Tag: RER’s RECPAC/Research Committee

Industry Leaders Discuss Economic Outlook, Policy Priorities, and Geopolitical Challenges at Annual Meeting

Posted on by abigail_grenadier

The Real Estate Roundtable’s (RER) 2025 Annual Meeting this week included discussions with public officials and industry leaders on a range of issues affecting commercial real estate, including market conditions, tax policy, the House’s recent passage of the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, tariffs and trade, affordable housing solutions, energy policy, and evolving security threats.

Roundtable Leadership

  • RER Chair Kathleen McCarthy (Global Co-Head of Blackstone Real Estate, Blackstone) opened the meeting by thanking members for their consistent engagement and highlighting the significance of RER’s collaborative efforts in navigating a rapidly evolving policy landscape. (May 2025 Policy Priorities and Executive Summary)
  • During the meeting, RER members approved the nominees for its FY26 board of directors and policy advisory committee officers, which were announced by RER Nominating Committee Chair Geordy Johnson (CEO, The Johnson Group).
  • Addressing the membership, RER President and CEO Jeffrey DeBoer emphasized RER’s ongoing commitment to enhancing member involvement through RER’s policy advisory committees and underscored the value of strategic partnerships with other national real estate organizations for proactive policy advocacy. (Meeting Agenda)

Meeting Speakers

  • The Honorable Kevin Hassett (Director, National Economic Council) presented the administration’s economic agenda, focusing on housing initiatives, factory expensing, and the outlook for growth.
  • (L-R): Hessam Nadji (President and CEO, Marcus & Millichap), Martha Gimble (Executive Director, The Budget Lab at Yale University), and Jonathan Pollack (President, Starwood Capital Group) provided macroeconomic insights, reviewed current and future CRE market trends, and spoke about challenges amidst tariff-induced uncertainty. (Hessam Nadji Presentation | Martha Gimble Presentation)
  • Anna Palmer (Founder & CEO of Punchbowl News) offered her perspective on legislative developments and negotiations, and the rise of influential figures within both political parties.

Policy Advisory Committee Meetings

  • Each of RER’s policy advisory committees met this week in conjunction with the Annual Meeting for in-depth policy discussions. The committees hosted several congressional staff and regulatory officials.

Sustainability Policy Advisory Committee (SPAC) Meeting

  • SPAC Chair Anthony E. Malkin (Chairman and CEO, Empire State Realty Trust, Inc.), Co-Vice Chairs Ben Myers (Vice President, Sustainability, BXP) and Katie Rothenberg (Vice President, ESG, AvalonBay Communities, Inc.) led discussions on EPA’s ENERGY STAR program, grid reliability, clean energy procurement, and nuclear energy deployment. (Agenda & Speakers)

Tax Policy Advisory Committee (TPAC)

  • TPAC Chair Josh Parker (Chairman & CEO, Ancora Group Capital), Vice Chair David Friedline (Partner, Deloitte Tax LLP), and the Committee discussed the broad range of tax proposals affecting real estate that are working their way through Congress in the budget reconciliation bill. Panelists included senior staff from the offices of the House Speaker, Ways and Means Committee, Senator Tim Scott (R-SC), and Senator Todd Young (R-IN), as well as the Treasury Department. In addition, tax experts from Baker McKenzie, Sullivan & Cromwell, and Brownstein led or moderated discussions concerning potential new taxes on foreign investors, regulatory initiatives, and Opportunity Zones.  (Agenda & Speakers)

Sustainability Policy Advisory Committee (SPAC)

  • SPAC Chair Anthony E. Malkin (Chairman and CEO, Empire State Realty Trust, Inc.) and Vice Chairs Ben Myers (Vice President, Sustainability, BXP) and Katie Rothenberg (VP, ESG, AvalonBay Communities, Inc.) led discussions on (Agenda & Speakers)

Joint Real Estate Capital Policy Advisory Committee (RECPAC) and Research Committee Meeting

  • D. Michael Van Konynenburg (President, Eastdil Secured) provided an overview of conditions in real estate credit and capital markets.
  • Following a national policy update from RER’S Ryan McCormick (SVP & Counsel, RER) and Chip Rodgers (SVP, RER), Research Committee Chair Spencer Levy (Global Chief Client Officer & Senior Economic Advisor, CBRE) and Darin Mellot (Vice President of Capital Markets Research, CBRE) led a discussion on the evolving post Liberation Day impact of tariffs on commercial real estate markets. 
  • Robert Rubano (Executive Vice Chairman, Head of Equity, Debt, & Structured Finance, Cushman & Wakefield) moderated a capital market roundtable with David Bouton (Co-Head of U.S. CMBS, Citigroup), Jack Gay (Senior Managing Director, Global Head of Real Estate Debt, Nuveen Real Estate), Kathryn Ogden, (Head U.S. Corporate Banking and Global Head, Real Estate Capital Partners (RECP), RBC Capital Markets), and Matt Salem (Partner, Head of RE Credit, KKR). (Agenda & Speakers)

Homeland Security Task Force (HSTF) Meeting

  • HSTF Chair Amanda S. Mason (Executive Director, Global Intelligence, Related Companies) facilitated a number of discussions on the current threat picture.  These discussions included a review of the risks to commercial facilities from lithium-ion batteries with John Frank (AXA XL Risk Consulting). The meeting also included a series of briefs from the FBI regarding the threats from terrorist and transnational criminal organizations that are directly threatening U.S. citizens and commercial facilities. These discussions included updates on the role of the cartels in violent crime, the deaths of American citizens from synthetic opioids, and the facilitation of nearly three million illegal migrant arrivals in 2024, putting U.S. communities at risk. Also addressed were the range of cyber and intelligence threats from China, targeting our critical infrastructure. (Agenda & Speakers)

RER’s 2025 Annual Report will be distributed in July. Next on RER’s FY 2025 meeting calendar is the Fall Meeting, which will take place on October 27-28 (restricted to Roundtable-level members only). 

Industry Leaders Convene for 2025 State of the Industry Meeting

Posted on by Trey Jackson

This week, The Real Estate Roundtable’s (RER) State of the Industry meeting brought together policymakers, industry leaders, and experts to discuss key policy issues shaping debates in Washington and impacting the economy and commercial real estate industry.

2025 State of the Industry Meeting

  • Roundtable Chair Kathleen McCarthy (Global Co-Head, Blackstone Real Estate) opened the meeting by welcoming attendees, setting the stage for discussions on industry priorities and advocacy opportunities, and highlighting key member priorities for the year ahead.
  • RER President & CEO Jeffrey DeBoer highlighted the organization’s unique strengths in policy advocacy, which is known for its trusted, fact-based, and data-driven approach. He also acknowledged members for participating in the annual policy issues survey, which revealed widespread concern about tariffs and strong support for priorities like tax reform, housing incentives, reducing regulatory barriers, energy infrastructure, insurance, and cybersecurity resiliency.

Meeting Speakers

  • Geopolitical expert John Sitilides (Principal, Trilogy Advisors LLC; National Security Senior Fellow, Foreign Policy Research Institute) gave a presentation on “Washington & the World: The New Geopolitics of Great Power Competition” and discussed the current geopolitical dynamics and vulnerabilities affecting global commerce and energy.
  • Rep. Darin LaHood (R-IL) (Member, House Committees on Ways and Means; and  Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence) discussed the U.S.-China economic relationship, extending the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (TCJA) tax cuts, housing incentives such as the Low-Income Housing Tax Credit (LIHTC), opportunity zones, and property conversions.
  • Rep. Tom Suozzi (D-NY) (Member,House Committee on Ways and Means) stressed the need for bipartisanship to address housing shortages, restore state and local tax (SALT) deductions, advance immigration reform, and revitalize cities.
  • Robert Costa (Chief Election & Campaign Correspondent, CBS News) shared his insight on the current political environment and his experiences with the past and current administrations.
  • Rep. French Hill (R-AR) (Chair of the House Financial Services Committee) spoke to RER’s Joint Real Estate Capital Policy Advisory Committee (RECPAC) and Research Committee on his policy priorities for the 119th Congress.

Committee Meetings

Joint Real Estate Capital Policy Advisory Committee (RECPAC) and Research Committee

  • During a joint meeting, Research Co-Chair Spencer Levy (Global Chief Client Officer & Senior Economic Advisor, CBRE) and Darin Mellot (CBRE) discussed the current real estate conditions and the outlook for real estate credit and capital markets. Working Group Chair Michael Lascher (Global Head of Real Estate Debt Capital Markets, Blackstone) led a discussion on office financing with David Bouton (Citibank), Michael Maturo (RXR Realty), and James Million (CBRE). Will Skinner (Blackstone Credit and Insurance) presented on the growing adoption of private credit by insurance companies and the interplay with alternative asset managers. (Agenda & Speakers)

Tax Policy Advisory Committee (TPAC)

  • TPAC Chair Joshua M. Parker (Chairman & Chief Executive Officer, Ancora L&G) and TPAC Vice Chair David Friedline (Partner, Deloitte Tax LLP) led panels on the status of tax legislation in Congress and the pending expiration of the TCJA, property conversions, partnerships, pass-throughs, partnership basis-shifting rules, and SECA-limited partners tax dispute. (Agenda & Speakers)

Sustainability Policy Advisory Committee (SPAC)

  • SPAC Vice Chairs Ben Myers (Vice President, Sustainability, BXP) and Katie Rothenberg (Vice President, ESG, Avalon Bay Communities, Inc.) led discussions on public-private partnership opportunities with US-DOE, utilities, refrigerant emissions, and building performance standards. (Agenda & Speakers)

Homeland Security Task Force (HSTF)

  • Co-Chair Amanda S. Mason (Executive Director, Global Intelligence, Related Companies) highlighted the overall mission of the HSTF, and led a series of discussions on areas of concerns for the commercial facilities sector. Bruce Hoffman (Senior Fellow for Counterterrorism and Homeland Security, Council on Foreign Relations) provided an overview of implications of recent terrorist incidents here and abroad, and the evolving terrorism landscape. Trent Frazier (CISA) and Tobi Rosenzweig, (U.S. Department of State) discussed the current geopolitical tensions in Europe and both short-term and long-term risks. Ken Kurz (COPT Defense Properties)and Marcelle Lee (Equinix) led a panel on the evolving landscape of cyber and physical threats. Cathy Lanier (National Football League), Hon. Lucian Niemeyer (Building Cyber Security), and Thomas Warrick (The Future of DHS Project) hosted a roundtable discussion on recent terrorism incidents, and natural catastrophes.(Agenda & Speakers)

Next on RER’s FY 2025 meeting calendar is the Spring Meeting on April 7-8. The Spring Meeting is restricted to Roundtable-level members only.