Brokers, developers, commercial finance professionals, municipal executives and real estate lawyers shared plenty of good news during the 11th annual Cleveland Commercial Real Estate Summit held June 26 at Windows on the River in Cleveland.
Panelists spoke about the strength of the industrial and multifamily sectors and the resilience of the retail and healthcare sectors. And while speakers agreed that the office sector — as it is across the country — continues to struggle, they did find some bright spots, especially with high-end, amenity-rich Class-A properties.
The biggest challenge that Cleveland faces? Population loss. The city’s population continues to shrink, an issue that municipal officials are working now to resolve.
Chris Ronayne, Cuyahoga County Executive, gave the keynote speech of the event. He focused on the many positive news stories taking place now in Cleveland, highlighting new developments, multifamily projects and businesses.
Speaking on the Multifamily/Apartment Market Update and Forecast panel were Ryan Bartizal, Senior Managing Partner , The Max Collaborative; Samantha Belin, VP Residential, GCI Residential, LLC.; Rob Garrison, SVP Senior Mortgage Banker, KeyBank Real Estate Capital; Nick Soeder, President/Principal Broker – Multifamily Investments, Adams Lynch Associates; Rob Starrett, Managing Director, Berkadia; and Aaron Pechota, Executive Vice President, The NRP Group.
Speaking during the Cleveland Market Sector Update panel were Tim Breckner, Senior Vice President, Colliers; Steve Ross, First Vice President, Advisory & Transaction Services, CBRE; Matt Wilson, Associate Broker, Anchor Retail; Paul DiGiacobbe, Business Development, ARCO National Construction – Cleveland; Matt Grashoff, Partner, Hahn Loeser Parks; and Craig Miller, President and Managing Partner, DUFFY+DUFFY COST SEGREGATION.
The summit concluded with the Transforming Downtown and Suburban Development — Game Changers panel that featured Spencer Pisczak, President, Premier Development Partners, LLC.; Kevin Malinowski, Executive Managing Director, Colliers; Scott Skinner, President and Executive Director, North Coast Waterfront Development Corporation; Christine Nelson, Vice President, Project Management and Site Strategies, Team Northeast Ohio; Tom McNair, Director of the Department of Economic Development, City of Cleveland; and Ian Jones, Partner, AVID Architects.
