Black Developers Forum

Join Black Developers Forum, AAREP Bay Area - African American Real Estate Professionals, and YBUILD for our 2024 Annual BBQ Social - hosted at the legendary Everett and Jones BBQ in Oakland's Jack London Square neighborhood. This Juneteenth-inspired event will be a fun-filled evening of friendship, food, music, and more. Use the QR Code to RSVP. Be There or Be Square on Thursday, June 27th - from 5-8 pm.

Black Developers Forum is excited to announce that we recently held our inaugural Leadership and Learning training focusing on Affordable Housing Finance. The program featured a full-day training session conducted by a team of experts from the California Housing Partnership (CHPC) with emphasis on the California Debt Limit Allocation Committee (CDLAC) and Tax Credit Allocation Committee (TCAC) Application Process. We would like to extend our gratitude to Dan Golub and staff from Holland & Knight LLP for providing the venue and hospitality, Gloria Bruce with Crankstart for financial support, California Housing Partnership for collaborating with us, and all the participants who contributed to the success of the training. Meg McGraw-Scherer, Diep Do, Chad Horsford, Tony Kouot, Matt Schwartz, Jacob Boesch, Kara Murray-Badal, Justin Smith, MBA, Assoc. DBIA, LEED AP, Carolyn Johnson, Anjanette Scott, Ashley Keyes, Melvin Cowan MPA CGP, Kaleem Carminer, Melinda Sarjapur, Oyeyinka Oyelaran, MBA, Lydia So, Joseph Habib Sahar, Aqui-Raiem Raymond, Griffin Lee, Lisa Trinell J., Sasha Graham, Patrick Micu, Mark MacDonald, Jon Beck CFA, Kay Raetong, Anthony Burks, Nicole Reams, Paul Leone Jr, Dylan Rodolf, Beatriz Ordonez, Tia Hicks, Rodney K. Nickens Jr., Demitrius Burnett, M.Div, Marina Wiant

Affordable Housing Month serves as a reminder to create equal opportunities in every community by building strong, diverse, and vibrant neighborhoods through affordable housing. #Blackrealestatedevelopers #CommunityDevelopment #AccesstoCapital #RepresentationMatters

The deadline is fast approaching for those interested in submitting applications for Round 1 of the CDLAC Low Income Housing Tax Credit (LIHTC). Don’t pass up an opportunity to participate. Encouraging you to attend the upcoming CDLAC Public Meeting on April 3. https://lnkd.in/gjpZHQU3 In 2024, two rounds of tax-exempt bond allocation for the QRRP will align with the California Tax Credit Allocation Committee's 4% low-income housing tax credit rounds. The first-round application deadline is April 23, and the second-round deadline is Aug. 27. This is a change from 2023 when there were three rounds. The $500 million of state tax credits available for new construction and 4% development will make the first round highly competitive. Historically, the $500 million of state tax credits have been fully used in the first CDLAC round of the year.

Black Developers Forum would like to express our gratitude to our sponsors, strategic partners, supporters, and guests who contributed to the success of this year's annual Breakfast Reception at the Housing California Conference in Long Beach. We were awestruck by the incredible turnout. We extend a special thanks to our presenters, Tomiquia Moss, Secretary of Business, Consumer Services, & Housing, Rex Richardson, Mayor of Long Beach, and Everett Sands, CEO of Lendistry, for speaking passionately about supporting the creation of housing and access to capital. Your expertise and insights captivated our audience and left a lasting impression. Offering a deep, heartfelt thank you to our event committee members, Rochelle Mills and Alexis Laing, for their unwavering commitment to making the reception a triumph. Appreciation to Laurie Navas from Housing California for providing the venue and Marc McCall from the Long Beach Convention Center, for the hospitality. A standing ovation to Sophia Wu and Candace Thurmond, for being an indispensable part of the team. Shoutout to Otto Mejia Lagos, our photographer for the day (love my new headshot). Serving as the Executive Director for the past year has been an honor, and I am proud to have contributed towards making the organization stronger than it was when I first started. I am grateful for the opportunity to have met so many kind and dedicated individuals. Noni Ramos, Fathia Macauley, Patrick Otellini, Denice W., Tiena Johnson Hall, Kimberly Brown, Miquel "Mick" Penn, MPA, MCA, Claire Parisa, Tia Hicks, Tia Boatman Patterson, Esq., Miranda Walker, Shalawn Garcia, MBA Elvin Padilla, Jr., Emilie Dang, Phillip Sangokoya, Corey Smith, Shanon Lampkins, Chione Flegal, Ari Beliak, Welton Jordan, Justin Smith, MBA, Assoc. DBIA, LEED AP, Nikki A. Beasley, Paul Cummings, Cindy Wu, Jen Ingram, Eric M. Relos,

Black Developers Forum is thrilled to host their Annual Breakfast Reception during the Housing California Conference on Thursday, March 7th at the Long Beach Convention & Entertainment Center. The event brings together policymakers, capital partners, real estate developers, and industry colleagues to discuss advocacy and share ideas for effective affordable housing policy.   The reception will feature an impressive lineup of speakers, including Tomiquia Moss, the recently appointed Secretary of California's Business, Consumer Services, and Housing Agency, Rex Richardson, the Mayor of the City of Long Beach, and Everett Sands, CEO of Lendistry.   Reflecting on history, we realize that the most successful changemakers dared to dream big. Black Developers Forum continues to be a platform for promoting excellence and celebrating success every day of the year. Thank you to our event sponsors: Enterprise Community Partners, Housing Trust Silicon Valley, and Swinerton. Gratitude to the San Francisco Foundation and The California Endowment for their continued support. #affordablehousing #housingforall #standingonbusiness #blackexcellence365 #partnership #accesstocapital #advocacymatters

Proud and honored to be amongst the best and brightest! We are everywhere! Thank you, Candace Thurmond and Alexander B. for inspiring us all. Shout outs to Nikki A. Beasley, Kaleem Carminer, Malon Hughes, Justin Smith, MBA, Assoc. DBIA, LEED AP, Denice W., Lynden Price, Anita Williams, Feliciano Vera, Obinna Uwakah, Martinique Petty, Joel McGill MBE/LBE/SB/DBE/SLBE, Marcus Keller, Jay Sholl, Randolph Charles Belle, Roderick Roche, Corey Smith

If “Ten Toes Down” or “Standing on Business” were a person, it would be Alan Dones. In addition to being a Black Developers Forum "OG", he is an accomplished musician, global citizen, and descendant of the “510.” A man for all seasons, Alan was born to do great things.   Alan is the Managing Partner, and co-founder of Strategic Urban Design Alliance, LLC. (SUDA) based in Oakland, CA.  He and his partners are working to cement the values of fairness and equity for people of color into construction and real estate development.    You may ask where Alan’s notion of equity in the built environment comes from. Alan is the son of Inez Dones, a pioneering educator, and Raymon "Ray" Dones, a contractor and industry activist who paved the way for minority contractors in the construction field. Ray was a co-founder of the construction company Transbay Engineers and Builders, as well as the co-founder of the National Association of Minority Contractors, Inc., which has chapters across the United States today.   Alan has followed in his father's footsteps making significant contributions to Oakland's skyline by developing some of the city's most important buildings. Currently, he is the principal in charge of the Mandela Station project in Oakland. The visionary commercial and mixed-use development is located on a 5.5-acre site and comprises 300,000 sq ft of office and life science spaces, over 700 residential units, and 53,000 sq ft of retail space in the heart of West Oakland, a historic Black commercial corridor in the Bay Area.    “The way to ensure the economic health and well-being of our society is to improve the quality of life for everyone.”  Regina Davis, Justin Smith, MBA, Assoc. DBIA, LEED AP, Miquel "Mick" Penn, MPA, MCA, Emily Weinstein, Jonathan Fearn, Donald Gilmore, Kenneth Jones, Warren Logan, Rochelle Mills, Roderick Roche, Tomiquia Moss, Will Jackson, BCREN - Black Commercial Real Estate Network #blackhistorymonth2024 #Blackrealestatedevelopers #blackhistory365 #oakland #standingonbusiness #tentoesdown

It is a fact that the commercial real estate industry lacks workforce diversity. Black women hold less than 1% of senior commercial real estate (CRE) executive positions. The number of Black men in such roles hovers around 1.3%. It is also true that Black professionals in CRE face unique challenges, but there are solutions to overcome them. Having a strategic career advisor can be an essential partner in identifying one's strengths and unique talents, refining networking skills, and building strong professional associations. And by having access to mentors and advocates, Black professionals can advance their careers and achieve their goals. This week in honor of Black History Month, Black Developers Forum is spotlighting career strategist Garland F. of Fuller Circle Consulting. She has nearly twenty years of experience in the CRE industry helping Black professionals navigate and improve their career path through one-on-one guidance and advising.  Garland is also an adjunct instructor at the USC Sol Price School of Public Policy... Standing on Business driving impact and change in the commercial real estate industry. AAREP LA AAREP Bay Area - African American Real Estate Professionals AAREP DFW AAREP DC #blackhistorymonth #blackrealestateprofessionals #standingonbusiness #careerstrategist #blackprofessionals #blackwomeninbusiness #firstgeneration #nextgeneration