Join us for breakfast as a panel of real estate professionals discusses REC and Federation’s joint efforts to rebuild our community in the wake of the Woolsey Fire devastation.
Assemblymember and Rautenberg New Leaders Project alumnus Jesse Gabriel will moderate.
Jesse Gabriel
Cost: FREE for Cabinet members, $50 for first-time guests, and $100 for all others and walk-ins.
(PLEASE NOTE: Anyone who has not renewed their membership must renew at the door or pay the non-member fee of $100.)
Dietary laws observed.
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If you are interested in learning more about REC or have any questions, please contact Julia Hubner at (323) 761-8332 or JHubner@JewishLA.org.
Rodney Freeman
Rodney Freeman is the founder and principal of Freeman Group, Inc., one of the West Coast’s premier construction management and consulting firms and managing partner of Metro Properties, LLC, a fully-integrated real estate investment company. A sample of projects that Rodney is responsible for includes the Wallis Annenberg Center in Beverly Hills, AltaSea at the Port of Los Angeles, Stuart House for The Rape Foundation, and the restoration of the Hollywood Sign. In addition to being involved in the construction of more than 750 projects valued at over $2 billion, Rodney is a philanthropist who generously donates his time to many organizations within the community.
Rodney sits on the Federation board and is a former chair of the Real Estate & Construction (REC) division. He was Chair of the Building Committee for reconstruction of the JFC Headquarters Building/Goldsmith Center. He is founding Chair of the Federation’s community-wide cycling event Tour de Summer Camps, this past October marking its sixth year. Rodney currently serves on the City of Hope National Board of Directors and is Chairman of its Real Estate & Construction Committee. He also sits on the Board of Directors at American Jewish University in addition to serving as Co-Chairman of its Land Use/Construction Committee. He is Vice Chair of the Board of Trustees and Co-Chairman of the Building Committee at Otis College of Art & Design and serves on the Advisory Board of The Rosalinde & Arthur Gilbert Foundation. Additionally, he sits on the Board of Directors for De Toledo High School and is also past Chair and Member of the Board of Zimmer Children’s Museum.
Sandy Sigal
Sandy Sigal is a graduate of the University of California at Los Angeles and has been an entrepreneur in the real estate industry for over 30 years. In 1997, Mr. Sigal founded and currently serves as Chairman, Chief Executive Officer, and President of NewMark Merrill Companies, which has grown to be one of the largest privately held shopping centers in California, Colorado, and Illinois. He is also Chairman of BrightStreet Ventures, a company he co-founded to provide more opportunities to his tenants and other owners of centers by integrating online and social platforms with traditional brick and mortar businesses.
Mr. Sigal’s first career started at the age of 12 as a programmer and software developer for personal computers in their infancy, learning accounting and project management while computerizing different businesses. Mr. Sigal started his career in real estate at the age of 20 by joining West Venture Companies, a Southern California-based homebuilder, first to computerize their business processes. While there, he founded West Venture Commercial, the commercial retail division, where he built or redeveloped over 25 shopping centers as well as oversaw their management. In 1993, Mr. Sigal was promoted to President and CEO of the parent company giving him responsibility for the land acquisition, development, and sale of over 700 homes and oversight of the commercial and mortgage divisions. In 1997, Mr. Sigal left West Venture and co-founded NewMark Merrill Companies, at which time he purchased the West Venture retail assets, including 15 retail centers and four development projects.
Since NewMark Merrill's inception in 1997, Mr. Sigal has acquired, developed, and/or managed and repositioned over 100 additional retail centers. NewMark Merrill has been ranked one of Los Angeles' Fastest Growing Private Companies by the Los Angeles Business Journal for 7 years, Top 10 Property Management Firms, and Top 10 Development Firms by the Los Angeles Business Journal, and currently owns and/or manages 75 shopping centers throughout California, Colorado, and Illinois representing almost 11,000,000 square feet with a collective value in excess of $2 billion dollars. The Company received “The Best Retail Project of 2013” by the Los Angeles Business Journal for a project it renovated and redeveloped in Baldwin Park, California. It credits among its tenants Walmart, Target, Whole Foods, Sprouts, Ralphs, Albertsons, Ross Dress for Less, Marshalls, Regal Theaters, 99c Only Stores, CVS, Walgreens, and other local and national retailers. The company has offices in Thousand Oaks, Norwalk, Anaheim, Oceanside, Sacramento, Chicago, and Colorado, and a corporate office in Woodland Hills.
Mr. Sigal is also active in community organizations serving on the Board of the Camp Bob Waldorf Foundation, a camp for underserved children that Mr. Sigal attended when he was a child. He is currently serving as Vice Chairman of the Board and dinner chair since 2004 and was recipient of the William Shatner Humanitarian Award in 2007 for his work for the Foundation and the Camp. He serves on the board of Jewish Big Brothers Big Sisters (JBBBS) serving on their executive committee. Mr. Sigal serves as a mentor for young adults interested in real estate through the Federation’s Community Leadership Institute (CLI) and mentors an Olympic athlete on transitioning from sports to private industry. Currently Mr. Sigal is Co-Chair of the Real Estate Principals Organization (RPO), a group of senior Jewish Real Estate Principals and Owners, which provides financial and logistical support to a variety of organizations.
Mr. Sigal is an active member of the Young Presidents Organization (YPO), the leading organization of CEOs and Presidents in the world. He currently serves as Network Chair of the Real Estate Network, representing over 3,700 Real Estate CEOs, Regional Membership and Engagement Officers for the Pacific Region, and serves on the Board of YPO Pacific Coast Gold (which he co-founded) and YPO Angeleno Gold. In 2013, Mr. Sigal’s YPO Education program for his chapter won “Best of the Best” for all YPO chapters worldwide. And in 2017, he again won “Best of the Best” internationally for his education program “House of Cards,” the only Learning Officer to win that distinction twice. Mr. Sigal was a finalist for the 2014 EY Entrepreneur of The YearTM Awards Program, winning that award in 2016 in the Services category for Greater Los Angeles. Mr. Sigal has four children and resides in Hidden Hills, California.
Mark Weinstein
Mark J. Weinstein is President and Founder of MJW Investments. After beginning his career as an attorney, Los Angeles native Mark J. Weinstein founded MJW Investments in 1983 when he discovered the potential of real estate investment and development through several successful ventures. Under his leadership, MJW has acquired approximately $1 billion dollars of real estate holdings in all asset types.
He also spearheaded the adaptive reuse of Santee Village, one of Los Angeles’ largest projects of its kind of over 800,000 square feet of mixed use in Downtown Los Angeles’ Fashion District. MJW Investments is one of the top 25 Student Housing Owners in the country. Mr. Weinstein’s passion for and expertise in property repositioning has been a guiding factor in the company’s growth and success.
Throughout his career, Mr. Weinstein has maintained active associations and leadership with numerous civic and philanthropic groups. These commitments include a three-year term as Chair of The Jewish Federation’s Real Estate & Construction Division and involvement with the Young Presidents Organization (YPO) and the Guardians, an agency dedicated to serving the elderly.
Jesse Gabriel
Jesse Gabriel was elected to the California State Assembly in June 2018. He represents the 45th Assembly District, which includes the communities of Bell Canyon, Calabasas, Canoga Park, Chatsworth, Encino, Hidden Hills, Northridge, Reseda, Sherman Oaks, Tarzana, Warner Center, West Hills, Winnetka, and Woodland Hills. Gabriel currently serves on the Committees on Banking and Finance, Privacy and Consumer Protection, and Local Government.
Shortly after assuming office, Gabriel was appointed by Assembly Speaker Anthony Rendon to serve in the Assembly Leadership as Assistant Majority Whip. In this role, Gabriel works with the Speaker and his leadership team to advance the Democratic Caucus’ legislative priorities.
Before joining the Legislature, Gabriel worked as a constitutional rights and general litigation attorney, where he helped resolve complex business disputes and represented clients before the United States Supreme Court. In 2017, Gabriel sued the Trump Administration in two landmark lawsuits to protect young people — known as Dreamers — who were promised protection under the DACA program. As of July 2018, more than 100,000 Dreamers have been able to renew their DACA status as a result of this litigation. Gabriel also assisted Holocaust survivors, victims of domestic abuse, and communities facing hate-motivated violence.
Prior to starting his law practice, Gabriel served as Counsel to former United States Senator Evan Bayh, where he worked on numerous legal and policy issues, including hate crimes prevention, gender pay equity, and antidiscrimination legislation. Gabriel also drafted key provisions incorporated into the Iran sanctions legislation that was signed into law by President Obama in 2010.
A committed environmentalist and longtime community activist, Gabriel previously served as a Los Angeles County Commissioner and as a board member of the Los Angeles League of Conservation Voters and the Jewish Federation of Greater Los Angeles. Gabriel also was instrumental in establishing the California Nonprofit Security Grant program, which has provided over $3.8 million in security funding to nonprofits at risk of hate-motivated violence.
Gabriel lives in the San Fernando Valley with his wife Rachel Rosner — an affordable housing attorney — and their sons Ethan and Joshua. He is a graduate of UC Berkeley and Harvard Law School.
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