Attend the BizTimes Commercial Real Estate and Development Conference

The seventh annual BizTimes Milwaukee Commercial Real Estate & Development Conference will be held on Nov. 12 at Potawatomi Bingo Casino. The event, which usually attracts about 500 attendees, will feature a panel discussion with some of the most renowned commercial real estate experts in the nation.

The theme for this year’s conference will be, "What Now?" The conference will examine the latest trends in commercial real estate and development and explore the possibilities for the year ahead. Emphasis in the discussion will be given to successful development strategies and best practices in a recession, including adaptive reuse of properties, effective approaches to gaining access to capital, environmental sustainability and the emergence of aerotropolis development (near airports).

• Robert Bach, senior vice president and chief economist of Grubb & Ellis Co. Based in Chicago, Bach has 35 years of experience in real estate market research, consulting and city planning. A member of the Conference of Business Economists and the Counselors of Real Estate, Bach authors the company’s national market publications, is a frequent speaker at industry events and is quoted widely in the trade and business press, including The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times, Bloomberg and a wide array of investment and real estate publications. Bach works with Grubb & Ellis researchers in more than 100 markets to ensure that the company’s proprietary data is accurate and the analysis provided to clients is useful and insightful. The Milwaukee Grubb & Ellis affiliate is Apex Commercial in Brookfield.

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• Rhyne Brown, executive vice president of client development at NAI Global. With a primary office in Newport Beach, Calif., and a regional office in Silver Spring, Md., Brown lead’s NAI Global’s national efforts in member-based business development and in the expansion of major NAI Corporate business accounts. Brown has represented clients in the acquisition or sale of more than $1 billion in real estate over his 35-year real estate career. Brown’s clients have included IBM, The World Bank, First Union Bank, Bank America and PNC Bank. His specialties include investment sales, large-scale corporate developments and strategic facility planning. The Milwaukee NAI Global affiliate is NAI MLG Commercial in Brookfield.

• Jack Durburg, executive managing director of the Chicago region for CB Richard Ellis. In addition to leading the company’s Chicago market team, Durburg provides oversight to CBRE’s Minneapolis and Wisconsin markets. Through acquisition and strategic growth, CBRE has been recognized by Crain’s Business Chicago as the No. 1 real estate services firm in leasing, sales and property management in Chicago, with 2008 gross revenues of $165 million. He serves as a real estate advisor to many of Chicago’s largest corporations and institutional owners. CBRE has an office in downtown Milwaukee.

• Ross Moore, executive vice president and director of market and economic research at Colliers International Property Consultants Inc. Based in Boston, Mass., Moore is responsible for national market and economic analysis, strategic planning and new product development. Moore is a recognized expert on commercial real estate markets and a frequent speaker at industry conferences, where he provides commentary and analysis on industry trends. His national research reports are among the most respected in the nation. Moore is the current chair of the Urban Land Institute British Columbia District Council. The Milwaukee Colliers affiliate is Colliers Barry.

• Maria Sicola, executive managing director and head of research for the Americas at Cushman & Wakefield Inc. in San Francisco. During her tenure leading the company’s research team, Sicola developed an award-winning database platform, Site Solutions, recognized by Bill Gates as a unique application of Microsoft’s Access software. Her consulting work has focused on office market leasing analysis and forecasting. Some of her clients include New York Life, Trizec Properties, RREEF, Beacon Capital, Charles Schwab, Prologis and the LMDC (Lower Manhattan Development Corp.). She is an executive member of the Urban Land Institute. Sicola is a frequent speaker at industry conferences and is regularly quoted in publications such as National Real Estate Investor, Real Estate Forum, The Wall Street Journal and The New York Times, as well as on the web on Bloomberg and Reuters. The Milwaukee affiliate of Cushman & Wakefield Inc. is The Boerke Company Inc.