Equal parts creative and strategic, Lauren Genest is a corporate communications and public relations expert who helps executives shape their public personas. Led by 20 years of trusted client and media relationships, Lauren has developed and implemented internal and external strategies to increase client visibility and promote long-term brand growth.
Fabienne is tri-lingual and fluent in English, French, and Spanish, and is involved in numerous charities across NYC, including the Parrish Museum. Fabienne is a REBNY and NYRAC member.
Fabienne will share the State of the market in the residential arena and also cover pied a terre tax?
Joshua Soble is the Principal of TerraMorph Group, a New York–based advisory and project-development firm serving the geothermal and thermal energy network (TEN) industry, where he advises technology providers, developers, and property owners on market strategy, feasibility, master planning, and project delivery.
Joshua Soble will provide a practical overview of the geothermal energy landscape, focusing on ground source heat pump (GSHP) systems and their applications across the built environment. Drawing on his real-world experience on geothermal and thermal energy network projects, he’ll cover how these systems work, where they make economic and technical sense, and what owners should understand about integrating them into new and existing buildings. The session is designed to help attendees evaluate geothermal as a real option for their portfolios—cutting through the hype to the fundamentals that drive project viability.
Joshua Soble is the Principal of TerraMorph Group, a New York–based advisory and project-development firm serving the geothermal and thermal energy network (TEN) industry, where he advises technology providers, developers, and property owners on market strategy, feasibility, master planning, and project delivery. He serves on the Board of Directors of Geothermal Rising, the geothermal industry’s leading professional association. Prior to founding TerraMorph, Josh was US Country Manager for Celsius Energy, SLB’s (formerly Schlumberger) shallow geothermal heating and cooling business, where he led the US business and drove deployment of Celsius’s geothermal solution across both existing-building retrofits and new construction developments — reducing carbon emissions, lowering operating expenses, and optimizing property operations. He was a contributor to the Eversource geothermal TEN pilot in Framingham, Massachusetts, the first utility-owned networked geothermal system in the United States. Over his career, Josh has developed a broad range of renewable energy and energy-efficiency projects, including solar photovoltaic (PV) installations, cogeneration systems, HVAC overhauls, real-time energy management (RTEM) building monitoring and controls, and green-building certifications (LEED, EGC, Passive House, and more). Earlier in his career, he worked at leading renewable energy trade associations in Washington, DC, including the Solar Energy Industries Association (SEIA), The Solar Foundation, and the American Biogas Council. Josh holds a B.S. in Geological Sciences from the University of Michigan and lives in New York City with his wife.
An industry expert in real estate market analysis, Keith DeCoster is Vice President of Market Data and Policy for the Real Estate Board of New York, the City’s leading real estate trade association.
Commercial Real Estate in New York City isn’t just holding its own—it’s setting the pace. Across office, multifamily and retail/hospitality, NYC commercial real estate is outperforming nearly every major U.S. market. REBNY’s Keith DeCoster makes the case for NYC’s premier position while exploring the exceptions and vulnerabilities that could put it at risk.
Kali Valenzuela is a real estate professional with over 20 years of experience spanning investment sales, acquisitions, development, and business development across the New York metropolitan area and beyond.
Mark N. Antar is a Partner in Belkin Burden Goldman, LLP’s Litigation Department whose practice focuses on real estate and commercial litigation, with an emphasis on complex landlord‑tenant disputes.
Joanna Frank is a real estate entrepreneur who oversees the global expansion of Fitwel, the leading people-centric healthy building certification platform. She serves as President and CEO of Active Design Advisors, Inc.
Health as Infrastructure: The Future of Real Estate Value
As climate risk, consumer expectations, and market pressures continue to reshape real estate, health and resilience are emerging as core drivers of long-term asset value. Joanna Frank will explore how the industry is shifting beyond sustainability rhetoric toward measurable performance—where healthier buildings support tenant demand, operational efficiency, investor confidence, and portfolio resilience.
Drawing from global trends, certification data, and real-world implementation, this conversation will examine why health-focused design and operations are no longer a nice-to-have, but a competitive advantage. From climate resilience to occupant well-being, Joanna will discuss how evidence-based strategies and scalable certification frameworks are helping organizations future-proof assets, strengthen communities, and drive measurable value across portfolios.
Nicholas Muir is a seasoned global real estate executive based in New York with more than 40 years of experience leading complex development projects across hospitality, mixed-use, and large-scale infrastructure.
Disrupting the Industry: Construction as a Value-Creation – Nick Muir
For investors, time—not cost—is the primary driver of returns, requiring a strategic shift in how design & construction is approached. Construction should be reframed from pure execution to an investment strategy through off-site and modular delivery, global procurement partnerships, and lean, data-driven production methods. This approach accelerates timelines by 20–40%, enabling earlier occupancy, higher IRR, and improved quality, safety, and predictability while reducing risk and environmental impact. At the board level, success depends on prioritizing speed-to-revenue, treating construction as a repeatable platform, and investing in partnerships, systems, and data to build faster, de-risk delivery, and unlock revenue sooner.
Frankel Connect was established by Elizabeth Frankel, a respected industry leader with more
than 20 years of experience across the construction and development sectors.
Brooks McDaniel is the Senior Vice President of Building Repositioning at STO Building Group, a global family of builders providing full-service construction across the US, Canada, UK, and Europe. Specializing in the repositioning of buildings,
Repositioning Real Estate in today’s market.
What works, what has not
Gabe Whitman is a NY State broker for 20 years. Mr. Whitman worked at Cushman & Wakefield representing over 2 million sf of office space and retail in Downtown Manhattan and Midtown South.
“From distress to direction: leading the repositioning of a Class A office portfolio.”
“Turning challenge into clarity for a distressed Class A office portfolio.”
Asset Criteria
Investment Profile
Vacancy Considerations
Operating Strategy
Cost Rationalization
Leasing Strategy
Reactivating Demand
Deal Philosophy
Paul M. Ribaudo is a partner in the Valuation and Forensic Services Practice. With over 30 years of experience in public accounting, he specializes in forensic accounting, dispute resolution consulting, and expert witness services.
Rent control and stabilized apt issues on change of ownership
Executive Vice President/Principal of Volmar Construction, Inc., a general contractor specializing in building renovation, new construction and facility maintenance contracts in the Northeast United States for a wide variety of Federal, State, and Municipal agency clients.
Volmar Construction and various projects both completed and underway.
John Ritter has over 40 years’ experience in the sales and leasing of industrial, office and retail properties located in Queens, Brooklyn, the Bronx and Nassau counties. He is a partner at Sholom & Zuckerbrot Realty. In addition, John and his partne
Ultimate co-tenant and retail space.
John and two of his partners Eric Deutsch & Brian Lockner will share updates on various projects in Jamaica and 315 Meserole Street, East Williamsburg
See PDF attached for details re 315 Meserole St.
Zach leads advocacy strategies to advance REBNY’s public policy priorities and oversees external relationships and
outreach to policymakers.
NYC Mayoral Election
Brad is the founder and editor of Thesis Driven
(www.thesisdriven.com), a publication covering innovation in the built world.
Artificial intelligence is reshaping how buildings are designed, financed, and built. From generative design tools that optimize layouts and materials to predictive models that flag cost overruns and schedule delays before they happen, AI is beginning to automate many of development’s most complex tasks. This session will explore practical use cases already emerging in construction and predevelopment—how owners and operators can evaluate vendors, pilot tools, and position their organizations to capture early efficiency gains and strategic advantages.
With expertise spanning planning, design, and project management, Rob has been a key
contributor to SM&W's success since he joined our firm 19 years ago. Rob has been
instrumental in shaping the company's operational strategy, optimizing processes, and driving
cross-functional collaboration among SM&W's global offices.
Steven Cohen is an agile global CEO and Board Director adept at identifying and capitalizing on market shifts.
Throughout his career, from his education at the UNIVERSITY OF CAMBRIDGE (MBA & BA) in
Entrepreneurship, Real Estate & Economics, Corporate Governance, and Strategic Positioning he has achieved
significant growth across three continents.
Tim Angerame is the chief operating officer at utiliVisor, the leading tenant submetering and energy plant optimization service.
Carlo A. Scissura, Esq. is President & CEO of the New York Building Congress, a position he has held since January 2017.
The New York Building Congress is a broad-based membership association committed to promoting the growth and success of the construction industry in New York City and its environs. The organization – which includes members from across the building community – provides a unique forum to advance an industry-wide agenda focusing on economic and infrastructure investment, job creation, and professional exchange.
Amie Gross AIA founded Amie Gross Architects in 1984 with the conviction that people of all walks deserve well-crafted architecture. With over forty-five years of multidisciplinary work, Ms. Gross has championed the causes of diversity, community alliance, and direct engagement with urban policy.
David Feinberg is General Counsel at Time Equities Inc. (TEI), and is responsible for overseeing the legal aspects of the various transactions TEI performs. David is also the Chief Compliance Officer of Time Equities Securities LLC, TEI’s FINRA licensed broker dealer.
In addition to our staff of attorneys who are well practiced in land use law we have non-legal professionals who possess a broad knowledge base in zoning regulations.
Bill Montana is Senior Managing Director at Savills, a global real estate advisory firm. Since 1988, he has been providing real estate advisory services to major corporations, institutions, and not-for-profit organizations located in the New York metropolitan area and nationally. He and his team structure creative and innovative occupancy solutions that save their clients money.