Economic Forecast:
Christopher Thornberg, Founder - Beacon Economics
Christopher Thornberg founded Beacon Economics LLC in 2006. Under his leadership the firm has become one of the most respected research organizations in California serving public and private sector clients across the United States. In 2015, Dr. Thornberg also became Director of the UC Riverside School of Business Center for Economic Forecasting and Development and an Adjunct Professor at the School.
An expert in economic and revenue forecasting, regional economics, economic policy, and labor and real estate markets, Dr. Thornberg has consulted for private industry, cities, counties, and public agencies. He became nationally known for forecasting the subprime mortgage market crash that began in 2007, and was one of the few economists on record to predict the global economic recession that followed. In 2015, he was named to California State Treasurer John Chiang’s Council of Economic Advisors, the body that advises the Treasurer on emerging strengths and vulnerabilities within the state’s economy. Dr. Thornberg holds a Ph.D in Business Economics from The Anderson School at UCLA, and a B.S. degree in Business Administration from the State University of New York at Buffalo.
Panel:
Shak Presswala, Co-Chief Investment Officer and Head of Capital Markets - Jamestown
Shak Presswala is a Managing Director and the Co-Chief Investment Officer & Head of Capital Markets for Jamestown. He jointly oversees acquisitions and leads all financing and dispositions activity. Mr. Presswala joined Jamestown in 2006 as a Senior Associate in Acquisitions and has served in a number of capacities with the company, including roles in Asset Management, Acquisitions and Capital Markets. He began his career as a corporate investment banking analyst at SunTrust Robinson Humphrey, later moving into real estate with Wells Real Estate Funds where he worked in Acquisitions covering the Midwest and Pacific Northwest. After Wells Real Estate Funds, Mr. Presswala joined WestWind Capital Partners, then-advisor to the Kan-Am Funds, as an Acquisitions Associate prior to joining Jamestown. He is affiliated with the Association of Foreign Investors in Real Estate, the Atlanta Society of Financial Analysts, the Urban Land Institute, and the National Association of Office & Industrial Properties. Mr. Presswala earned the Chartered Financial Analyst designation from the CFA Institute and received a Bachelor of Arts in Economics with a minor in Finance from Vanderbilt University.
Amy Price, Managing Partner, Co-Head of US - BentallGreenOak
Amy Price is the President and Chief Investment Officer of Bentall Kennedy (U.S.) Limited Partnership. Based in San Francisco, Amy has responsibility for the operating and financial performance of Bentall Kennedy's U.S. business and has direct oversight of all asset management, financing and transactions activities. Amy also serves on the Bentall Kennedy Group Management Committee and chairs the U.S. Management Committee and the U.S. Investment Committee.
Amy has over 20 years of experience in investment strategy and transaction execution, combined with significant management experience. Prior to joining Bentall Kennedy U.S. in 2012, Amy was a Managing Director and Head of Real Estate Investing for the Western United States at Morgan Stanley, where she was an Investment Committee member and founded the real estate investment management business in San Francisco. Amy also spent time in Morgan Stanley's New York and Hong Kong offices.
Amy holds an MBA with Distinction from The Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania and graduated magna cum laude from Colgate University. She is a member of the Board of Directors of the National Association of Real Estate Managers (NAREIM), is a member of the Urban Land Institute Office Development Council, and a Policy Advisory Board Member of the Fisher Center for Real Estate & Urban Economics.
Carl Shannon, Senior Managing Director, Regional Director Northern California - Tishman Speyer
Mr. Shannon is responsible for Tishman Speyer’s portfolio in the San Francisco Bay Area and the Pacific Northwest. He has been charged with overseeing the development of various signature developments, such as Lumina and The Infinity, two condominium projects adjacent to San Francisco’s waterfront, and three office buildings at Foundry Square III, 222 Second Street and 555 Mission in the central business district. Mr. Shannon is also a member of the Investment and Management Committees. Before joining Tishman Speyer in 1998, he worked for both GE Capital and The Prudential Insurance Company of America. Mr. Shannon received an AB, magna cum laude, and graduated with an MBA, with high honors, from Harvard University.
Moderator:
Stephen Van Dusen, Managing Director, Eastdil Secured
Stephen W. Van Dusen is currently a Managing Director of Eastdil Secured, LLC, a real estate investment banking firm, which is a wholly owned subsidiary of Wells Fargo Bank.
Since 2010, Stephen has been involved in excess of $55 billion in financing, sale, financial advisory and joint venture transactions. He is one of the senior partners spearheading the firm’s activities in Northern California and the Pacific Northwest.
Stephen graduated from the Kenan‐Flagler Business School at the University of North Carolina. He earned an undergraduate degree from the University of Miami. He is an active member of NAIOP and IOPC Council Member of ULI.
