ULI Charlotte Spring Members Only Breakfast
May 24, 2012
Perspectives on Recent ULI Spring Meeting

Panelists:
Lee Cochran, CFO, Levine Properties
Walter Fisher, Partner, K&L Gates
Forde Britt, Broker, The Nichols Company

Moderator:
Charles Teal, CEO, Saussy Burbank

The focus of the discussion at the ULI Charlotte Spring Members Only Breakfast was to provide individual perspectives on the 2012 ULI Spring Meeting that was hosted in Charlotte May 8th – 10th, 2012. In addition to summaries provided on various sessions attended by the panelists, each panelist spoke of their individual encounters with attendees that were visiting Charlotte for the event.

We, as a community, have much to be proud of when it comes to our city. The encounters were overwhelmingly positive as the visitors were excited to be in Charlotte and pleased with what our city has to offer. Specifically, the visitors were very complimentary as to the success of Charlotte’s public/private partnerships that have been the foundation of Charlotte’s ability to provide residents with a variety of amenities both cultural and recreational. With over 3,200 attendees at the 2012 ULI Spring Meeting, our city was definitely on display as attendees participated in various mobile workshops, special interest tours, and other events that were hosted within the greater Charlotte area.

Lee Cochran, CFO of Levine Properties kicked the morning discussion off with comments related to sessions he attended that spoke about various multi-family and office developments. Lee was interested in the analysis that was shown in the multi-family development presentation in that the sample markets used in the presentation had many similarities to Charlotte and the types of multi-family developments that are currently being developed in our community. This presentation focused on the importance of LEED certified developments as these energy efficient projects have proven to be much more attractive to today’s investors. The energy efficient concept also reached the presentation on office developments, as Lee highlighted the changes in office design to a more open, collaborative and integrated work environment.

Walter Fisher, a partner at K&L Gates, spoke highly of the general session presentation given by Erskine Bowles, former co-chair of President Obama’s National Commission on Fiscal Responsibility and Reform. Walter commented that the presentation was very much a ‘call to action’ for all professionals in that it is imperative for us to take actions that will influence lawmakers to start making the tough decisions. Walter also discussed another general session that was led by Amory B. Lovins, Co-founder, chairman, and chief scientist at the Rocky Mountain Institute. Walter indicated he found the presentation to be ‘extraordinarily stimulating’ in that Lovins gave many real life instances of the use of sustainable practice and the substantial difference that these practices made. The focus on ‘green’ is argued by some to be a fad, however, Lovins discussion on environmental standards gave the audience food for thought in the way of real opportunities to recover costs and the importance of sustainability in driving value.

Forde Britt, a broker at The Nichols Company, spoke about his experience at the 2012 ULI Spring Meeting, not just as an attendee, but also as a volunteer and a participant in the Young Leaders Roundtable, which had an overall theme of the role of regulation in our society. The discussion focused on ways to collaborate and share resources, keeping in mind that everything isn’t project specific and often we should be thinking on a more macro level. The Young Leaders Roundtable also discussed the topic of social media and its current day impact on the business world.

The last speaker of the day was Peter Pappas, President/Managing Partner of Pappas Properties, who chaired the ULI Local Arrangements Committee, and was an integral part of bringing the 2012 ULI Spring Meeting to Charlotte. Peter stated he had three goals for the event: great attendance, great programs, and sponsorship – raising money for the local ULI District Council. Based on the feedback that has been received on the 2012 ULI Spring Meeting, it is clear that these goals were achieved. Peter indicated his appreciation for the opportunity to be involved in the event and to all of those that assisted in making the Spring Meeting a success.

By Lauren Spegal, an audit manager with Grant Thornton.  She has been with GT since her start in public accounting eight years ago. Spegal’s focus is in the Construction, Real Estate, and Hospitality industry group.