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Now Recruiting Panelists for Lower Schuylkill Life Sciences TAP
ULI Philadelphia is recruiting 10-12 members to serve on a two-day Technical Assistance Panel (TAP), May 6-7, 2020.
Meet the Sharks: ULI Philadelphia Shark Tank 2020
February 24, 2020
The ULI Philadelphia Young Leaders Group is pleased to present the fourth annual ULI Philadelphia Shark Tank event. Join emerging Philadelphia real estate developers as they pitch their projects to some of the largest local real estate icons and industry leaders. This year’s Shark Tank will feature a special focus on impact development and will showcase two developers that have demonstrated a commitment to improving not just their portfolio of properties but their local neighborhoods as well. Read below to learn more about how are Sharks will approach this year’s projects.
Miguel Baptista, Group Vice President/Group Manager Commercial Real Estate, M&T Bank
What are you most looking forward to about this year’s Shark Tank event?
I’m looking forward to learning about the two new projects that our developers are proposing for Philadelphia. I enjoy hearing directly from the principals about what they are passionate about and how they incorporated that into their new project. Learning how they balanced that vision with all the risks and moving parts of the development cycle to get to a final product has always been a fun part of my job as a banker.
Is there a particular project in Philadelphia right now that you are uniquely excited about? What type of real estate projects do you think Philadelphia could benefit from having more of?
I’ve always enjoyed working on financing residential projects in Philadelphia. It is great to see the momentum that Philadelphia has, and that people want to live and invest here. Working on for-sale residential projects has always been my favorite and the One Riverside project in Fitler Square was exciting to work on and great to see people making the commitment to buy in Philadelphia. I also like to see mixed-use communities being developed in Philadelphia, which provides for that live, work, shop and dine environment. M&T is currently involved in the Riverwalk project being developed down on the Schuylkill River waterfront. This a perfect example of the type of community that I believe benefits Philadelphia greatly.
From your perspective, what are the main considerations when evaluating a project or investment?
Sponsorship is always the most important to me when evaluating a project. Another important consideration for me is the project’s ability to survive and weather a negative deviation from what the developer had expected. Developer’s operate in a cyclical business and even the most well thought out plans can struggle through a cycle. This is also the time when Sponsorship will be so critically important. I look at both very closely.
Karen Blanchard, AIA, LEED AP BD+C, Principal, SITIO architecture + urbanism
What are you most looking forward to about this year’s Shark Tank event?
This is such a fun and exciting event – I’m particularly interested in the focus on impact development and to learn more about each project’s commitment to improving their neighborhoods.
Is there a particular project in Philadelphia right now that you are uniquely excited about? What type of real estate projects do you think Philadelphia could benefit from having more of?
There are so many varieties of projects types and scales occurring all over Philadelphia – from Center City to University City to the neighborhood scale – the momentum over the past few years has been tremendously exciting. This revitalization provides a unique opportunity to redefine development in our City while promoting diversity, inclusion, sustainability, and healthy urban living.
From your perspective, what are the main considerations when evaluating a project or investment?
When we look at a project one of our main focus is placemaking through a creative site-based and context driven design approach that generates thriving spaces with a positive impact.
Tony Ewing, Principal, Shift Capital
What are you most looking forward to about this year’s Shark Tank event?
I’m looking forward to hearing creative ideas articulated by up and coming developers, as well as their responses to challenging questions posed by accomplished sharks.
Is there a particular project in Philadelphia right now that you are uniquely excited about? What type of real estate projects do you think Philadelphia could benefit from having more of?
I’m uniquely interested in projects that positively impact under-served populations in under-invested neighborhoods. Such projects have the ability to foster success across a spectrum of metrics including wellness, job creation, crime & blight reduction, etc.
From your perspective, what are the main considerations when evaluating a project or investment?
Purpose – why are we doing this; Feasibility – can we do this; Creativity – how are we doing this; Success – what are the important metrics.
Anne Fadullon, Director of Planning and Development, City of Philadelphia
What are you most looking forward to about this year’s Shark Tank event?
I’m looking forward to hearing about innovative projects being proposed for Philadelphia.
Is there a particular project in Philadelphia right now that you are uniquely excited about? What type of real estate projects do you think Philadelphia could benefit from having more of?
I am excited about many projects in Philadelphia and am excited to say there are many projects happening in Philadelphia. We can use as many projects that promote equity, diversity and inclusivity as we can get!
From your perspective, what are the main considerations when evaluating a project or investment?
Is it financially viable and what is it giving back to the city/community. Believe it or not, it is very possible to do both.
Matthew A. Pestronk, President, Post Brothers
What are you most looking forward to about this year’s Shark Tank event?
Lively discussion.
Is there a particular project in Philadelphia right now that you are uniquely excited about? What type of real estate projects do you think Philadelphia could benefit from having more of?
Philadelphia needs more mid-rise development near transit that does not require top dollar rents to be profitable. We are building 3,000 apartments now so I am most excited about my own projects. We also need more office outside of the core CBD and we are exploring that as well.
From your perspective, what are the main considerations when evaluating a project or investment?
Equitable distribution of benefits as a result of development and a balance between maximum ESG benefit and profit.