Lenders Panel on State of Commercial Lending - Friday May 4th, 2012

The LBCREC has an exciting panel discussion on the current industry trends from commercial lending profession.  Arnie Garfinkel will host the panel of lenders discussing the trends and current state of lending for Owner/User and Investor markets in and around Long Beach.  

This event will be useful for any party involved in the commercial real estate sales transactions who want to find out more about how lenders are looking for deals.

Josh Owen, President of Ability Tri-Modal, Friday April 13th 2012

Ability Tri Modal occupys almost 500,000 SF of warehouse around the Ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach.  Josh will be discussing the current state of transportation industry and what he is antcipating in the future.

Joshua Owen is President of Ability Tri-Modal Transportation Services, Inc., a third generation owned warehousing and trucking business.  Starting at an early age, Joshua has worked in various departments including dispatch routing, rates, safety, sales and business development. 

 Joshua actively serves in a variety of industry and community organizations, including California Trucking Association (CTA), American Trucking Association (ATA), Intermodal Motor Carriers Conference and ATA Political Action Committee, International Warehouse and Logistics Association, National Retail Federation, Turn Time Stakeholder Group, Long Beach Rotary, and the Elwyn Advisory Board. He is also on the Board of Directors at the Long Beach Chamber of Commerce and is the incoming Chair of Public Policy and the Government Affairs Council.  Joshua also currently serves on the CSULB Center of International Trade and Transportation’s (CITT) Policy and Steering Committee where he also teaches a class module on Truckload, LTL and Intermodal Transportation.

 Joshua holds a B.A. in Film Production from San Francisco State University and a Masters in International Logistics from the Georgia Institute of Technology.  He is married with two children. 

Fourth District City Council Forum, Meet the Candidates - Friday Feb. 3rd 2012

The Long Beach Commercial Real Estate Council (LBCREC) will hold a 4th District Candidates Forum on Friday, February 3, 2012 from 7:30AM to 9:00AM. It will be held at The Grand Conference Center, 4101 E. Willow St., Long Beach, CA 90815. The candidates participating in this event are incumbent Councilmember Patrick O'Donnell, Darryl Supernaw and John Watkins.

Patrick O'Donnell is a two- term Councilmember of the 4th District. His name won't be on the ballot, since he is waging a write- in campaign, due to term limits. Councilmember O'Donnell is also an educator.

Daryl Supernaw is also a candidate, and will be participating in this Candidates Forum. He was born and raised in Long Beach. He was past Chair and current member of the Long Beach Sustainable Commission, and has spent years with the Atherton Ditch Project which runs along Atherton Street between Palo Verde Avenue and Fanwood Avenue in East Long Beach by Cal State University, Long Beach.  He is also the founder of the Atherton Corridor Neighborhood Association.

 John Watkins is also a candidate, and is a retired Long Beach Police Sergeant. He has the endorsement of the Long Beach Area Chamber of Commerce.  PAC Chairman and LBCREC Board Member Matt Kinley said, “John’s [Watkins] experience in our community as a law enforcement officer, small business owner, as well as working with non-profit organizations, gives him a unique background to be a great and effective City Councilmember.”

 Brian Russell, Past President of the Long Beach Commercial Real Estate Council, will moderate the discussion. Questions to the candidates will focus on the private property rights, land use matters, how to attract investments, create jobs, their opinion on how to make Long Beach more business- friendly,  and their perspectives on these and other important matters.  

Kristopher Larson, Downtown Long Beach Association, Friday Jan. 6th 2012

Kristopher Larson

KRISTOPHER LARSON

Vice President, Downtown Long Beach Association (DLBA)

Kristopher Larson will be discussing:  The new proposed Downtown Plan.  The Downtown plan will effect landlords, tenants and has an impact on any broker or agent working in the Downtown Long Beach market.  Mr. Larson will also be discussing the a more efficent process for zoning and a more sensible approach to the zoning issues.  This will be a very informative speaker and we encourage you to attend this breakfast.

Kristopher Larson's Bio:

An award-winning planner by trade but an economist at heart, Kristopher Larson has spent the last eight years of his career helping good cities develop plans to become great. Career stops as an urban designer and an economic developer enable him to speak with an enlightened enthusiasm about how the confluence marketplace dynamics, architecture, and the public realm translate into defining, place-making experiences. 

Larson currently serves as the Vice President of the Downtown Long Beach Associates (DLBA), a quasi-governmental organization and Downtown Business Improvement District for the sixth-largest city in California.  In that stead, Larson sets the course for the economic development activities for Downtown Long Beach, which includes a comprehensive set of business recruitment and retention programs.  Through Retail Visioning, Larson spearheaded a form of grassroots, collaborative economic development rarely attempted in economic development planning. Retail Visioning was later recognized as a Merit Award Winner in 2010 by the International Downtown Association for its achievement in Planning.

He has held positions on both the non-profit and public sides of municipal management, with career stops on both coasts of the United States. Prior to joining the DLBA in 2009, Larson served as the Senior Planner at the Raleigh Urban Design Center (UDC) and led the development of the 20-year plan for Downtown Raleigh, North Carolina.  In that stead, Larson also worked to develop a set of market-based metrics and benchmarks to guide incremental based policy development.  His work in defining the nexus between planning, policymaking,   and market-based economics is often heralded by planning enthusiasts and critics alike. 

Prior to joining the UDC, Larson served as the Deputy Director of the Downtown Raleigh Alliance. In that role, he helped gain the commitment of the City of Raleigh to invest nearly $300 M in public infrastructure in the Downtown.  Within five years, that public investment yielded over $2 Billion in private investment.  Due in part to these efforts, Raleigh was recently named the #1 city in the nation for business and careers.    

His proven ability to position organizations and communities for success is derived from a combination of strategic positioning, an eye for detail, and facilitating inter-organizational collaborations that yield powerful results.  An insatiable learner, Kristopher is constantly seeking to expand his knowledge of cities through active participation with the International Downtown Association, the Urban Land Institute, and the International Council of Shopping Centers.  In 2010, he earned the certified planner credential, AICP, from the American Planning Association. He also holds a Master’s Degree in Public Administration from North Carolina State University, and perhaps most importantly, is a diehard Wolfpack football and basketball fan.   

LBCREC Holiday Party: Friday Dec. 2nd 2011

Nothing to see here move along!