My first question is, why didn’t more of our chapter members attend the conference? In fact, we’re so curious about this that we’d love to hear from you. In October, a few of the local members attended CRE.Converge, which is the National NAIOP Conference. This year the conference brought 1,300 commercial real estate leaders together in Washington, D.C. Personally, we got a lot out of the conference and were surprised that more Southern Nevada members weren’t in attendance. The conference itself is quick, it spans about 2 days in total and has a combination of keynote speakers, project tours and breakout sessions. We really enjoyed the breakout sessions because we were able to pick from a couple of different topics each session depending on our areas of interest. We made some great contacts and enjoyed meeting NAIOP members from all over the country. The conference agenda also allows time for networking and meeting new people.

Additionally, Cassie was very interested to learn more about the National FORUMS that are an integral part of the NAIOP platform. There are Limited Forums open to NAIOP members with requisite experience who are employed by a company or organization whose primary business is the development, ownership, management of, or investment in industrial, office or mixed-use real estate. There are General Forums open to all NAIOP members with requisite experience and there are Developing Leaders Forums which provide commercial real estate industry professionals (35 years of age and under and with at least four years of related commercial real estate industry experience) the unique opportunity to advance their careers by gaining insights from and networking with seasoned commercial real estate professionals and peers over a two-year period. For more information on joining a Forum, please click here.

Overall, the conference covered everything from office, industrial and retail to Amazon HQ2 to new technologies to trends. There was something for everyone!

Here’s a sample of the breakout sessions from the conference:

• A Strategic Approach to the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act
• First Mile: Ports and Inland Ports Impact on Distribution
• Creating Personalized Experiences with Big Data and Smart Buildings
• Blurring the Retail Line
• Trains, Planes and Automobiles: An Infrastructure Discussion
• The Outlook for Capital Markets
• Views on Economic Indicators
• How Amazon Has Changed the Way EDCs Think and Act
• Providing Office as a Service
• Trends and Transformations in Office and Industrial Design
• Climate Resilience Adaptations and Strategies
• Mall Doctors: Filling Vacant Retail Space with Medical Office

We’re already looking forward to next year’s national conference in Los Angeles, California. Save the date from Monday, October 14th, 2019 – Wednesday, October 16th, 2019 at JW Marriott LA Live. Check the website for the latest information at  naiop.org/converge19.

Cassie Catania-Hsu, Managing Director
CBRE
702-369-4921 | cassie.hsu@cbre.com

Shawn Danoski, CEO
DC Building Group
Office: 702-434-9991 | ShawnD@buildwithdcbg.com

Washington, D.C. (October 24, 2018) – NAIOP, The Commercial Real Estate Development Association has recognized Cassie Catania-Hsu, managing director and broker, Sun Commercial Real Estate, with its prestigious 2018 Developing Leaders Award.

“We are pleased to honor Cassie Catania-Hsu of NAIOP Southern Nevada chapter with this award.  She is a remarkable young professional who is deeply engaged in the industry and her local community,” said Thomas J. Bisacquino, President and CEO of NAIOP.  “She is passionate about making a real impact and is leading by example in her professional work and community efforts.”

“Cassie represents the very best from Southern Nevada and her efforts showcase the kind of young talent our community fosters and supports,” states NAIOP Southern Nevada President Mike Mixer.  “It’s great to see Cassie receive the recognition she richly deserves!”

As Managing Director and Broker for Sun Commercial Real Estate, Catania-Hsu oversees all business operations and brokerage management, which includes recruiting and business development.  She works to help Sun Commercial continue to grow its footprint by providing hands-on training and recruiting quality agents.  In her previous role in office sales and leasing at Sun Commercial, she maintained a 450,0000+ square foot portfolio and expanded her team to three agents to accommodate the increasing demand.

One of seven young professionals to receive NAIOP’s honor this year, Catania-Hsu was honored before 1,300 industry colleagues at an award ceremony on Tuesday, Oct 16th at NAIOP’s CRE.Converge 2018 Conference in Washington, D.C.

Established in 2006, the Development Leaders Award has been given to rising industry professionals from across NAIOP’s chapter network in all sectors of commercial real estate.  The annual award honors up-and-coming professionals under the age of 35 for their extraordinary professional accomplishments, strong leadership and community involvement.

Photo by Dennis Brack

TAKEAWAYS – Life. Lessons. Learned. explores learning from the wisdom of others.

My guest Shawn Danoski and I sat down to discuss our Takeaways from this program. Shawn is the CEO of  DC Building Group a leading general contracting firm in Las Vegas, NV.

Leading up to Early Voting NAIOP brought in Nevada’s marquee political commentator Jon Ralston.

The format for the program was very well done with questions from the audience starting out right away. Dan Tuntland, President at DJT Enterprises, facilitated the conversation from the floor fielding questions from the audience and filling in with some of his own.

What were some of our Takeaways?

• For any and all things politics in Nevada there is thenevadaindependent.com.
• What is causing many voters the middle to simply check out?
• Which are the most important races and ballots this cycle?

I hope you enjoy!

Hayim Mizrachi, CCIM
President | Principal
MDL Group
T 702.388.1800 | C 702.340.9600 | hmizrachi@mdlgroup.com
www.mdlgroup.com

September marked the end of the 2018 Developing Leaders Institute Program and the DLI graduation was the perfect opportunity to celebrate the year‐long commitment and accomplishments of all its members.

For those who are unfamiliar with the DLI Program – every other year, NAIOP Southern Nevada hosts a year‐long program that fosters an environment for young professionals to learn, grow, network and flourish. In this year’s class, 21 promising leaders of Las Vegas’ real estate industry met once a month for a 3‐4 hour class on various real estate topics. Led by prominent leaders of our industry, these classes covered subjects such as Market Analysis, Finance, Construction, Marketing, Real Estate Operations, Investment Analysis, Architecture and Economic Development.

In addition to these monthly meetings, the class was assigned a group project, which took over 6 months to complete. There were four total groups that, given the same project guidelines, were responsible for selecting a site and creating an office, industrial or retail development that would be viable in the real world. Prior to the graduation, each group presented its complete project to a panel of NAIOP’s finest judges, with the winning team to be announced at graduation.

Hosted at Cili Restaurant at Bali Hai Golf Club, graduation night started off with a casual mixer and an opportunity for the 21 graduates and their guests to mingle with class sponsors, the DLI Committee, former DLI graduates and NAIOP’s Board of Directors. It was also an opportunity to feel out the competition as we all anxiously anticipated the announcement of who this year’s DLI Class Project Winner would be. After some drinks and appetizers, we were seated together with our teams for dinner. Matt Hoyt, the DLI Committee Chair, welcomed everyone and gave a quick overview of the program. He then invited each team, one by one, to come up to the front and give a 3‐minute overview of the projects we had been working on all year. This was the first time we were able to hear what the other groups chose to do for their projects, and it was very interesting hearing striking similarities as well as vast differences between groups. At the end of each group’s presentation, each graduate was presented with a Graduation Certificate and ‘Class of 2018’ crystal paperweight.

After all the presentations were complete, Matt shared feedback from the judge’s panel that this year’s group of graduates presented the most competitive group of projects they had ever seen in many years of judging. Kudos were given to each team, as we all significantly raised the bar for future classes. But, ultimately, there was only one winning team, which Matt then announced as Team 1, comprised of Nick Abraham, Mike DiFabbio, Blake Olson, Katelyn Panella and Karina Salazar. Congrats to Team 1!  Congrats to all the 2018 DLI graduates – we should all be so proud of this year’s hard work, accomplishments and the life‐long friendships that were formed.

Our class, officially dubbed ‘the Best DLI Class Ever’, is eternally grateful to the committee members, Board of Directors, class instructors and sponsors and would like to thank you all for making this program possible. Each of us walked away with invaluable knowledge and opportunities because of this program and we are so appreciate of the opportunity to be a part of it.

Be Part of the 2020 DLI Class
If you are under 35 years old and aspiring to take your career to the next level, please consider applying for the 2020 DLI Class! Get involved in committees at NAIOP Southern Nevada, go to the monthly breakfasts and put yourself in situations where you can learn from the resources around you. Anyone who has participated in the DLI Program can attest that they have seen a significant impact on their careers—whether its through promotions, new business ventures, life‐long friendships/relationships or Board of Director positions within NAIOP. We look forward to passing the experience along to the next group of young leaders and hope you will consider getting involved.

DLI Committee Member
Samantha Flaherty, First American Title Insurance Company
National Commercial Services
O:  702.251.5175 | C: 702.420.9253 | Email: sflaherty@firstam.com
www.firstam.com/ncs

Brenden Graves
DC Building Group
O: 702-494-9991 | Email: BrendenG@BuildWithDCBG.com
www.buildwithdcbg.com

On the anniversary of the 1 October shooting, NAIOP Southern Nevada remembers and continues to send our deepest and heartfelt thoughts to all the victims and those impacted by the tragedy.

We continue to show our sincerest gratitude to the courageous first responders and to all that stepped in with bravery to assist and rescue victims.

The community has shown its strength, resilience and remains bright after such a dark healing time. We are #VegasStrong.