Kwame Christian, Esq., M.A.
Founder & CEO
American Negotiation Institute
Kwame Christian is a best-selling author, business lawyer and CEO of the American Negotiation Institute (ANI).
Following the viral success of his TedxDayton talk, Kwame released his best-seller Finding Confidence in Conflict: How to Negotiate Anything and Live Your Best Life in 2018. He’s also a regular Contributor for Forbes and the host of the number one negotiation podcast in the world, Negotiate Anything – which currently has over 5 million downloads worldwide. Under Kwame’s leadership, ANI has coached and trained several Fortune 500 companies on applying the fundamentals of negotiation to corporate success.
Kwame was the recipient of the John Glenn College of Public Affairs Young Alumni Achievement Award in 2020 and the Moritz College of Law Outstanding Recent Alumnus Award 2021. He is the only person in the history of The Ohio State University to win alumni awards in consecutive years from the law school and the masters of public affairs program. That said, Kwame’s proudest achievement is his family. He’s married to Dr. Whitney Christian, and they have two lovely sons, Kai and Dominic.
Jason Pantana
Coach, Trainer and Speaker
Tom Ferry International
Jason Pantana is a coach, trainer and speaker for Tom Ferry International, the real estate industry’s leading coaching and training company, as well as host of the popular seminar, Sales & Marketing Edge. His dynamic sessions arm professionals with the tools they need to stay current, competitive and successful.
Formerly the education director for a leading national real estate franchise, Jason creates tailored sessions for a range of professionals. His areas of expertise include social media strategy, digital marketing and developing an eye for emerging business trends. He’s provided clear paths for companies, both large and small, to roll out powerful advertising campaigns through online platforms, including Facebook, Instagram, YouTube and Google.
Dr. Anirban Basu
Chairman and CEO
Sage Policy Group
Anirban Basu is the Chairman and CEO of Sage Policy Group, Inc., an economic and policy consulting firm headquartered in Baltimore, Maryland with an office in Orlando, Florida. The firm provides strategic analytical services to energy suppliers, law firms, medical systems, government agencies, and real estate developers among others.
In 2014, Maryland Governor Larry Hogan appointed him Chair of the Maryland Economic Development Commission (2014-2021). He serves as Chairman of the Baltimore County Economic Advisory Committee. He also serves the chief economist function for Associated Builders and Contractors, the Construction Financial Management Association, the Modular Building Institute, the Maryland Bankers Association, the International Food Distributors Association, and several others.
He has taught at several universities, most frequently at Johns Hopkins University. He currently teaches History of Economic Thought at Goucher College as their Distinguished Economist in Residence.
In 2007, 2016, and 2022, the Daily Record newspaper selected Dr. Basu as one of Maryland’s 50 most influential people. The Baltimore Business Journal named him one of the region’s 20 most powerful business leaders in 2010.
Dr. Basu is currently on the boards of the University of Maryland School of Law, St. Mary’s College, the University of Maryland Medical Center, the University System of Maryland Foundation, the Lyric Opera House, and the Center Club. He is also on Truist Bank’s advisory board.
Dr. Basu earned his B.S. in Foreign Service at Georgetown University. He earned his Master’s in Public Policy from Harvard University’s John F. Kennedy School of Government, and his Master’s in Economics from the University of Maryland, College Park. He acquired his Juris Doctor at the University of Maryland School of Law. He completed his doctoral work at UMBC with a concentration in health economics.
Allison S. Weiss
Founder of CRE Recruiting, Inc.
Allison possesses over 10 years’ experience in full-cycle recruiting, human resources, operations, project management, marketing, and public relations. She has successfully recruited hundreds of commercial real estate professionals, resulting in consistent multimillion-dollar annual revenue growth.
Most recently at Colliers International (NASDAQ: CIGI), Allison served as the Director of Sales Recruiting. There she collaborated with C-Level and senior executives to identify, recruit, hire, and onboard high-performing brokers, teams of brokers, and acquisition targets across leasing, investment sales, and debt & equity finance verticals throughout the firm’s 150+ markets nationwide.
Allison began her career in commercial real estate as Recruiting Manager of Marcus & Millichap (NYSE: MMI), where she led the national recruiting strategy for the firm’s commercial mortgage division, helping them to attain financing volume growth of $1.6B in less than 3 years. She trained, mentored, and coached junior members of the recruiting team, and developed data-driven national, regional, and market-level sourcing and recruiting strategies executed by the firm across their 82 offices throughout the U.S. and Canada.
Allison possesses additional experience conducting thorough, one-on-one interviews and analysis of existing teams/businesses to determine areas of opportunity with the greatest cultural significance and impact. Resulting projects have included: refining core value propositions, and resulting employer brand marketing/PR plans; ATS & CRM RFPs, selection, and implementation; and operational and process improvement across both recruiting and human resources.
Jeff Mays
National Speaker and Coach, Tom Ferry International
Owner & Sales Manager, Coldwell Banker
With more than 30 years of success in the real estate industry, Jeff Mays has coached and trained many of the industry’s highest-producing agents and is consistently recognized as a national top producer.
From his beginnings as a sales associate to his quick rise to a broker, owner, sales manager and trainer for Coldwell Banker Prime, Jeff has dedicated his career to learning, testing and refining exactly what to say at those critical moments with clients. He focuses on a deeper, more meaningful way to connect with buyers, sellers and agents.
As a coach, trainer and speaker for Ferry International, the real estate industry’s leading coaching and training company, Jeff works with new, luxury and experienced agents — from small to large brokerages, helping them to adopt faster and achieve more by creating a culture of winning through lasting relationships.
Jeff will teach attendees proven methods and strategies for increased sales and listings, and how to dominate in their markets.
Lukas Krause
CEO
SVN International Corp.
John McDermott
Senior Vice President & Director of Leader Support, SVN International Corp.
John McDermott serves as the Senior Vice President of SVN International Corporation. John is a member of the Executive Committee of the SVN Asset Recovery Team (SVNART), serves as its Southern California Regional Director, and is also a member of the SVNIC Advisory Board.
John also trains SVN Advisors nationwide. His commercial real estate experience includes the ownership and development of condominiums, mobile home parks, neighborhood anchored retail centers, recreational vehicle parks, and apartments with 45 years of real estate and finance experience.
Curt Arthur, SIOR
Managing Director, SVN | Commercial Advisors
Curt Arthur, SIOR has been a commercial real estate professional for more than 30 years. Curt has advised on most of the largest office and industrial projects throughout the Mid-Valley during that time and has successfully closed more than $1 billion in real estate transactions. He is a member of the Society of Office and Industrial Realtors (SIOR), the only such member in the area, and is a certified specialist in both office and industrial properties.
Tiffanie Robinson
Managing Director, SVN | Second Story Real Estate Management
Tiffanie has a background in entrepreneurship, strategy and operations. She is a professional connector who strives to bring together businesses with properties, entrepreneurs with investors, and parents with their school board. She is a CEO, a founder, a visionary, a mother, a wife and a leader with a lifelong history in volunteer service. An entrepreneur at heart and in practice, Tiffanie has spent the last 13 years launching and building businesses resulting in the sale of two successful companies.
Helen Calvin
Chief Executive Officer, Buildout
CRE Tech Panel
Helen Calvin likes oysters. She also likes building growth organizations in tech SaaS, a skill she’s been honing over the last 15 years. Most recently, she’s been flexing that muscle at Buildout, a leader in Commercial Real Estate technology and a company with the unapologetic belief that the future of CRE is technology enabled, but broker-led. Helen has her MBA from Northwestern Kellogg and was a recipient of the 2016 Crain’s Tech 50.
Sean Forester
Industry Principal, Appfolio
CRE Tech Panel
Sean, Industry Principal at AppFolio, works closely with property owners and operators to drive growth and innovation in property management. He stays ahead of technology trends and regularly speaks on how operators can leverage these insights to succeed. Sean previously led product launches for AppFolio Stack™, Property Manager Max, and the generative AI solution Realm-X. Outside of AppFolio, he volunteers with NAA’s Next Gen Committee and mentors graduating students at Boston College. Sean lives in Santa Barbara with his wife and their cat.
Mike Zei
Co-Founder and COO, TenantBase
CRE Tech Panel
Mike Zei has over 15 years of industry experience and serves as co-founder and COO at TenantBase. Previously, he was an associate at Cassidy Turley in Dallas and a senior associate at Advocate Commercial Real Estate Advisors in Chicago. At TenantBase, Mike leads all revenue-generating operations, focusing on business development and growing a network of partner brokers. Since 2013, he has helped expand the company to 12 offices across 10 markets and onboard over 200,000 tenants.
Brian Caldwell
Director of Strategic Accounts, Compstak
CRE Tech Panel
Brian grew up with a genuine curiosity for understanding people. As the Director of Strategic Accounts, Brian and his team are on the front lines delivering CompStak’s mission to create transparency in commercial real estate data, which facilitates fairer and more efficient deal-making. Over his five years at CompStak, Brian is encouraged by the significant progression in our industry to leverage robust data sets and sophisticated technology that drive better outcomes.
Brandi McDonald Sikes, MCR, CRE
SVN | J. Beard Real Estate
SVN Advisor Panel
After 25 years of serving clients from global commercial real estate platforms, Brandi Sikes previously founded Limestone Commercial Real Estate with a singular focus on serving clients at her highest and best.
Throughout her career, Brandi has been involved in the sourcing, negotiating and executing of over $2.7 billion and 13.2 million square feet of commercial transactions. With extensive HQ experience and a passion for start-ups, Brandi leverages proven practices and transaction acumen to empower her clients through complex commercial real estate decisions.
Accredited with unrivaled work ethic and creativity, she is energized by serving her clients in excellence.
Augie Schmidt, SIOR
Saunders Commercial
SVN Advisor Panel
Augie Schmidt, SIOR, is a Senior Advisor at Saunders Real Estate, specializing in industrial properties and providing custom strategic plans for clients in acquisition, disposition, and leasing. In 2022, he was ranked in the Top 20 out of over 1,700 advisors nationwide. Augie holds an MBA from Southeastern University, where he was a founding member and three-year captain of the football team, leading them to three conference championships. He is actively involved in his community and professional organizations, including SIOR, the National Association of Realtors, and ICSC.
Justin Ryder, CCIM
SVN | Stone Commercial Real Estate
SVN Advisor Panel
Justin Ryder, CCIM is a distinguished Advisor at SVN Stone Commercial Real Estate, specializing in multi-family and auto-related investment sales. With over 184 transactions across Central Kentucky, Justin excels in maximizing property value through exclusive listings and comprehensive project management, including development land and stabilized properties.
A 4-time national award winner for sales volume at SVN, Justin was honored as the company-wide "Influencer of the Year" in 2023 for his impactful presence in commercial real estate media on platforms like LinkedIn, Twitter, and YouTube. He earned the globally recognized CCIM designation in 2021, signifying mastery in financial and market analysis, investment strategy, and ethical business practices. Justin has also served as President of the Lexington CCIM Chapter twice.
In addition to his real estate expertise, Justin is a partner and consultant with Bluegrass Business Advisors, continuing the firm’s legacy of business brokerage in Central Kentucky since 1982.
A devoted family man, Justin and his wife, Libby, are proud parents to three wonderful daughters. He considers it a privilege to raise his family in such a vibrant community. Outside of work and family life, Justin is an avid CrossFitter, an enthusiastic reader, a passionate UK fan, and a dedicated Green Egg grilling connoisseur.
Wesley Cox, CCIM
SVN | Miller Commercial Real Estate
SVN Advisor Panel
Wesley Cox, CCIM serves as a Senior Advisor for SVN-Miller Commercial Real Estate with 20 years of experience. Since joining SVN Wesley and his team have been consistently in the top 1% of SVN International out of 1600+ advisors. Wesley and his team specialize in the sale and leasing of investment property, industrial, retail, office, land, and development projects on the Eastern Shore of Maryland and Delaware and have helped secure over 800 real estate transactions totaling over $800 million.
Wesley has been voted the Eastern Shore’s “Best Commercial Realtor” four consecutive years in a row in 2019-2022. In 2014 Wesley was awarded the Young Alumni Achievement Award from Salisbury University awarded to an Alum who has experienced a high level of achievement. Deeply committed to giving back, Wesley received the SVN National Humanitarian Award at the SVN national conference, followed by the Maryland Association of Realtor’s Community Service Award, and the Coastal Association Community Service Award. Wesley has also received the National Association of Realtor’s “Commercial Award” multiple times given to top commercial brokers around the country. In addition, Wesley has been awarded the Rotarian of the Year.
Wesley has been involved in over 3,500,000 SF of industrial transactions representing national and international companies as well as extensive real experience working with many national retailers including WaWa, AT&T, T-Mobile, Krispy Kreme, Royal Farms, Dollar Tree, Auto Zone, Harbor Freight Tools, Uno Chicago Grill, Hampton Inn, and more. In addition, Wesley has been involved in the sale and development of well over 1,000 acres totaling over 4,000 units.
Wesley currently serves on the board of directors of Provident State Bank, is the Past-President of the Salisbury Area Chamber of Commerce Foundation, Past-President of the Wicomico Rotary Club, and has served on the board for the Salisbury University Perdue School of Business Career Advisory Board, the executive board of the Coastal Association of Realtor’s, American Red Cross, and the Wicomico Rotary Club. He has been the author of numerous articles, a newspaper column, and has been featured in the CCIM Real Estate magazine.
Wesley is one of the top 5% of commercial agents that have earned the coveted CCIM designation after only 3-years in the business. He received degrees from Salisbury University in Business Administration and in Information Systems.
Two fun facts about Wesley is that he never missed a day of school in his life with 13 years of perfect attendance, and after earning two Maryland State Championships as a player he later earned a third one as a varsity soccer coach helping lead the team to their first Maryland State Championship in school history.
Reid Bennett, CCIM
SVN | Chicago Commercial
SVN Advisor Panel
Reid Bennett, CCIM serves as National Council Chair of Multifamily Properties for SVN International and a Senior Vice President for SVN – Chicago Commercial. As a licensed managing broker for more than 20 years, he focuses primarily on the sale of apartment communities across the Midwest and also teams up with members of his council to serve clients across the country in over 150 markets. Reid prides himself on understanding the nuances and analysis of multiple unit apartment dwellings & low-income Section 8 & Section 42 communities.
In 2016, 2018 & 2021 Reid received the Partners Circle Award from SVN where he was ranked in the top .02% among all 1,200+ SVN advisors in the world for the third time.
A graduate from the University of Iowa, Reid also has achieved the highly coveted designation of Certified Commercial Investment Member (CCIM).
Also active in his community, Reid chaired the Development Committee for River North Residents Association (RNRA) where he worked in conjunction with developers and area residents to foster responsible development in one of Chicago’s most active and desirable neighborhoods.
Prior to merging with SVN, Reid worked with condominium converters as well as large apartment complex buyers & sellers. He procured numerous multi-million dollar deals across the Midwest. Embodying the spirit of SVN, Reid fully utilizes the national platform and collaborative efforts to best perform for his clients on a global level.
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