About one month has passed since I assumed the responsibilities of District Council Chair from Antonio, who has been a great mentor and thankfully maintains a leadership and advisory role with ULI. I just returned from a national conference in San Diego attended by the majority of the national product and district council chairs, as well as senior ULI leadership: Patrick Philips, Global CEO; Trish Healy, Chair of the Americas; Ralph Boyd, the newly appointed CEO of the Americas; and many others from our headquarters.

Change is in the air! Not change for change’s sake, but substantive, meaningful change. The San Diego conference focused on you, our membership; simply put, making ULI more relevant and impactful in our professional careers. And on a local level we have made, and will continue to make, changes that enhance your ULI experience.

Our fiscal year is off to a great start with the rollout of our restructured sponsorship program, which has so far been met with very strong results and positive feedback. Our annual sponsorship breakfast last month emphasized the nexus between food and real estate, a prevalent theme in ULI on a global scale, whether highlighting the crucial role that a multi-functioning restaurant plays in a vertical mixed-use tower like FMC, or simply accentuating the accessibility of fresh fruit, produce, and nutritional food options in the urban built environment.

We are placing a high priority on membership and diversity, growing our District Council from the bottom up, and enhancing the ULI perspective with new and fresh ideas from highly engaged individuals who are taking leadership positions on local product councils and committees while continuing to rely on the expertise and strength of our member base. We are retooling our Initiative Councils and will be rolling out new Local Product Councils to replace them this fall as well as other opportunities to engage with ULI. In October, we will be featuring a housing conference that addresses the growing concerns evolving around housing affordability, gentrification, and preservation. And our showcase Emerging Trends conference in November is shaping up to be a tremendously informative event that will provide real-time information on both macro and micro developments in our industry as well as the overall economy – a program augmented by some of the best economists and analysts in the country.

This is just the beginning. Our Strategic Plan is a framework and we need you, our members, to join us in executing – you can always tell us about your interests using this form and find everything on our website. So, as I mentioned in June at the Bill Rouse Awards for Excellence – buckle up, it’s going to be a great ride!

Sincerely,

Paul Commito
Senior Vice President for Development
Brandywine Realty Trust and
Chair, ULI Philadelphia