Brian Boehm

For over a decade, Brian Boehm has been an investor of institutional capital across real estate markets with a total deal volume exceeding $6 billion. At Envision, he is responsible for investments and capital relationships. He previously served as managing director of investments at ElmTree Funds, an $8 billion real estate private equity firm that invests in office, industrial and cold storage assets. There, he was responsible for evaluating and managing investments across the U.S.

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Greg Camp

Greg Camp is the vice president of FCL's national cold storage practice. He has over 25 years’ experience working with developers nationally and internationally to deliver design/build state-of-the-art cold storage projects. What matters most to Camp is establishing collaborations, transparency and trust around all sides of the table with the goal of delivering turnkey facilities that exceed expectations while driving business results and life cycle partnerships that continue to feed the world.

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Michael Cody

Michael Cody serves as director, industrial cold and food for Ware Malcomb. He has significant experience in all facets of development, construction, architecture and design. Cody focuses on leadership, project management, development, entitlement, public presentations and process, contract documents, contract administration and design presentations. He has been involved in the industry since 1991 and brings architectural and design expertise to the Ware Malcomb team. Cody has worked on a wide range of design projects including high-rise, historic preservation, renovations, multifamily, hospitality, industrial, cold storage, food processing, grocery distribution, office, recreational, mixed-use and healthcare.

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Chris Copenhaver, SIOR

Chris Copenhaver is a member of Cushman & Wakefield’s industrial and logistics service line and co-lead of the company's food and beverage advisory group, specializing in representing owners and occupiers of industrial real estate with a concentration in food production and refrigerated distribution centers. He leverages Cushman & Wakefield’s real estate services platform and the food and beverage advisory team to execute client requirements throughout the U.S. in primary and secondary markets.

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Tyler Cushman

Tyler Cushman is the senior development manager at RLCold, where he oversees cold storage projects from land acquisition through disposition. Since joining the company, he has been a key contributor, consistently delivering exceptional results and driving strategic growth. In his role, Cushman serves as the bridge between business development and real estate, aligning with tenants, securing prime sites, and coordinating across brokerage, construction and investment teams. His work ensures each project is executed seamlessly, advancing RLCold’s presence in high-demand markets nationwide.

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Tanya Dalton

Tanya Dalton is a project manager with Metl-Fab, specializing in insulated metal panel and cold storage construction across the U.S. She has assisted with large-scale distribution center and food-grade facility projects for clients, coordinating complex procurement, logistics and installation schedules. Dalton is known for her collaborative approach and detail-driven project execution. She is also passionate about building strong partnerships with contractors, suppliers and design teams to deliver cost-effective, high-quality results.

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Jake Finley

Jake Finley is the founder and CEO of Karis (est. 2014) and Karis Cold (est. 2019), and Karis Critical (est. 2023) leading one of the fastest-growing industrial real estate platforms in the U.S. He drives strategy, market expansion and pipeline development for a current portfolio exceeding $1.5 billion across more than 10 markets. Since inception, Karis has developed, acquired and sold more than $2.5 billion in industrial assets, specializing in mission-critical facilities such as cold storage and data centers. Through Karis Capital, Finley executed a landmark joint venture with private-equity real estate leader AEW, delivering one of the highest IRRs in AEW’s history upon its 2021 sale.

Before launching Karis, Finley built his career at the Chicago Board of Trade as a commodities broker, transitioned to selling industrial doors and dock equipment, and then became a leading real estate broker focused on logistics and supply-chain infrastructure. Today, he is recognized for his ability to pair deep market insight with bold, profitable execution.

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Kieran Flanagan, LEED AP

Kieran D. Flanagan, Sr., brings over 30 years of leadership in commercial real estate development and construction. His expertise spans the full lifecycle of development – from due diligence and entitlements to design, permitting and full-scale construction. Known for successfully delivering complex, high-stakes projects across every asset class, Flanagan has been a driving force behind the growth and operational success of numerous companies in the industry. He now serves as principal at Saxum Real Estate, where he oversees development and construction for projects nationwide. He is recognized for his strategic oversight of field operations and project delivery teams, ensuring efficient execution and exceptional outcomes.

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Vince Free

Vince Free founded FREEZ Construction in 2019 and is a past-chairman of the Controlled Environment Building Association (CEBA), a member of the NAIOP Cold Storage Development Forum and a member of the I.CON Cold Storage Planning Committee. With over 20 years of experience in the cold storage construction space, he is known for his hands-on leadership and deep expertise in thermal construction…and having a little fun along the way.

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Sean Gilbert

Sean Gilbert, as principal, spearheads the origination, evaluation and closing activities for all of Saxum’s cold storage investment opportunities. Since joining Saxum shortly after its founding, Gilbert has been instrumental in the growth of the portfolio to include a variety of different asset classes including cold storage, industrial, and multifamily which collectively exceed $4 billion in assets under management. Gilbert has led the start and expansion of Saxum’s cold storage platform, which now totals over 4 million square feet nationally and is recognized among the most active cold storage development platforms in the U.S.

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Scott Guimond

Scott Guimond is a partner and vice president at Fisher Construction Group, with more than 17 years of experience delivering complex distribution (including ASRS), manufacturing, processing and retail facilities. Fisher is a true in-house design-build firm uniquely qualified to manage all aspects of planning, architecture, engineering (civil/structural/MEP), refrigeration integration, and construction under one roof – providing single-point accountability. Guimond helps developers convert program goals into cost-certain, speed-to-market projects through target-value design, early procurement, and constructability-led engineering that reduces change orders and risk. Backed by a deep network of subs, suppliers, and OEMs, he secures preferred terms and priority allocations while providing clear guidance from concept through commissioning; he also serves as Vice Chair of the Controlled Environment Building Association (CEBA).

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Jordan Hayes

Jordan Hayes is a construction professional who has contributed to the successful delivery of more than $300 million in preconstruction and execution for large-scale industrial projects, including cold storage distribution centers, spec warehouses, automotive dealership, and tenant improvements. She is recognized for her ability to bridge preconstruction and project management, ensuring efficiency, accuracy and strong project outcomes.

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Brian Hinkle

Brian Hinkle has spent 30 years working in the energy, power, and industrial automation market, working as an engineer, project developer, and in sales and business development. He currently works as a project developer in the Schneider Electric Microgrid Hub; the team develops projects using renewable distributed energy resources to achieve their customer’s goals to reduce energy costs, increase energy and power resilience, and achieve sustainability goals.

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Matt Hirsch

As president of Primus Builders, Matt Hirsch leads with a sense of vitality and collaboration that encourages innovation and team building. This approach has led to advances in automation, artificial intelligence, and sustainable design and construction practices that set Primus apart from its competitors. As a result, Primus is recognized as one of the nation’s premier cold storage design-build-automate providers, trusted by clients to deliver highly specialized facilities that meet the industry’s evolving needs. Hirsch’s commitment to the industry and outstanding customer service earned him a spot on ENR Southeast’s list of the Top 20 Under 40, a compilation of the industry’s rising stars under the age of 40, as well as Building Design + Construction’s list of the Top 40 Under 40.

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Jennifer Jewers Bowlin, P.E.

Jen Jewers Bowlin is the distribution and cold storage practice director at Henderson Engineers, a national building systems design firm. She leads a multidisciplinary team of more than 55 professionals who focus on building systems design for grocery store and cold storage warehouse developments across the country. Her projects range from simple remodels of a few thousand square feet to new warehouses of more than 1 million square feet. A 20-year veteran of the architecture, engineering and construction industry, she earned her master’s in mechanical engineering from Purdue University. She’s a licensed professional engineer.

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Kevin Kelly

Kevin Kelly has specialized in cold industrial brokerage for over 20 years and has been instrumental in the emergence of modern, state-of-the-art developments nationally and of the sector’s broader acceptance within the investor community.

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Diane Kosowicz

Diane Kosowicz holds a degree in industrial engineering and has over a decade of experience leading large-scale automation and supply chain optimization initiatives. As regional manager at Bastian Solutions, she oversees teams delivering cutting-edge solutions in robotics, ASRS and material handling across a variety of industries. Prior to this, she led engineering teams in the parcel industry, driving nationwide improvements in operational efficiency and cost reduction. Her focus is on delivering scalable, results-driven automation that transforms business performance.

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Kevin Lacz

Kevin Lacz is a decorated former U.S. Navy SEAL who enlisted following the 9/11 attacks, completed BUD/S training, and served two combat tours with SEAL Team THREE Task Unit Bruiser, earning a Bronze Star with combat “V” and multiple Navy and Marine Corps Medals. After his honorable discharge in 2010, he returned to academics, including earning a Master of Medical Science from Wake Forest University. Shifting to the civilian sector, Lacz cofounded a functional medicine practice, served as a SEAL technical advisor (and portrayed himself) in the Oscarwinning film American Sniper, and authored the New York Times bestselling memoir The Last Punisher. He cofounded the charity Hunting for Healing.

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Peter Lamas, MAI

Peter Lamas joined National Valuation Consultants, Inc. in 2012 and serves as a senior managing director and the regional manager of the firm’s Atlanta office and Southeast region. He oversees all aspects of the day-to-day operations of NVC’s Atlanta office, including marketing, bidding assignments, appraiser training and internal reviews. In addition, Lamas has extensive experience appraising a wide variety of income producing property types throughout the United States. Specialized areas of expertise include cold storage and food processing facilities, on campus medical facilities and STARK compliance work for hospital operators.

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Kurt Liebendorfer

Kurt Liebendorfer is vice president with Evapco and has been in the industrial refrigeration, process cooling and construction industry for 40 years working for both manufacturing and construction companies. Prior to Evapco, Liebendorfer also worked for Johnson Controls/Frick, Stellar, Haskell and GEA/FES and has participated in some of the worlds larger refrigeration projects. He is currently serving on the board of directors for CEBA and IIAR and is an established leader in refrigeration technology and innovation.

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Kate Lyle, NCARB

A licensed architect in the State of California, Kate Lyle, NCARB, has been involved in the industry since 2005, specializing in complex project types including cold storage, food processing and food distribution since 2011. At her previous company, Lyle coauthored the e-book "Best Practices in Cold Storage Facility Development" for NAIOP and has also assisted in planning NAIOP’s I.CON Cold conference for the past two years. She sits on the Controlled Environments Building Association (CEBA) Board of Directors, is part of CEBA’s Construction and Codes Committee, and involved in subcommittees focused on food safety and requirements for ventilation in refrigerated facilities.

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Ryan Murphy

Ryan Murphy is managing director in the consumer, retail and leisure Group at Lazard, based in Los Angeles, where he focuses on advising private companies and financial sponsors across the food and beverage and food infrastructure sectors. Prior to joining Lazard, Murphy was head of middle-market M&A at Wells Fargo, having begun his investment banking career at Barrington Associates, an L.A.-based middle-market M&A boutique acquired by Wells Fargo in 2006.

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William Nelson

William Nelson is a principal based in BGO’s Los Angeles office and is the deputy portfolio manager for the BGO’s dedicated North American Cold Storage Fund. His responsibilities include formulating investment strategy, sourcing and structuring investments in the cold storage sector across North America. In this role, Nelson has been integral in helping BGO raise and deploy over $3 billion dollars into the cold chain over the last four years. In addition to his North American investing responsibilities, he is also responsible for portfolio analysis and construction, operational support and asset management oversight.

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Kevin Rivest

Kevin Rivest is a managing partner at BGO, based in Washington, D.C. Rivest is the portfolio manager of BGO’s U.S. Cold Storage Fund, leads BGO’s U.S. cold storage investment and development team, and serves on BGO’s U.S. Management Committee. Prior to launching the cold storage investment platform and dedicating his time to leading BGO’s investment activities in the sector, Rivest was the Head of BGO’s Eastern U.S. Investments team with responsibility for leading the firm’s acquisition and investment efforts across all strategies in the Eastern U.S.

Rivest has broad experience across all major real estate asset classes, participating in over $7 billion of transactions at BGO with a primary focus on industrial/cold storage investing across development, value-add, core/core plus, and special situations investment strategies throughout the U.S. Over his 21-year real estate career, his focus on real estate investing has included responsibilities in portfolio management, acquisitions/investments, development and asset management.

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Cory Singer

Cory Singer leads Griffco’s industrial business unit, focusing on expanding our footprint across the Eastern United States and Texas with a focus on e-commerce, manufacturing, cold storage and distribution. With more than 20 years of experience in our industry, his background includes strategic growth planning, business development and national account management for architecture, engineering and construction firms.

Before joining Griffco, Singer spent 13 years with an ENR Top 5 builder, helping expand the company from a single office to a national brand. A longtime NAIOP member, he serves as co-chair of the I.CON Cold Storage Conference Task Force, will join the NAIOP Board of Directors in 2026 and remains actively involved in NAIOP’s Georgia chapter. His industry leadership and market expertise make him a valuable asset to the Griffco team and their continued growth in the industrial space.

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David Sours, SIOR

As a leader of the CBRE National Food Facilities Group, David Sours offers over 20 years of experience serving the specialized real estate needs of the cold storage, food distribution and food processing industries, nationally and internationally. The CBRE National Food Facilities Group leads the cold spec development category, influencing pre-development analysis, site selection and concept design, achieving successful lease-up through targeted prospecting. Sours and his esteemed partners, Kevin Kelly and Lucy Durbin, run an elite team at the forefront of the cold sector of real estate, expertly navigating the complexities of the global real estate market and the unique nuances inherent to the food industry. Their profound understanding of the food sector intricacies enables them to provide clients with exemplary transactional and advisory services.

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Aquiles Suarez

Aquiles Suarez is the Senior Vice President for Government Affairs for NAIOP, the Commercial Real Estate Development Association, where he oversees the association’s advocacy efforts at the federal, state, and local level, and manages the association’s political action committee, NAIOP-PAC. Aquiles joined NAIOP in 2007 as the head of its government affairs office. Prior to joining NAIOP, he held a number of positions in the executive and legislative branches of government, serving on the White House Domestic Policy Council, senior counsel on the Financial Services Committee of the House of Representatives, and at the Department of Housing and Urban Development.

Aquiles received his law degree from Columbia University Law School, and his undergraduate degree in government from Georgetown University.

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Blake Thompson

Blake Thompson serves as vice chairman on Newmark’s global debt and structured finance team. As a senior partner on Newmark’s capital markets debt platform, Blake collaborates with the entire capital markets platform with an extensive focus on debt placement, secondary market loan sale and structured finance transactions.

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Luke Waite

Luke Waite is a senior project manager at FREEZ Construction with nearly two decades of experience in the cold storage industry. Over his 18-year career, Waite has led complex projects across the food distribution, cold storage and process sectors, earning a reputation for blending technical precision with practical problem-solving rooted in both field execution and project leadership. He is deeply focused on delivering high-performance results with long-term functionality while keeping projects on schedule and clients confident.

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Cassie Wells

With over ten years in the industry, Cassie Wells used her experience as a corporate sales manager for a leading national audio-visual integrator to uncover her deep-seated passion for project and connection hunting. She gained invaluable insights into the essence of business while being immersed in the Architecture, Engineering, and Construction (AEC) industry. She learned that true success in business isn't just about contracts and transactions; it's about fostering exceptional connections, nurturing authentic relationships, and maintaining deep respect for everyone you work with.

Driven by these insights and experiences, Cassie founded Modern Business Development (Modern BD) in 2022. Modern BD is not just a company; it's a solution to a gap she observed in the market. It caters to subcontractors who require expert business development services but may not be ready to make the financial leap for a full-time director of business development.

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KC Williams

KC Williams has more than 20 years of experience in the construction industry including the programming, design and construction of cold storage, food distribution, industrial and multifamily facilities. Throughout his career, he has held many roles in the design/build space, from project management to the executive suite. As Chief Operating Officer of Griffco Design/Build, Williams oversees all operations from pre-construction to project completion. Having served as a pilot and Naval officer in the United States Navy, he possesses strong leadership, training and management skills that encourage maximum performance and dedication from the Griffco team.

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Adam Woda

Adam Woda is Director of Strategic Development at Dispatch Energy, where bridges the gap in power generation between development, project finance, and policy. Adam partners with commercial real estate owners, technology firms, heavy industry, and national retailers to deliver scalable, bankable distributed-energy solutions across natural gas generation, battery storage, and solar.

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