REAG’s Endowment Circle Donors enjoyed an evening of basketball and networking at Staples Center for the Lakers vs Pistons game, hosted by Kennedy Wilson and Shangri-La Construction.
In January, REAG joined Bruin Professionals to host a power networking lunch in West LA at the office of Manat Phelps. The event featured keynote speaker Eric Sussman, Adjunct Professor of Accounting and Real Estate at UCLA’s Anderson School of Management. Power Networking Lunches are structured events to encourage networking among Bruins in the industry and take place on a quarterly basis.
REAG joined with the UCLA Anderson OC Alumni to host a networking mixer at Pelican Hill in Newport Beach, CA.
REAG’s signature event of the year is the Annual Member Reception held at the home of Richard Ziman, Chairman of Rexford Industrial Realty, Inc. This year’s reception did not disappoint with over 300 members in attendance! REAG’s Endowment Circle donors were invited to arrive early to network with Ziman and John Long, President & CEO of Highridge Partners. Both are founding members of the UCLA Ziman Center for Real Estate.
Team REAG participated in UCLA’s annual Bruin Run Walk 5k benefitting UCLA Mattel Children’s Hospital. This family-friendly event started on Dickson Plaza with kid-friendly activity booths, a kid’s race and multiple performances throughout the morning. REAG raised $ through participation in this charity event.
The Ziman Center, REAG, and BREA partnered together for the UCLA REAG & BREA Annual Case Competition held Several teams of students had two weeks to analyze a multi-family deal and presented their business plan in front of fellow peers and REAG members. The teams had a great array of solutions and creative ideas centered around a value-add multi-family deal.
This year’s annual panel was held in Glendale’s historic Masonic Temple, recently renovated into CBRE’s Glendale headquarters. Tim Kawahara, Executive Director of the UCLA Ziman Center for Real Estate moderated an esteemed panel of multifamily developers and experts including Drew Planting, Founder/Managing Partner at GPI Companies, Laurie Lustig-Bower, EVP at CBRE, Derek Wyatt, Principal at RCLCO and Howard Heitner, COO at LaTerra.
REAG and Bruin Professional’s hosted the spring Power Networking Lunch in Orange County at The Boardwalk, recently developed by Trammell Crow. The event’s keynote speaker was Dana Cuff, Founding Director of cityLAB at UCLA and Professor of Architecture and urbanism at UCLA.
REAG’s Endowment Circle Donors enjoyed an evening of baseball and networking at Dodger Stadium, graciously hosted in the Kennedy Wilson Suite. Prior to the game, the EC attendees met in Chinatown’s Opportunity Zone District for a private brewery tour at tasting at Highland Park Brewery.
REAG Small Dinner Series present an opportunity for REAG members to meet with REAG Endowment Circle members, Ziman Center Board Members and senior industry professionals to discuss a specific real estate topic in a small an intimate setting. In June, REAG collaborated with sponsor CGS3 to host a small dinner for development professionals, which included Wayne Ratkovich, Founder & CEO of The Ratkovich Company, Wayne Brandt, Managing Director at Wells Fargo and Gary Tenzer, Co-Founding Principal of George Smith Partners. Due to the overwhelming popularity of the Small Dinner Series, interested applicants are asked to apply with a statement of interest.
In June, REAG hosted at tour of two new office developments in Santa Monica. The evening started at the recently completed Santa Monica Gateway, with a tour of the creative office building by developer Jack Walter of Colorado Creative Studios and architect Gruen Associates. The group then toured the Pen Factory, creative office built on the site of a historic pen manufacturing plant. Representatives from Lincoln Property Group and Clarion Partners, owners of the property, discussed the redevelopment process and provided an overview of the creative office market in Santa Monica and the Westside. The property tours were followed by happy hour at nearby Daily Grill.
The Anderson Real Estate Association hosted its third annual alumni golf tournament at Scholl Canyon Golf and Tennis Club.
On August 16th, REAG’s San Diego chapter got together in Little Italy to tour H.G. Fenton and Ledcor’s newly completed Amo Apartments. Little Italy has undergone much redevelopment and is home to a quarter of San Diego’s new apartment supply that came online in 2018. It’s also home to a thriving food scene. After the tour, attendees gathered at PrepKitchen for happy hour.
REAG and Bruin Professional’s hosted the fall Power Networking Lunch in Century City at the office of Greenberg Glusker. The event featured keynote speaker John Semcken of Majestic Realty.
REAG San Diego hosted Karin Backstrom, of Backstrom Labor Law, and Kirsten Worley, of Worley Law Corporation, to speak to members about changes in employment law that could affect real estate companies and new laws applicable to private construction. The event was held at the offices of Worley Law Corp.
UCLA alumnus and Director of Acquisitions at MetLife, Todd Morefield, guided twenty-five lucky REAG members through Vision on Wilshire which is a luxury high-rise apartment located on the Miracle Mile. Enjoying expansive and uninterrupted views of the Hollywood Hills, the alumni group learned about the storied history of the asset, the nuances of Class A++ multifamily product, and how MetLife’s long-term hold strategy affected the design decisions. REAG attendees came away with an understanding that Vision on Wilshire is a significant milestone in the Miracle Mile renaissance which is defined by the metro expansion, robust museum investment, and high-end multifamily developments.
On October 6th, REAG held its annual football tailgate prior to the kickoff of the UCLA vs Washington game in the Rose Bowl’s 5A lot. This has become an annual tradition for REAG members to socialize, reminisce, and discuss UCLA football. There was a strong turnout among REAG members as the event included an open bar and food provided by Newport Rib Company. Despite a furious second half comeback after being down 24-7 at the half, the Bruins were unable to hold off the #10 ranked Huskies 31-24.
REAG partnered with Habitat for Humanity for our annual Build Day which brought our volunteers to a construction site in Culver City for a day of prepping, priming, and painting. In addition to helping the Partner Family build a strong foundation for their future in Los Angeles, REAG raised $3,500 for the organization through individual and corporate donations which will go towards Habitat’s many initiatives across the country and abroad. The rewarding experience got our volunteers out of their normal day-to-day routines for a day of building communities, working with power tools, and socializing with fellow volunteers.
UCLA REAG was thrilled to partner with UCLA Anderson to present an exclusive, behind the scenes look at the innovation behind the Westfield Century City Mall. The property, which completed a $1 billion makeover last fall, offers highly personalized services, VIP experiences, live events at entertainment. Retail tenants also benefit, enjoying access to expanded revenue opportunities including increased foot traffic, personalized brand experiences, marketing support, and data acquisition tools. After a behind the scenes tour of the property’s innovation points, guests were invited to a catered reception by Wolfgang Puck that featured a conversation about the changing landscape of retail with Unibail-Rodamco-Westfield Development Director Brendan Kotler (J.D. ’11), interviewed by Tim Kawahara, Executive Director of the UCLA Ziman Center or Real Estate.
Members of the REAG Endowment Circle were invited to an intimate conversation with Sam Zell, Chairman and Founder of Equity Investment Group.
A panel composed of Preston Brooks, Neal Holdridge, and Tony Ward discussed the purchase, development, operation, and sale of environmentally-impacted properties. The event took place on November 5, 2018 at the Trammell Crow Company in El Segundo, CA.
On November 13th over 150 real estate professionals participated in REAG’s Education Series on Opportunity Zones. Robert Dupree,Stephen Rosetta, Paul Silvern, and Phil Jelsma, discussed 1) the primer on the new tax laws and how to navigate it 2) opportunity zones of interest to investors 3) how to maximize community benefits and 4) potential investment structures.
On November 15, UCLA’s and USC’s student teams were tasked with creating a project for two undeveloped parcels on 11 acres of land located in Tustin. The UCLA student team proposal paid homage to the city’s history routed in orange groves. The team proposed a mixed used multifamily project name Solana which took home the coveted Silver Shovel.
On December 12, over 30 Real Estate Professionals from Bruin Professionals and UCLA’s Real Estate Alumni Group came together to discuss current financing trends and their potential outlook. The panel, Brian Burke, Ken Chung, and Eddie Neiman discussed how their companies have been handling the rising interests rates and what it means for both buyers and sellers.