Issue link: http://www.insightdigital.biz/i/100667
UPFRONT connections By Margaret LeBrun InDevelopment set Feb. 19 Keynote to share secrets of funding commercial projects I n today���s economic climate, commercial developers are focused on an important question: Where is the money? ���There are opportunities out there ��� you will be amazed at the opportunities that are out there,��� says Grant Schwab, commercial real estate agent with First Weber, Oshkosh. Yet, professionals on the front lines of economic and commercial development know that funding for projects today does not hang as low as it did five years ago. It takes a little 20 | Insight ��� J a n u a r y 2 013 c ourt e s y of M a r k B a rb a s h Mark Barbash, an economic development consultant from Columbus, Ohio, will be keynote speaker at the fourth annual InDevelopment conference planned for Feb. 19 in Oshkosh. know-how, a little savvy ��� and the willingness to dig deeper than what you might see on the surface. Mark Barbash knows where the funding lies. As keynote speaker at the fourth annual InDevelopment conference on Feb. 19 in Oshkosh, he will address, ���Finding Money for Challenging Development Projects.��� A seasoned economic development consultant based in Columbus, Ohio, Barbash has been financing tough deals for 30 years. He has served as chief economic development officer for the Ohio Department of Development and today serves clients in Ohio, Wisconsin, Massachusetts and beyond. ���I���ll identify some of the obstacles that are out there, what���s going on in the banks and government funding,��� says Barbash, who grew up in Madison, is a graduate of the University of Wisconsin-Madison and has also lived and worked in Milwaukee. ���There are a lot of unknown things going on that few people know about because of stereotypes about the way programs operate,��� Barbash adds. ���Deals are getting done in this economy, and I���ll talk about the way deals are getting done.��� Barbash will talk about the battle between large banks and community banks as well as the regulations that hamstring both. He���ll share information about the most valuable federal programs available for funding economic development projects. The day-long conference, coordinated by Insight Publications LLC, convenes at 7:45 a.m. Capping the day at 3 p.m. will be featured speaker Dan Cohen, director of tenant representation, Dan Cohen Mid-America Real Estate Group ��� Wisconsin. Based in Milwaukee, Cohen is president of the Wisconsin office, overseeing MidAmerica���s retail real estate. Afternoon breakout sessions Three simultaneous sessions will feature: �� Opportunity Oshkosh, panel discussion on local partnerships. �� Targeted Industries, how communities market themselves collaboratively to attract site selectors. Panelists include Mike Matthews of Economic Growth Advisors, Madison and David Ward of NorthStar Economics, Madison. �� Global and National Development Trends, featuring Kristen Fish, managing partner, Redevelopment Resources LLC, Wausau. w w w. i n s i g h t o n b u s i n e s s . c o m