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Annual Convention - Oct. 11-14, 2009 - Hotel Monteleone - New Orleans, Louisiana
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Featured Programs

Sunday, October 11


The Armchair Development Tour:

NEW ORLEANS FROM DESTRUCTION TO REBIRTH

Albert (Al) Pappalardo, CRE, President, Pappalardo Consultants, Inc.
Jean C. Felts, CRE, Principal, Jean C. Felts & Company
John A. Meltzer, CRE, President, Meltzer Properties
Lewis W. Stirling, III, CRE, Executive Vice President, Partner, Stirling Properties
Allison Plyer, Deputy Director, Greater New Orleans Community Data Center

Counselors, Spouses and Guests are invited to take part in the first-ever Armchair Development Tour. You’ll be immersed in a multi-media event that is a custom-created Before-and-After trip through The Crescent City.

The local committee has secured riveting film and photos of the damage inflicted by Hurricane Katrina on August 29, 2005. You’ll see ground and aerial views that will bring home the solemnity of that date forever. You’ll see the condition of familiar sights in the French Quarter, hotels and businesses submerged along Canal Street, and whole neighborhoods rendered unrecognizable from the storm.

But you’ll also see the resurrection of this great city. You’ll be amazed to see the New Orleans of today. You’ll tour neighborhoods where actor Brad Pitt has made a lasting contribution through new housing construction. You’ll visit the Musician’s Village, a cornerstone of redevelopment made possible through the vision of music legends Harry Connick, Jr. and Branford Marsalis along with the Habitat for Humanity program. And you’ll see new infrastructure that replaces the old, plus new private and public sector multi-family housing locations that are models for redevelopment everywhere.

Is there additional recovery and development to come for New Orleans? Yes. But our local Armchair Development Tour moderators challenge anyone to present a more complete comparison of their city as it was, and as it is today. Join moderators and fellow CREs Albert Pappalardo, Lewis Stirling, John Meltzer and Jean Felts join guest speaker Allison Plyer, Deputy Director, Greater New Orleans Community Data Center for this one-of-a-kind event—the afternoon you’ll be talking about for a very long time to come.



Monday, October 12


Breakfast Session:

LEGISLATIVE UPDATE

Clifton E. (Chip) Rodgers, Jr., Senior Vice President, The Real Estate Roundtable

As the commercial real estate sector braces for the probability of rising defaults, economists and industry advocates are working behind the scenes in Washington, D.C. to bring issues to the attention of government leaders. Clifton E. (Chip) Rodgers, Senior Vice President at The Real Estate Roundtable will comment on rising defaults in the commercial sector, address policy actions recommended by the Roundtable and share an insider’s perspective on the current state of commercial real estate including tight credit and refinancing relief efforts; investment, liquidity and origination issues and opportunities; rating system change recommendations; TALF; the Public/Private Investment Program and more.

General Session:

AFTERMATH: THE EFFECTS OF DISPLACEMENT

Albert (Al) Pappalardo, CRE, Moderator, President, Pappalardo Consultants, Inc.
Gregory C. Rigamer, Chief Executive Officer, GCR and Associates
Dr. Timothy P. Ryan, Chancellor, University of New Orleans

When adversity changes a city, affected populations make choices about where to live. Whether immediate or gradual, the effects of displacement are far reaching. Data expert Gregory C. Rigamer addresses how demographic shifts impact a region, including changes to the professions, declining housing and shrinking tax revenues. Dr. Timothy P. Ryan will address salvaging educational systems in turmoil, including public school systems, universities and those responsible for providing access to learning. Both experts will describe how displacement has changed the face of New Orleans and what to expect if your city experiences factory closings, job losses, weakened tax base and the economic slump that is so a part of today’s urban experience.

General Session:

NAVIGATING UNEXPECTED CHANGES IN REAL ESTATE PORTFOLIO MANAGEMENT

Jean C. Felts, CRE, Moderator, Principal, Jean C. Felts & Company
Robert E. Smith Lupo, Chief Operating Officer, Lupo Enterprises
Joseph S. Pappalardo, J.D., President, Latter & Blum Property Management, Inc.
R. Wayne Pugh, CRE, Principal, R. Wayne Pugh & Company
Logan H. Babin, Jr., CRE, President, Logan H. Babin, Inc.

Owning and managing a real estate portfolio in today’s economic environment can be a nightmare. But imagine having to do so in the face of catastrophic devastation of a scale never before experienced by a modern American city. In this session, panelists who “lived it” explain what they faced, what they learned and how they coped in the aftermath of the 2005 hurricane that changed a city forever. Topics include: portfolio recovery from an owner’s view; managing property portfolios post-disaster (including appraisals) and understanding the effects on outlying areas beyond the city proper. Hear about the unconventional thinking and untested approaches that brought surprising outcomes—with much more to come.

General Session:

THE MARKETS REACT

Lewis W. Stirling, III, CRE, Moderator, Executive Vice President, Partner, Stirling Properties
Charles H. Peterson, CRE, Executive Vice President, General Manager, Corporate Realty, Inc.
Patrick J. Egan, CRE, Executive Vice President and Director, Commercial Sales and Leasing, Latter & Blum, Inc.
James E. Maurin, Chairman, Stirling Properties

No real estate sector has escaped the current economic downturn. And for any sector to get back on track, it takes new thinking and new ideas— the kind of innovation that might never occur without dire circumstances to spark the need for change. This panel examines the changes inherent in cataclysmic events—events which though occurring in one particular city produced consequences startlingly familiar to us all. Regardless of where we live, which real estate specialty we practice, what dilemma is currently crippling our city, the story of New Orleans resonates with us all. Focusing on a timeline from 2005 to the present, panelists will examine the retail, office, hospitality and industrial sectors and how these sectors survived the unthinkable.

General Session:

BRICKS AND MORTAR ARE THE LEAST OF YOUR WORRIES

John A. Meltzer, CRE, Moderator, President, Meltzer Properties
Maurice F. (Marc) Eagan, Jr., President, Eagan Insurance Agency, Inc.
E . Howell Crosby, Esq., Partner, Chaffe McCall, LLP
Col. Terry Ebbert, President, T.J. Ebbert & Associates
Bob Bertges, Executive Vice President, Wachovia

When a community is severely damaged by a climatological or even man-made disaster, the physical condition of “bricks and mortar” is only one element of concern. Should you face such a catastrophic event, will you be knowledgeable about—or prepared to cope with—the new realities of daily living? Those who endured New Orleans’ darkest days will share memories of chaos and lessons learned so you can more quickly and effectively help your community recover should you be called upon to do so. Topics include facing the insurance maze and policy pricing fluctuations; disruptions to the legal system, including courts and title procurement, displaced attorneys and judges; public safety, evacuation and martial law issues; banking disruptions, employee displacement and the continuing effect on the local economy.



Tuesday, October 13


General Session:

MULTI-FAMILY RECOVERY: FROM SCARCITY TO EXCESS CAPACITY?

Lewis W. Stirling, III, CRE, Executive Vice President, Partner, Stirling Properties
Larry G. Schedler, Principal, Larry G. Schedler & Associates, Inc.
Dennis Adams, Executive Director, Christopher Homes, Inc.
David Gleeson, CRE, Executive Vice President, L & B Realty Advisors, Inc.

The need for multi-family housing—both public and private—represents another omnipresent reality for the 21st century city. But the urgency to build and rejuvenate can bring a host of new problems separate and apart from those new development seeks to fix. One example: well intentioned city and governmental efforts can turn housing scarcity into excess capacity, as evidenced by New Orleans, a city of declining population. From demolition of densely-built 1930s-era public housing to the rise of new greener multi-family “neighborhoods,” session panelists will illuminate the conflicts which accompany new housing development in the wake of dramatic population shifts.

General Session:

INFRASTRUCTURE CHOICES AND FUNDING SHAPE A COMMUNITY’S FUTURE

James J. Curtis, III, CRE, Moderator, Managing Partner, Bristol Group, Inc.
Patrick Gallwey, Chief Operating Officer, Port of New Orleans
Jim Bridger, General Manager, New Orleans Public Belt Railroad

Deteriorating infrastructure presents dilemmas for every community, regardless of size, geography or financial resources. Lack of recent investment in such core essentials as roads, bridges, utilities, parks and schools is creating widespread vulnerabilities not faced in generations -- seriously stressing current populations. The effect of this poor vision and poor community building is devastating – and sometimes deadly. Imagine the future impact as infrastructure continues to erode. In this session, Counselors will learn of New Orleans’ commitment to reimagining and reinvesting in infrastructure. It’s a textbook of highly relevant lessons about improving services, convenience and accessibility, while creating a platform for more competitive economic productivity.

General Session:

ECONOMIC UPDATE

Byron Koste, CRE, Moderator, Executive Director, University of Colorado Real Estate Center
K.C. Conway, CRE, Real Estate Subject Matter Expert, Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta

Respondents:
Hugh Kelly, CRE, Economist
Michel Bouchard, Principal, Altus Helyar Real Estate Services

Have we reached what Churchill so eloquently referred to as the “End of the Beginning” or more optimistically as “the Beginning of the End?” In the immortal words of children everywhere, “Are we There Yet?” and what does “There” mean in the worst economic downturn since the Great Depression? At The Counselors’ Spring Meetings in New York, Moody’s chief economist predicted the nation “hitting bottom” at year-end. “Are we there yet?” What is the overall economic outlook as it relates to the GDP, inflation, interest rates and employment? What’s in store for real estate, particularly in the areas of housing and commercial vacancies? What’s the latest in the financial sectors? Will banks ever start lending again?

General Session:

OPEN FORUM: CRE STRATEGIC PLANNING

Make your views known on The CRE organization and the goals and objectives you would like to see it adopt going forward. CRE, Anthony Souza, Chair of the Strategic Planning Committee, will present an overview of the three Visioning Group sessions that have taken place this year, and invites all attendees to voice their thoughts, concerns and ideas about important decisions that will drive the organization’s focus in coming years.

Wednesday, October 14


Breakfast Session:

GLOBAL WARMING – THE IMPACT ON REAL ESTATE AND YOUR BUSINESS

Should leaders of the real estate industry care about global warming? Will your business – or that of your clients – be affected by the threat of rising temperatures? What will be the effect on business and habitation in the U.S. and other countries in North America, South America, Europe and Asia? Will land desirability and value be impacted -- or is it all a myth? This session examines the issue from two sides – drawing from published data and industry experience of two experts on the subject who have agreed to debate this pivotal topic. Who stands to win or lose if those predicting dramatic climate shifts are right? Should you change your acquisition or investment strategy (or where you live today)? Bring your questions and prepare for a lively discussion, as only The Counselors can deliver.

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