2021 MEDA Spring Conference

Jim Glassman is the Managing Director and Head Economist for Commercial Banking. From regulations and technology to globalization and consumer habits, Jim’s insights are used by companies and industries to help them better understand the changing economy and its impact on their businesses.

Jim’s work with the firm—combined with his independent research on the principal forces shaping the economy and financial markets—has earned him regular features in the media and as an economic commentator. He is also a long-standing participant in the Federal Reserve Bank of Philadelphia’s Survey of Professional Forecasters and the National Association of Business Economists’ (NABE) panel of macroeconomic forecasters.

From 1979 through 1988, Jim served as a Senior Economist in the Research & Statistics and Monetary Affairs departments at the Federal Reserve Board in Washington, DC. While there, he analyzed and forecasted inflation, labor market developments, the Federal Reserve’s operating strategies and interest rate markets, and he developed monetary and reserves projections. He joined Morgan Guaranty in 1988 and Chemical Bank in 1993, which, through a combination of mergers, became JPMorgan Chase & Co.

Jim earned a bachelor’s degree from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and a master’s degree in Economics from the University of Illinois at Chicago. He was awarded a Ph.D. in Economics from Northwestern University.

Douglas L. Krinsky is the Relationship Executive for J.P. Morgan’s Commercial Bank, running its Maryland government practice. He is the primary point of contact for the bank’s full capabilities, including bond and lease financing, treasury, and banking services. Doug is a Marylander by choice and has lived in Baltimore County for 25 years, now in Lutherville. Doug earned a Bachelor of Science in Policy Studies from Syracuse University and a Master of Arts in Financial Management from Notre Dame of Maryland University.

Claudia’s current unique style started with her career in radio as an on-air engineer and programmer. Her creativity and ability to connect, and strong organizational skills led her to branch into commercial real estate. Beginning at StreetSense in 2003 and then again with The HBW Group in 2017, Claudia developed strategic marketing concepts that enabled both organizations to build strong teams with excellent results in this regions’ highly competitive commercial leasing.

In 2013, Claudia joined Scheer Partners to develop and execute marketing initiatives for its portfolio. Claudia’s responsibilities cover strategic planning for growth, operations, and business development.

Utilizing her years in radio and marketing, Claudia has built a strong social media presence and outreach, branding Scheer Partners as a trusted advisor and industry leader in commercial real estate.

Due to her marketing leadership and initiatives, the company has grown 300% during her tenure. As the COO, Claudia continues to manage both the administration and marketing teams while focusing on Scheer Partners’ growth. They continue to expand. Claudia brings an ‘old school’ style of professionalism with her warm personality, excellent communication, and client service style, along with her prodigious work ethic and analytical nature.

24 years at Merritt and in the trenches of the Leasing in both MD and Northern Va.

Involved in all facets of the business every day.

Work alongside Merritt Construction Services, Merritt’s Accounting, Finance, Property Mgmt, Marketing and Acquisition teams every day. We call it the Merritt MBA.

Board Member and Past President of the MD Chapter of NAIOP 2018-2019.

Vicki Davis is responsible for managing the acquisition, planning, design, and implementation of all Urban Atlantic projects, and asset management of properties that the company owns and its Mid-City Community CDE investment portfolio. With over 30 years of experience in real estate development, she formerly served as Deputy Director of the Maryland Housing Fund at Maryland DHCD. Her experience also includes portfolio management for MNC Financial-South Charles Realty and multifamily development for Trammell Crow Residential.

As Managing Partner of Urban Atlantic Development, Ms. Davis has managed development of over $2 billion in real estate projects and asset managed over $4 billion in real estate investments. She has lead the development of large scale, urban, mixed use communities, over 6,000 multifamily residential units and 600,000 commercial square, including eight HOPE VI mixed-use redevelopment projects, as well as transit-oriented TOD mixed-use projects.

Ms. Davis holds a MBA in Finance from American University, an MS in Engineering & Construction Management from University of Texas, and a BS in Civil Engineering from the University of Maryland. She taught for 12 years in the Johns Hopkins Real Estate MBA program. She serves as Board member of the DC Building Industry Association; Board member of the Capitol Riverfront BID, and Board member of the ULI Terwilliger Center for Housing and Board member of Cultural DC.

Robin (Rob) Ferree joined Bowman Development Corp (BDC) in 2012 as President with primary responsibilities for leasing, maintenance, real estate development and construction. BDC is one of the largest commercial real estate developers in Washington County. It has developed, owns and maintains approximately 4 million sf of warehouse, industrial, flex, office and retail space, mainly in Washington and Frederick Counties, Maryland, with about 150 lease tenants. It also holds over 500 acres of industrial and commercial land for future development.

BDC is part of the privately-owned Bowman Group of companies based in Williamsport, Maryland. Other businesses include trucking, logistics, trailer leasing and hotel/restaurant development and operations. The Bowman Group is the fifth largest employer in Washington County.

Before joining Bowman, Rob spent seven years with the Hagerstown-Washington County Economic Development Commission, with his last position being the Deputy Director. During which time he earned the CEcD certification.

Previously Rob worked for two large crane manufacturers serving in several sales and marketing executive positions, many of which had international responsibilities.

Meredith Mears is widely known as a business professional specializing in commercial real estate
and business development. For over 20 years, Mears has successfully led companies, governments and communities through change, solidifying her position as a heavily
experienced, trusted and reputable resource.

Mears presents her clients with a distinctive combination of skill, resources and relationships,
thereby creating results that drive businesses and communities forward. Understanding the
unique needs of her clients and delivering consistent results that go beyond expectation is a
cornerstone of Mears’s brokerage and consultancy businesses.

As Principal and licensed commercial real estate Advisor at NAI Coastal, Mears has closed large-
scale corporate tenant leases for government properties as well as multi-million dollar
investment property transactions. Her real estate affiliation has collectively brokered over 450 commercial real estate transactions, and has participated in a sales volume exceeding $500 million in brokerage and development deals.

As Principal of M3 Synergies, Mears is a strategic leadership and project specific consultant that works with county, state and federal level clients, as well as small and large private sector companies in operation both domestically and internationally.

Mears remains very active in her community, and has served in a multitude of community
leadership roles such as Regent for the University System of Maryland, Board Member of
Leadership Maryland, Board Member of Atlantic General Hospital and Board Member of Maryland Capital Enterprises, among others. In 2020, she was named a Top 100 Woman in the state of Maryland by The Daily Record for her vast contributions in business, community and
mentoring. Mears is a graduate of Salisbury University and lives in Salisbury, Maryland with her husband, Jon and son, Gabe.

Karen Cherry was appointed by Governor Hogan to serve as Chairman of the Board for the Maryland Marketing Partnership, a public private partnership created to develop a branding strategy for the state, market the state’s assets and encourage the location and growth of new businesses in Maryland.

She was formerly the Vice President of Office Leasing for The Howard Hughes Corporation overseeing the leasing activity in the Columbia MD portfolio. Karen has over 20 years of experience in the commercial real estate industry, focused primarily on Landlord representation in the Baltimore Washington Corridor. Prior to Howard Hughes, she was a Principal at Lee & Associates Chesapeake Region. She has also previously held brokerage positions with Cushman & Wakefield, Sperry Van Ness and the Trammell Crow Company.

In 2020, Karen was named to The Daily Record’s list of the Top 100 Women in Maryland for the second time. She first appeared on the prestigious list in 2017. She was also named Commercial Real Estate Agent of the Year in 2020 by The Daily Record.

Karen serves on the Board of Directors for the Maryland Tech Council and NAIOP. Active in community service, Karen represents several local non-profit organizations on their Boards, including as a member of the Executive Committee for Blossoms of Hope and as President of the Board for Camp Attaway. Karen is a 2015 graduate of Leadership Howard County and currently serves as a Class Representative. She is Co-Chair of the Steering Committee for Leadership U and has worked as a mentor for the program for many years.

Karen is a graduate of Elizabethtown College where she majored in Business Administration with a double concentration in Marketing and Management.

As a senior executive in public administration, government relations, communications, public affairs and community relations, Aaron directs Tradepoint Atlantic’s corporate affairs and external relations to include government and regulatory affairs, public and community relations, and corporate marketing activities. Prior to Tradepoint Atlantic, he held the role of Director of Corporate Affairs for Erickson Living, national manager and developer of senior living retirement communities and an affiliated company to Tradepoint Atlantic through Redwood Capital Investments.

With a twenty-year career in state and local legislative and executive government roles, Aaron has both worked for and with numerous federal state and local agencies and officials. His service in executive roles in Maryland State and Local Government include nine years as Chief of Staff to the County Executive of Harford County, Maryland’s seventh largest jurisdiction, and as Assistant Secretary of the Maryland Department of Planning for Governor Robert L. Ehrlich, Jr. In addition to his executive roles, Aaron also served as a legislative aide for two State Senators in Maryland’s General Assembly. Prior to his tenure in government as an Associate with Booz Allen Hamilton, Inc., a national technology and management consulting firm, Aaron provided program management, public relations and strategic communications support for the U.S. Army Environmental Center.

Aaron received his Bachelor of Arts in Political Science and Public Policy from St. Mary’s College of Maryland. As an Eagle Scout, Aaron learned that community service is an important part of good citizenship. He serves on numerous community driven Boards to include the Economic Alliance of Greater Baltimore, Dundalk Renaissance Corporation, Board of Directors for the Community Colleges of Baltimore County Foundation, Baltimore County Workforce Development Board, Baltimore County Economic Development Advisory Board and the Board of Directors for Friends of Patterson Park. Aaron was appointed by Governor Hogan to serve on the board of the Maryland Public Private Partnership Marketing Corporation to assist with its mission of marketing Maryland to drive business investment and talent to the state. Baltimore’s Mayor also appointed Aaron to serve as a Commissioner on Baltimore City’s Civil Service Commission. He lives in the Upper Fells Point neighborhood of Baltimore City with his husband Tom Koerber and 19yo daughter Alexandra.

About Tradepoint Atlantic

The 3,300-­‐acre global logistics center and industrial site at Sparrows Point in Baltimore, Maryland, features an unmatched combination of access to deep-water berths, rail and highways. It is a starting point – the largest privately-owned industrial site on the east coast. From here, world-class companies unleash their potential, jobs created, communities prosper, and industry is set in motion.

For more information visit: www.tradepointatlantic.com.

Mr. Lighthizer started Chesapeake Real Estate Group, LLC (“CREG”) in 2004 after spending 16 years at CBRE, where he achieved the titles of Senior Vice President and Partner, and was a consistent “Top 5” producer. His past institutional landlord clients include RREEF, Ohio Teachers, First Industrial, Opus, Invesco, Cabot, and CalEast/LaSalle Advisors. He also served as a tenant representative leader with the National CB Global Logistics Practice Group.

Since starting CREG, Mr. Lighthizer has negotiated some of the region’s largest industrial transactions, including representing General Motors in the sale of their Baltimore Van Assembly Plant, which consisted of 182 acres and two million square feet of industrial space to Duke Realty for $33 million. Mr. Lighthizer previously represented GM with their acquisition of 80 acres in White Marsh, Maryland for their 800,000 square-foot Allison Transmission Plant. Lighthizer also negotiated the purchase of a 240-acre, 1.5 million square foot planned business park known as Baltimore Crossroads @95, which is currently in its final stages of development.

Under Lighthizer’s direction, the company has purchased numerous properties as part of the company’s initiative to both own and broker commercial real estate. CREG has acquired, developed and/or has or held ownership in over 20 industrial, office, and retail projects that total over $300 million in value. The company’s partners include or have included Prudential Real Estate Investors, USAA, The Carlyle Group, Atapco Properties, Osprey Property, Somerset Construction, and Hostetter Construction.

PROFESSIONAL AFFILIATIONS AND ACCREDITATIONS: (past and current)

· NAIOP (National Association of Industrial and Office Properties)

· SIOR (Society of Industrial and Office Realtors)

· CCIM (Certified Commercial Investment Member)

· Board Member, Anne Arundel County Partnership for Families and Children

· Board Member, US Lacrosse Mid-Atlantic Chapter

· Commissioner, Severna Park Green Hornets Boys Lacrosse

· Board Member, Anne Arundel County Park and Recreation Boys Lacrosse Coach’s Association

· CLM (Council of Logistics Management)

· Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation (JDRF) Board Member

· AACIA (Anne Arundel Commercial & Industrial Association)

· Mount St. Mary’s President’s Council

· Fund-Raising Chairman, Mount St. Mary’s (Class of 1988)

EDUCATION & DESIGNATIONS:

· CB Richard Ellis/USC Formal Sales and Corporate Service Training

· Bachelor of Arts, Mount St. Mary’s College, 1988

· Gilmour Academy High School, Cleveland, Ohio, 1984

A corporate and real estate attorney by training, David brings a deep knowledge of all aspects of the real estate cycle. Before serving as Managing Partner of MCB, David served as the director of commercial lending for a regionally based full-service lending firm –Madison Funding – which he co-founded in 2000. Prior to devoting all his time to commercial real estate investment, David practiced law in the transactions group of Steptoe & Johnson LLP where he provided corporate and real estate advisory services. David currently serves on the board of University of Pennsylvania’s Institute for Urban Research, Baltimore Community Lending, the Ronald McDonald House, Surge Baltimore and serves as chair the board of Lendistry. David has also served on the board of directors of a federally chartered bank, served as a Commissioner on the Maryland Racing Commission as well as on the boards of multiple real estate and non-real estate related charitable organizations. David received his J.D. from the University of Pennsylvania, and A. B. from Princeton University.

Heather Gramm joined the Maryland Department of Commerce as Senior Director of Strategic Industries and Entrepreneurship in June 2019. In this role, she oversees the development and implementation of the state’s efforts to grow the strategic industries of biohealth and life sciences, cybersecurity and aerospace, manufacturing, energy and agriculture. In addition, she oversees Commerce’s strategic initiatives for entrepreneurship, small business, and workforce development.

Prior to this role, she served as Deputy Director for the Frederick County Office of Economic Development overseeing the county’s business development efforts, including business attraction, retention and expansion, small and minority business development strategies, as well as industry-sector development in the county’s targeted sectors.

Heather has more than 17 years of experience in municipal, county and state economic development in a variety of roles including business development, community development and downtown revitalization. She earned a B.A. in Business Administration from Hood College and the Certified Economic Developer (CEcD) certification through IEDC. She serves as President of the Maryland Economic Development Association (MEDA) Board of Directors.

Mr. Griffin has served as Director of Economic Development for the City of Frederick, Maryland since 2002. An urban planner and economic developer with 25 years of experience, Richard has worked at the city, county, and regional level in Maryland, Virginia, South Carolina and Washington.

During his tenure in Frederick he has overseen several million in public and private revitalization including the design and development of award-winning Carroll Creek Park and million’s in renovations and new infill development delivering jobs tax base in downtown.

His previous assignments include serving as the executive director of the Downtown Frederick Partnership, Program Manager of Comprehensive Planning for Loudoun County, Virginia and Senior Regional Planner for the Appalachian Council of Governments , and on the district staff of US Representative James McClure Clarke (11th NC)..

Mr. Griffin holds degrees from Western Carolina University and Clemson University. He serves on the Board for the Downtown Frederick Partnership, the Frederick Innovative Technology Center, Inc. and others.

In his current role as Vice President of Financial Services for the Anne Arundel Economic Development Corporation, Steve is responsible for managing the, Arundel Community Reinvestment Fund, Anne Arundel Incentive Fund, the Next Stage Fund and the VOLT Fund. Steve is responsible for managing financial services staff and developing the protocols and processes used to manage the flow of applications for all of the corporation’s lending programs, from origination and underwriting to the closing and servicing of loans. Steve oversees a portfolio of approximately 100 small business loans totaling approximately $7 million.
Steve has more than a decade of finance and lending experience. Prior to arriving at AAEDC, he served as Vice President of Private Business Banking for BankAnnapolis. Previous to that, he was at the Harbor Bank of Maryland for four years as Vice President and Commercial Lending Officer.
Steve holds an MBA and a bachelors degree in marketing, both from Frostburg State University.
Steve has served on the Board of several non-profit organizations including the Maryland Economic Development Association Foundation, Arundel Child Care Connections, and the Maryland Commercial Lenders Lending Association. He is currently the Treasurer of the Maryland Economic Development Association.

Ebony Stocks
Executive Vice President
Prince George’s County Economic Development Corporation

Biography

Ebony Stocks is the Executive Vice President with the Prince George’s County Economic Development Corporation, an organization that provides business services that help attract, retain, and expand businesses in the County. She previously administered the County’s premier $50 million economic development tool, the Economic Development Incentive Fund which leveraged over $1 billion in capital investment and created over 13,000 jobs. Ms. Stocks is a Certified Economic Development Finance professional who has managed several financing and incentive programs. Ms. Stocks has worked in commercial lending providing non-traditional financing to rapidly growing small businesses. Ms. Stocks has a Master’s degree in Real Estate Development and a Bachelor’s degree in Economics.

Kim Clark is the Executive Vice President of the City of Baltimore Development Corporation (BDC). In her capacity as EVP she oversees neighborhood development, business development, capital budgeting, Small Business Resource Center, Emerging Technology Centers, Baltimore Main Streets program, marketing and research and analytics.

Among her achievements at BDC, Kim helped structure public private partnership financing for several major redevelopment projects, including several Tax Increment Financing (TIF) projects; the redevelopment of Belvedere Square, all parcels at Inner Harbor East, Payment in Lieu of Taxes (PILOTS) for several major developments, including the Westside and the several grocery store projects. She was instrumental in retaining several businesses of all sizes and assisted smaller businesses with expansions and in the development of the Horseshoe Casino Baltimore.

Kim is the Vice President of the Maryland Economic Development Association, Chair for Mission Advancement of the Urban Land Institute Baltimore Council, Second Vice President and Committee Chair of the Star Spangled Flag House, Board member of the Emerging Technology Centers, Leadership Maryland and the Baltimore Office of Promotion and the Arts and is a member of the International Economic Development Council. Kim graduated Leadership MD in 2009 and is a Greater Baltimore Committee Leadership Class of 2007 graduate.
Kim Clark is the Executive Vice President of the City of Baltimore Development Corporation (BDC). In her capacity as EVP she oversees neighborhood development, downtown development, capital budgeting, commercial revitalization, and urban design and planning.

Among her achievements at BDC, Kim helped structure public private partnership financing for several major redevelopment projects, including several Tax Increment Financing (TIF) projects; the redevelopment of Belvedere Square, all parcels at Inner Harbor East, Payment in Lieu of Taxes (PILOTS) for several major developments, including the Westside and the several grocery store projects. She was instrumental in retaining several businesses of all sizes and assisted smaller businesses with expansions and in the development of the Horseshoe Casino Baltimore.

Kim is the Secretary of the Maryland Economic Development Association, Treasurer of the Urban Land Institute Baltimore Council, Board member and Committee Chair of the Star Spangled Flag House, Board member of the Emerging Technology Centers, Leadership Maryland and the Baltimore Office of Promotion and the Arts and is a member of the International Economic Development Council. Kim graduated Leadership MD in 2009 and is a Greater Baltimore Committee Leadership Class of 2007 graduate.