The State of the Commercial Real Estate Market

Brett Bernstein, CFP®

Brett Bernstein, CFP® is the CEO and Co-Founder of XML Financial Group. He serves as the firm’s head of financial planning and manages the operations of the firm, including the firm’s M&A strategy. Brett is an active financial advisor assisting clients with his holistic approach to goal-setting and problem-solving. Prior to co-founding XML in 2004, he was a Vice President and Senior Financial Advisor at Merrill Lynch, where he was designated Producing Sales Manager for a complex that managed over $5 billion in assets. Brett is a serial entrepreneur actively investing in many start-up companies and has led his firm in acquiring two local wealth management firms. This entrepreneurial spirit has led Brett to be active at the Dingman Center for Entrepreneurship at the University of Maryland’s Robert H. Smith School of Business as an Advisor and Subject Matter Expert. Additionally, Brett volunteers his time to the Bullis School’s entrepreneurial program, sponsoring the Capstone Entrepreneurial Shark Tank competition.

Brian Katz

Brian Katz is the Co-Founder & President of American Real Estate Partners (AREP). Brian co-founded AREP in 2003 with Doug Fleit, and since then AREP has acquired more than $3.5 billion in real estate assets, representing approximately 17 million square feet throughout the eastern United States. As President, Brian is intimately involved in all of the day-to-day operations of the firm and is focused on the sourcing, acquiring, financing, capitalization and disposition of the firm’s assets, as well as the formation and day-to-day oversight of the firm’s discretionary fund business. Prior to founding AREP, Brian spent 11 years with Cushman & Wakefield’s ("C&W") Commercial Brokerage Group based in Northern Virginia, where he leased and sold over 15 million square feet of space in the Washington, D.C. Metropolitan area, aided in growing and establishing C&W’s corporate and institutional practices, and was consistently recognized as one of the top brokers in the US. Brian is also involved in numerous charitable organizations including Georgetown Lombardi Comprehensive Cancer Center where he spent 7 years co-chairing their annual Gala. Brian holds a Master of Science in Real Estate from Johns Hopkins University and a Bachelor of Arts in Economics from the University of Maryland.

Amy Katz

Amy Katz is the Founder and CEO of Curbside Kitchen, a technology company that creates custom food truck solutions for commercial and residential properties. As one of the few female leaders in the Proptech sector, Amy oversees the company’s operations, sales, and marketing. In 2018, Amy identified the increasing demands of tenants for food amenities with the need for commercial and residential property owners and managers to provide food trucks into urban and suburban markets. With a small team, Amy developed an easy-to-use technology platform that connects building owners, leasing agents and property managers with food trucks and other mobile lunch options. Curbside Kitchen also provides wraparound services to support the tenant experience, such as marketing, flyers, promotional emails, and weekly reminders and menus to tenants. Since its founding, a core tenet of their mission is community outreach and charitable initiatives. With Curbside Cares, the company partners with organizations to support corporate social responsibility efforts and works with national and local non-profits including, Nourish Now, March of Dimes, and Crystal City. Amy holds a degree in Marketing from the University of Maryland.