The Detroit industrial market continues to thrive, despite economic uncertainty. That’s the takeaway from the Detroit Industrial Real Estate Summit held by Michigan Real Estate Journal Aug. 21 at The Community House in Birmingham, Michigan.
A crowd of more than 200 attendees packed the house to hear from the biggest names in Detroit’s industrial sector. Panelists spoke about the Detroit Regional Partnership’s VIP by DRP program, which helps end users find available sites for industrial development; the many benefits of doing business in the Detroit area; the newest industrial developments powering the market; and the resiliency of industrial real estate today.
The event also provided networking opportunities for all attendees. With so many industrial specialists at The Community House, attendees had the chance to discuss upcoming projects, the latest deals and the future of this sector with each other.
The summit opened with the Detroit Industrial Real Estate Market Outlook 2025 panel, with speakers focusing on the bright future of the area’s industrial sector. Participating in this panel were John Boyd, Executive Vice President, Principal, Signature Associates; Jared Friedman, Co-CEO, Friedman Real Estate; Jason Capitani, Managing Partner, L. Mason Capitani CORFAC International; Randall Allman, Senior Vice President, Principal, Director of Industrial and Logistics Specialist, Lee & Associates; moderator Elizabeth Rogers, Partner, Taft; and Ryan Brittain, Vice President, Detroit, Colliers.
The Development & Design: Building Tomorrow’s Facilities panel featured Trae Allman, Principal & Co-Founder, Innovo Development Group; Emily D’Agostini Kunath, Principal, D’Agostini Companies; Curtis Hoffman, Operations Manager, ARCO National Construction; Shannon Selby, Vice President, Real Estate, Detroit Regional Partnership; Marc Werner, Regional Vice President, NorthPoint Development; and moderator Chris Martella, Member, Dawda.
Speakers on the Capital Markets & Investment Strategies included Jeffrey Schostak, President, Schostak Brothers & Company Inc.; Steven Chaben, Senior Vice President, Regional Manager, Marcus & Millichap; Luke Timmis, Principal, Investment Division, Signature Associates; Dave Dismondy, Managing Director, District Capital; Anne Galbraith Kohn, Senior Vice President, CBRE; and moderator Mark J. Bennett, Managing Member, MJBennett.
This year’s summit concluded with the Economic Development & Regional Incentives panel featuring Robert McCraight, Mayor, City of Romulus; Paul O’Connell, VP Real Estate Development, Michigan Economic Development Corporation; moderator Kurt Brauer, Partner, Warner Norcross + Judd; Jazmine Danci, Economic Development Administrator, Downriver Community Conference; and Phil Santer, Senior Vice President & Chief of Staff, Ann Arbor SPARK.
