REFA closes out the year with quality in-person programming

Boston, MA REFA hosted a sold-out education program on Wednesday, October 19^th at WilmerHale’s office at 60 State St. 100 REFA members joined us for “Inflation, Interest Rates, and Potential Recession – Their Impact on Commercial Real Estate.” Bryan Mason, Chatham Financial, kicked off the program with an overview of the interest rate environment. The main program’s format was a conversation between five speakers: REFA president Lauren O’Neil, AEW Capital Management, Sarah Lagosh, Eastdil Secured, John Roach, US Bank, and Tom Taranto, Intercontinental Real Estate Corp. They discussed how they view the current environment for commercial real estate development, investment, and lending and its impact on transactions, investment theses, and portfolio allocations.

On Wednesday, November 9^th, a group of Emerging Leader Members attended an Executive Insights program at Boston Property’s office at the Prudential Center. They had the opportunity to hear and learn from James Magaldi, SVP, finance and capital markets, BXP. REFA’s Executive Insights series is designed for Emerging Leaders to have a casual conversation and gain industry insight from a prominent industry leader.

REFA will be hosting its first Year-End Celebration and Holiday Party in three years on Monday, November 21^st at Bostonia Public House in downtown. Members will have the chance to network with colleagues and friends, and reflect on another successful year. In the spirit of giving, REFA will be holding a gift card drive for its charitable partners: FamilyAid Boston, HomeStart, and Rosie’s Place. Immediately before the holiday party, REFA mentors and mentees will gather for the REFA Mentor Program Wrap-Up event. Participants will hear from two mentor/mentee pairs about their unique experiences and insights from the past year.

REFA’s final education program of the year will be a 2023 Lodging Industry Outlook on Tuesday, December 6^th at PwC’s office at 101 Seaport Blvd. The panel will consist of hotel owners, brokers, and management companies who will cover the latest trends and issues facing the lodging industry. Larry Trabulsi, CHMWarnick, will moderate the conversation with Kari Carr, Pebblebrook Hotel Trust, Nala Holmes, Pyramid Hotel Group, and Alan Suzuki, JLL.