J. Taggert Birge has twenty years of healthcare real estate development, leasing and sales experience. Mr. Birge currently serves as President and Principal of Cornerstone Companies, Inc., and has held this position since 2008. Prior to serving in this role with Cornerstone, Mr. Birge served from 2004 to 2006 as Senior Vice President of Healthcare at Lauth Property Group, an Indiana based commercial real estate development company. Additionally, in March 2008, Mr. Birge co-founded Birge & Held (B&H), national apartment real estate, private equity and investment firm, and has served as B&H's Chief Executive Officer since 2008. From 1997 to 2004, Mr. Birge practiced real estate law with the law firm of at Bose McKinney & Evans, LLP in its Indianapolis, Indiana office. Mr. Birge's practice focused on representing private real estate developers with office and medical sales and development across the United States. Mr. Birge graduated cum laude from Indiana University with a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science and holds a Juris Doctorate from the University of Virginia. Mr. Birge has served as a member of the Board of Directors of Bowen Engineering since 2002, the Board of Directors of Tindley School since 2015, and the Board of Directors of the Indiana Sports Corp. since 2004.
On June 20, 2016, the Board appointed John F. Levy as Director of the company. John F. Levy became a director on June 20, 2016. Mr. Levy currently serves as the Chief Executive Officer and principal consultant for Board Advisory, a consulting firm established to assist public companies, or companies aspiring to be public with corporate governance, corporate compliance, ethics, financial reporting and financial strategies. He has held this role since May 2005. Mr. Levy is a recognized corporate governance and financial reporting expert with over 30 years of progressive financial, accounting and business experience; including nine years in public accounting with three national accounting firms and having served as Chief Financial Officer of both public and private companies for over 13 years. Mr. Levy currently serves on the board of three public companies: Applied Minerals Inc. (since January 2008), China Commercial Credit, Inc. (since August 2013), and Takung Art Co., Ltd. (since February 2016). Mr. Levy also served as a board member and program chair for the New Jersey Chapter of the National Association of Corporate Directors (NACD) from October 2007 to June 2012. Mr. Levy is a frequent speaker on the roles and responsibilities of board members and audit committee members. He has authored and presented numerous courses on finance, management and governance to state accounting societies including THE 21ST CENTURY DIRECTOR: Ethical and Legal Responsibilities of Board Members. Mr. Levy is a Certified Public Accountant with several years of experience. Mr. Levy is a graduate of the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania, and received his MBA from St. Joseph's University in Philadelphia. Mr. Levy has completed the National Association of Corporate Directors' Board Leadership Fellow program of study.
Robert J. Laikin became a director and was appointed as our Lead Independent Director on May 27, 2014. Mr. Laikin founded BrightPoint, Inc., a wireless device distribution and logistics company (then known as Wholesale Cellular USA, Inc.), in 1989. He served as the Chairman of the Board and Chief Executive Officer of BrightPoint, Inc., which was listed on the NASDAQ exchange in April 1994 until its sale in October 2012 to Ingram Micro Inc., a publicly traded wholesale technology distributor and supply-chain management and mobile device lifecycle services company. Mr. Laikin is currently an Executive Advisor to the CEO and Government Relations Executive of Ingram Micro Inc., a position he has held since November 2012. From July 1986 to December 1987, Mr. Laikin was Vice President, and from January 1988 to February 1993, President, of Century Cellular Network, Inc., a company engaged in the retail sale of cellular telephones and accessories. On June 20, 2016, the Board appointed Robert J. Laikin, a current director of the Company, as non-executive Chairman of the Board. In connection with becoming the non-executive Chairman of the Board, Mr. Laikin's role as Lead Independent Director has been eliminated.
On June 20, 2016, the Board appointed Louis G. Conforti, a current director of the Company, as Interim Chief Executive Officer of the Company. Louis G. Conforti, 51, became a director of the Company on May 27, 2014. Since April 2014, Mr. Conforti has been a Principal/Executive Director of Colony Capital, Inc. as the Global Head of Strategy as well as focusing on publicly traded investing. Since December 2013, Mr. Conforti was Managing Director of Balyasny Asset Management LP, an alternative investment manager firm. Prior, Mr. Conforti was Global Head of Real Estate for UBS O'Connor, the alternative investment management division of UBS AG, a financial services firm, from October 2008 to November 2013. During that time, he also served as Senior Portfolio Manager of O'Connor Colony Property Strategies, a partnership with Colony Capital LLC. Previously, he was Managing Director and Head of Real Estate Investments at the hedge fund firm of Stark Investments, from January 2005 to October 2008. His predecessor real estate hedge fund, The Greenwood Group, was acquired by Stark Investments in January 2005. Mr. Conforti served as Co-President and Chief Financial Officer of Prime Group Realty Trust, a publicly traded office and industrial property real estate investment trust, from June 2000 to October 2003, as its Executive Vice President Capital Markets, from June 1988 to November 1999, and as its Senior Vice President Capital Markets, from June 1998 to November 1999. Prior to that, Mr. Conforti worked at the investment banking firms of CIBC World Markets and Alex. Brown & Sons within their real estate investment banking and capital markets divisions. On October 6, 2016 - Washington Prime Group Inc. today announced the appointment of Lou Conforti as Chief Executive Officer of the Company effective immediately.
Jacquelyn R. Soffer became a director on May 27, 2014. Ms. Soffer is a Principal for Turnberry Associates, a real estate development and property management company, which she joined in 1989, where she oversees the company's retail, hospitality and office divisions including its landmark Aventura Mall, a super-regional shopping center located in South Florida. Turnberry Associates holds a two-thirds interest in Aventura Mall, with the remaining one-third interest being held by an affiliate of Simon. Ms. Soffer's experience includes her instrumental roles in developing Destin Commons, an open-air lifestyle center in Northwest Florida, which recently opened a 100,000 square foot expansion. Additionally, Ms. Soffer leads the continued enhancement and operations of both the Fontainebleau Miami Beach as well as Turnberry Isle Miami Resort. She is a board member of Fontainebleau Miami Beach and a Founding Member and member of the Board of Trustees of the Institute of Contemporary Art in Miami, Florida.
JACKIE SOFFER
Jackie Soffer is the Chief Executive Officer and Co-Chairman of Turnberry, a privately held real estate development group based in South Florida. Founded more than 50 years ago, the company specializes in large-scale lifestyle developments within the hospitality, retail, residential, and office sectors.
Jackie has evolved Turnberry from the regional leader into one of the most creative and dynamic organizations in real estate today. She leads through innovation, combining her passion for retail and hospitality with creative design-led thinking. She first applied this approach at the Aventura Mall, which she transformed from a classic retail shopping mall into one of the country’s premier lifestyle destinations by attracting luxury retailers such Louis Vuitton, Givenchy, Cartier, Gucci, Burberry, Fendi, Tiffany & Co., Bally and Emilio Pucci and integrating them with world class contemporary art by Ugo Rondinone, Donald Baechler, Louise Bourgeois, Friends with You, Daniel Arsham, Jen Stark, and many more.
Soffer continues to magnify this vision with a new tri-level, 315,000 square-foot expansion of Aventura Mall that will showcase the next evolution of experiential retail. Designed by world-renowned architect Carlos Zapata and opening in late 2017, the expansion will feature substantial site-specific installations from some of the biggest names in contemporary art, a food hall featuring local artisans, multiple full service restaurant destinations, a VIP lounge by Slade Architecture, dozens of flagship retail stores, and a beautifully landscaped rooftop terrace and plaza. In addition to the mall, Soffer recently completed a 100,000 square-foot expansion of Destin Commons, an open-air lifestyle center in Northwest Florida and the ground up development of Town Square Las Vegas, a 1.5 million-square-foot super regional lifestyle center located on the Las Vegas Strip.
Soffer recently formed a partnership with LeFrak to develop a 184-acre site along Biscayne Boulevard in North Miami aptly named SoLē Mia. The largest development in North Miami’s history, when complete SoLē Mia will include 1.4 million-square feet of retail, 37 acres of parks, 4,390 residences, crystal lagoons, a 150 key hotel, gourmet groceries, dining outlets, and market-leading entertainment and amenities.
Soffer is actively involved in management and development of all Turnberry’s hospitality and residential assets including Fontainebleau Miami Beach, one of the world’s top destination resorts, as well as Turnberry Isle Miami, a 300-acre resort and country club in South Florida, Turnberry Ocean Club Residences, a 154-unit ultra-luxury condominium and JW Marriott Nashville, a 533 room hotel located in downtown Nashville.
In addition to her day-to-day responsibilities for Turnberry, Soffer serves as an Independent Director on the Board of Washington Prime Group, a retail real estate investment trust with a portfolio of 120 enclosed regional malls and open-air lifestyle community centers. She is a member of the University of Miami Board of Trustees, and the Board of Trustees for the Institute of Contemporary Art, Miami.
Washington Prime Group Inc. (NYSE: WPG) is a retail REIT and a recognized leader in the ownership, management, acquisition and development of retail properties. The Company combines a national real estate portfolio with an investment grade balance sheet, leveraging its expertise across the entire shopping center sector to increase cash flow through rigorous management of assets and provide new opportunities to retailers looking for growth throughout the U.S.
Washington Prime Group was formed in May 2014 following a spin-off from Simon Property Group and acquired Glimcher Realty Trust (NYSE: GRT) in January 2015.
Today the company operates out of headquarters in Columbus, Ohio, and an additional office in Indianapolis, Indiana.
Washington Prime Group is focused on the experience we create at each of our centers. By providing a mix of things to do and things to buy, our properties deliver the right combination of tenants, activities and events to keep shoppers engaged and returning often.
