Hospitality Trust ("HT") since 1999. HT is a New York Stock Exchange listed publicly traded real estate investment trust that focuses on the ownership of midscale and upscale hotels in urban gateway markets. HT currently has ownership interests in 79 properties and focuses on premium branded hotels in the Marriott, Hilton, Starwood and Hyatt family of brands. Previously, Mr. Parikh was Assistant Vice President in the Mergers and Acquisition Group for Fleet Financial Group where he developed valuable expertise in numerous forms of capital raising activities including leveraged buyouts, bank syndications and venture financing. Mr. Parikh has also been employed by Tyco International, Ltd. and practiced as a Certified Public Accountant with Ernst & Young LLP. Mr. Parikh received his M.B.A. from New York University and a B.B.A. from the University of Massachusetts at Amherst.
Job Titles:
- President of Operations for SHIFT Capital LLC
Ashton Simmons, President of Operations for SHIFT Capital LLC, has over twenty 20 years of experience opening and managing retail and mixed-use commercial developments nationally, and leading multifaceted teams
Ashton has a tremendous ability to build rapport with the communities and find ways to effective program and activate interior and exterior spaces. Prior to SHIFT, Ashton has held positions as Managing Director, Assistant Vice President, Senior General Manager, and General Manager for Brookfield, CenterCal Properties, Seritage Growth Properties and LBG Real Estate Companies.
Ashton holds a bachelor's degree in international finance from Morgan State University, a master's in business administration degree from the DeVry - Keller Graduate School of Management, and a juris doctorate degree from Hofstra University School of Law.
A native of the Greater Philadelphia Area, Ashton recently relocated back to his roots with his family. Ashton is a licensed real estate salesperson in the state of Pennsylvania. Ashton is member of the Greater Philadelphia Chapter of NAIOP and International Council of Shopping Centers (ICSC).
Job Titles:
- CFO Consulting Partners LLC
- Co - Founder of CFO
- Member of Turn Around Management
David DeMuth, a co-founder of CFO Consulting Partners, is co-head of the firm's Technology, Transaction/M&A and Private Equity practices, and he heads the firm's Real Estate, Manufacturing and Healthcare industry practices. He also heads the firm's Turnaround and Restructuring Advisory practice. His experience with CFO Consulting Partners includes being the Interim and fractional CFO for public and private companies, and providing GAAP and SEC guidance, outsourced services for private equity portfolio companies, business plan development for the purpose of raising capital, buy/sell-side due diligence, and many other services within the Transactional Services practice. Besides the above-mentioned industries, David's industry experience includes technology, healthcare/life sciences, real estate, financial services, specialty chemicals, global manufacturing/distribution, and consumer products. In addition, David has extensive international experience in Europe, Asia, Latin America, Canada, Africa & the Middle East.
Prior to co-founding CFO Consulting Partners, David served as the Interim Co-Chief Financial Officer and Treasurer at Kodak Polychrome Graphics (a $2 billion global manufacturer of graphic arts materials), CFO of Troy Corporation (a $150 million global specialty chemical manufacturer), Division Vice President of Continental Grain Company (a multi-billion provider of commodities and financial services), Treasurer of National Starch and Chemical Company (a $3 billion global specialty chemical manufacturer) and Director of Tax Services at PepsiCo Inc. (a multi-billion global consumer products (beverage and food) company). Prior to his corporate career, he was with KPMG.
David is a member of Turn Around Management Association NJ (TMA), XPX (Exit Planning) Association (NJ & Philadelphia), Association for Corporate Growth (ACG), National Association of Corporate Directors (NACD), Financial Executives International (FEI), and the Princeton Mercer Chamber of Commerce. In 2018 the Princeton Mercer Chamber of Commerce honored David with the Award "Entrepreneur of the Year". He is the Audit Committee Chairman for Equinox Funds Trust, a Mutual Fund Entity (1940 Act Compliant) offering alternative investments in managed Futures. He is member of the event planning committee for the NACD NJ. He is on the Leadership Team for XPX NJ and XPX Philadelphia. For 2018, 2019 & 2020 David is a member of the M&A East Sponsorship Committee for ACG Philadelphia. He holds a BS in Accounting from Loyola University (Maryland), an MBA in Finance from LaSalle University, and he is a Certified Public Accountant (CPA).
Job Titles:
- Senior Vice President and Principal of Econsult Solutions, Inc.
Gina Lavery is Senior Vice President and Principal of Econsult Solutions, Inc. (ESI), an economic consulting firm based in Philadelphia. Her consulting practice has concentrated on urban planning, real estate, and transportation-particularly where these areas intersect with economic development. This work has included developing economic and fiscal impact studies to support major development projects, providing advisory services on incentive programs and public financing for private and public sectors clients across the US, and supplying market insights for clients making real estate decisions.
Prior to joining ESI, Gina was a research analyst for Jones Lang LaSalle, where she was responsible for market research and analysis within the Greater Philadelphia commercial real estate market. Gina started her career as a government and community affairs professional for the University of Pennsylvania, where she monitored legislative and policy developments within city government and identified opportunities to communicate its economic and social impact in the region.
Gina graduated from the University of Pennsylvania with dual Bachelor of Arts degrees in Political Science and European History and earned a Master of City and Regional Planning degree from Penn's Weitzman School of Design.
A native of Philadelphia, Gina is actively engaged in a number of organizations including ULI Philadelphia, the Community Design Collaborative, Commercial Real Estate Women (CREW) Greater Philadelphia, and serves in leadership roles as the Chapter Board Chair of Lambda Alpha International, Philadelphia. She teaches an urban planning workshop for first year Penn graduate students.
With over 35 years in the real estate industry-25 of those as CFO-James A. Smith III brings unparalleled experience to his position at Campus Apartments. As CFO and Vice President of Finance, he is responsible for the Company's financial and accounting departments. In this capacity, he maintains banking relationships and plays a key role in raising the company's capital. Before joining Campus Apartments, Smith served as CFO and CIO for PRG Real Estate Management, Inc., a Philadelphia-based company that owns and manages multi-family residential properties throughout the eastern United States. Smith led the accounting department and raised capital for the company.
Prior to his work at PRG Real Estate Management, Inc., Smith served as CFO for Realen Properties, a commercial real estate development firm in Ambler, PA with a multi-million dollar, national portfolio of assets. During his tenure at both PRG Real Estate Management, Inc. and Realen Properties, Smith managed the acquisition of several hundred million in debt and equity investments.
Smith holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Finance with a concentration in Accounting from The University of Pennsylvania's Wharton School and holds a CPA license.
In addition to his duties at Campus Apartments, Smith serves on the Global Advisory Board of the CFO Alliance and on the Philadelphia Real Estate Council.
Job Titles:
- CPSM Director of Client Relations at JB & B
- Director of Client Relations, Healthcare & Life Science at JB & B
Janine La Marca draws on nearly 30 years of business development/marketing experience in her role as Director of Client Relations for JB&B's burgeoning involvement with the healthcare, life science, data center and aviation sectors and more in the Greater Philadelphia area as well as regionally and nationwide. A dedicated member of the design and construction community, she has a well-earned reputation for results-driven strategic planning and execution of business development, marketing, and communications programs designed to achieve increased brand awareness, customer services, and client satisfaction. Ms. La Marca is a Certified Professional Services Marketer (CPSM) through the Society of Marketing Professional Services (SMPS) and a past president of the SMPS Philadelphia chapter. She is a Board member of Board Member, Philadelphia Real Estate Council (PREC), co-chair for sponsorships on the Association of Medical Facility Professionals (AMFP) Philadelphia chapter, a past board member and helped founded the Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat (CTBUH) Philadelphia chapter, a member of National Association for Industrial and Office Parks (NAIOP), an associate member of the American Institute of Architects (AIA), and a member of NYC Builds Bio+. In addition, Ms. La Marca serves on the committee for the Inaugural Philadelphia Builds Bio+ Real Estate Development Symposium as well as the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP) Golf Classic Committee and AMFP Greater Philadelphia Golf Classic.
Janine La Marca brings 25+ years of experience and recognized expertise to lead the expansion of JB&B's dynamic business development team in healthcare and science & technology. Leveraging her career-long passion for health and well-being with her national network, she looks to build out JB&B's highly esteemed MEP, sustainability and deep carbon reduction practice in Philadelphia, New York, Boston and nationwide. A Pennsylvania native, Janine will retain her office in the Philly area.
Job Titles:
- Senior Vice President in the Major Accounts Division of Conner Strong
Justin Ackerman is a Senior Vice President in the Major Accounts Division of Conner Strong & Buckelew. He specializes in designing comprehensive risk management programs for commercial clients of all types and across all industries. Areas of focus include Real Estate, Development, Construction, Manufacturing, Social Service, and Food Processing.
Ackerman began his career with Conner Strong & Buckelew in 2004 where he joined the account placement team and assisted with the marketing of new and renewal business for Major Accounts. Following this role, he spent a short amount of time as an Account Manager before being promoted to a Business Development Associate in 2006. In 2012 Ackerman was promoted to Vice President of Major Accounts and was again promoted to Senior Vice President in 2018. Ackerman's consultative approach provides an opportunity for him to become completely familiar with his client's operations. This enables him to identify potential coverage gaps within their risk management program that can be devastating to an organization if left uncorrected.
Tien-Yueh also served as the Vice President of Technical Services at Tishman Realty & Construction, a privately held real estate development company in New York City. While at Tishman, she was responsible for the development, construction, and coordination of Tishman owned and operated hotel assets. Tien-Yueh was involved in acquisition and due diligence assignments where she was responsible for performing the property assessment and preparing the property improvement plans. In addition, Tien-Yueh served as the development advisor for Mr. Tishman's pro-bono interests.
Tien-Yueh is currently a member of the President's Council of Cornell Women and the Hospitality Diversity Action Council. Prior to her time abroad in Asia, Ms. Kubach served on the Board of Trustees for the Agnes Irwin School, an all-girls college preparatory school located in Villanova, PA. She also served on the Board of Directors of the Center for Loss and Bereavement and the Philadelphia/New Jersey Shore Chapter of the Cornell Hotel Society. Tien-Yueh is a Guidance Committee Member for the Independent Lodging Congress, a conference created to merge independent lodging thought leaders with a vivacious mix of influences from the worlds of business, technology, marketing, design hospitality and more.