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Brooklyn Forum

June 3, 2026 @ 8:00AM – 12:30PM EST 25 Kent Avenue, Brooklyn, NY 11249
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2026 Agenda
ALL EVENTS

Speakers

Justin Elghanayan Stylized Brooklyn Forum

KEYNOTE

Justin Elghanayan

Principal & President

Rockrose

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Justin Elghanayan

Principal & President, Rockrose

Justin Elghanayan is President of Rockrose Development, a New York–based real estate firm with a 50-year track record of acquiring, developing, and repositioning large-scale properties. Since its inception the firm has completed more than 70 projects, encompassing over 15,000 residential units, nearly 6 million square feet of commercial space, and more than 1 million square feet of retail space.

Mr. Elghanayan serves on the Executive Committee of the Board of Governors of the Real Estate Board of New York (REBNY) and is a member of the Board of Trustees of the Berkeley Carroll School in Brooklyn.

Sam Charney Brooklyn Forum

sam charney

Founder and Principal

Charney Companies

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Sam Charney

Founder and Principal, Charney Companies

As the Founder and Principal of Charney Companies, Sam Charney has transformed a boutique startup founded in 2013 into a vertically integrated real estate firm, spanning development, construction, brokerage, and property management, with more than 50 professionals.
Since launching Charney Companies in 2013, he has led transformative projects across the city, including his first solo development, The Jackson at 11-51 47th Avenue, which received the Queens Chamber of Commerce Award for Best New Multifamily Building.

Charney Companies is one of the most active developers in the city, with over 3,000 units in development, including more than 1,000 affordable housing units, and over three-million square feet of residential and commercial projects. In the past year alone, the firm has seen $1 billion in total capitalization.
The firm is most active in Gowanus, where their projects account for 40% of all new residential units. Union Channel, the first completed building of the Gowanus Wharf campus, opened last year. The four-building residential campus includes 2,200 residences across more than 2.2 million square feet, and the remaining three buildings will be opening later this year.

This past year, the firm closed on 175 Third Street in Gowanus, making it the largest development transaction in New York City in 2025. The project will deliver 1,100 apartments and New York’s largest Life Time.

Other projects in development include 95 Rockwell Place in Fort Greene, a condominium project that will feature interior design by Public Service, a branch of Public Records. Court Square, also in development, is a 55-story condominium in Long Island City. The firm is also working on renovating 99 Claremont, a student housing project in Morningside Heights.
Charney’s work has received several distinguished accolades throughout his career, including the Brooklyn Building Awards in 2006 for the West Elm Corporate Offices and the Waterfront Media Headquarters at 45 Main Street, and an additional award in 2008 for the national historic registry renovation of 164 Atlantic Avenue. In 2012, he received NYU’s Bart Lawson Award for Humanitarianism for his work with blind athletes. In 2025, he was named Developer of the Year at the RED Residential Awards, recognizing his leadership and contributions to the industry.

Charney serves on the Construction Committee of The Brooklyn Public Library and on the board of The Brooklyn Museum and the Queens Museum. Sam’s collaboration with city agencies has helped streamline processes to expedite affordable housing approvals. He was recently named to City & State’s Brooklyn Power 100 list, as well as City & State’s Queens Power 100 list. Charney lives in New York with his wife and two children, and serves on the boards of the Brooklyn Museum, Queens Museum, Pursuit, and the Brooklyn Public Library, and is an avid art collector.

Ofer Cohen Brooklyn Forum

ofer cohen

Co-Founder & Principal

Ailanthus

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Ofer Cohen

Co-Founder & Principal, Ailanthus

Ofer is Co-Founder and Principal of Ailanthus, a housing development firm based in Brooklyn with over 3,000 units in the pipeline. He leads the firm’s growth and oversees the strategic structuring of its development projects. He plays a central role in acquisitions, joint ventures, and capital formation, guiding the complex transactions that underpin the firm’s projects.

For more than two decades, Ofer has been deeply engaged in Brooklyn’s real estate market and the civic institutions that shape it. In 2008, he founded TerraCRG, a leading investment sales and advisory firm. Drawing on extensive transactional experience and a broad network, he has advised major institutional clients and played a key role in the borough’s transformation.

Ofer currently serves on the Boards of Directors of the Brooklyn Navy Yard and the Brooklyn Chamber of Commerce. He recently completed his tenure as Board Chair of the Downtown Brooklyn Partnership.

David Hochfelder Brooklyn Forum

david hochfelder

Chief Investment Officer

Naftali Group

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David Hochfelder

Chief Investment Officer, Naftali Group

As Chief Investment Officer, David Hochfelder oversees Naftali Group’s equity and credit transactions, and is responsible for sourcing, capitalizing, structuring and execution of the firm’s
investments. Since joining Naftali, Mr. Hochfelder has led the execution of more than $6 billion in new equity investments spanning more than 6 million square feet. He has driven the
establishment of numerous new business verticals, including: the company’s entry into lending
as well as fund management; its expansion into South Florida; its scaling to larger mixed-use
projects like Williamsburg Wharf; and its entry into luxury condo development on the Upper East
Side, where Naftali is now the neighborhood’s premier developer. Additionally, David co-heads Naftali Credit Partners—a commingled fund management business that invests in real estate
subordinate debt.

Over the course of his career, Mr. Hochfelder has played a pivotal role in the acquisition and execution of more than $12 billion of real estate investments across all property types. His
experience spans most major U.S. geographies as well as select global markets, and a variety
of investment structures including common equity, preferred equity, lending, distressed debt and
real estate-related securities.

Prior to Naftali, David served as Director of Acquisitions at RFR Holding, a private real estate investment firm. At RFR, Mr. Hochfelder led $3 billion of new investments across most property sectors and capital structures. Earlier in his career, David worked in acquisitions at The City
Investment Fund, a real estate private equity fund sponsored by Morgan Stanley, and
Lightstone Group.

David graduated cum laude from the University of Pennsylvania with a BA in Philosophy, and
holds an MBA from Columbia Business School as well as an MS in Real Estate from NYU. He
serves in leadership or Board roles at various industry and non-profit organizations, and
frequently guest lectures at several top educational institutions.

Shawn Katz Brooklyn Forum

shawn katz

President

Silverstein Capital Partners

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Shawn Katz

President, Silverstein Capital Partners

Shawn Katz is President of Silverstein Capital Partners. He joined the company shortly after its inception and is actively involved in managing all aspects of the business including originations, execution, portfolio management and investor relations.

Prior to joining Silverstein, Shawn was Managing Partner and co-founder of KUB Capital, where he led the company with an emphasis on acquisitions, investment strategy, capital markets and financial management. While at KUB, Shawn sourced and executed ground-up development projects throughout New York City, including 150 Wooster in Soho, Manhattan and Wythe Lane Townhouses in Williamsburg, Brooklyn.

Before co-founding KUB, Shawn was Senior Vice President at Rosemont Realty, where he managed the company’s acquisition department and was a member of the company’s investment committee. During his tenure at Rosemont, Shawn sourced and underwrote acquisitions across a variety of asset classes and directed all of the company’s research, property evaluation and analytics. Shawn also served as President of a Rosemont subsidiary company, managing 2 million square feet of commercial real estate and supervising portfolio management, investor relations and back-office functions. Shawn started his career as a member of the investment team at Wolf International, an investment management and advisory firm specializing in alternative investments.

Shawn holds a BA in Business Administration and Communications from Trinity University in San Antonio, Texas.

Regina Myer Brooklyn Forum

regina myer

President

Downtown Brooklyn Partnership

Randy Peers Brooklyn Forum

randy peers

President and CEO

Brooklyn Chamber of Commerce

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Randy Peers

President and CEO, Brooklyn Chamber of Commerce

Randy Peers became President and CEO of the Brooklyn Chamber of Commerce on September 9, 2019, bringing three decades of workforce and economic development experience and a strong record of leading nonprofit organizations that serve the business community.

His tenure at the Chamber—shaped significantly by the COVID‐19 response—has produced five major
initiatives supporting Brooklyn’s small businesses and advancing economic equity: the citywide‐adopted Small Business Resource Network; the Brooklyn EXCELerate social justice lending program; neighborhood
development efforts in Canarsie, Homecrest, and Bushwick; the Brooklyn Entrepreneur Academy; and the
Brooklyn Made Store. These efforts have driven meaningful investment and support across the borough. Randy has also expanded the Chamber’s international presence, hosting more than forty foreign delegations, establishing partnerships with Seoul, Ghana, Pakistan, and Dubai, and launching an international affiliate membership program.

Randy previously served as the inaugural President & CEO of the Greater Reading Chamber Alliance
(GRCA) in Berks County, PA. For more than a decade, he led Opportunities for a Better Tomorrow (OBT), a Brooklyn‐based workforce development organization and New York City’s leading provider of disconnected youth job training services. From 2002 to 2006, he served as Vice President of Economic
Development at the Brooklyn Chamber of Commerce. He is also a mayoral appointee to the NYC Industrial Development Authority and the NYC Workforce Investment Board.

Randy holds a bachelor’s degree from Brooklyn College and an MPA from NYU’s Wagner School of Public Service.

Alexander Radmin Brooklyn Forum

Alexander Radmin

Director of Leasing

Global Holdings Management Group

Alyssa Zahler Brooklyn Forum

alyssa zahler

Managing Director of Commercial Leasing

Two Trees Management

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Alyssa Zahler

Managing Director of Commercial Leasing, Two Trees Management

Alyssa Zahler is Managing Director of Commercial Leasing for Two Trees Management Co., a Brooklyn-based, family-owned real estate development firm with a four-billion-dollar portfolio. Zahler oversees Two Trees’ three million square feet of commercial and industrial real estate in Manhattan and Brooklyn.

Since joining Two Trees in 2020, Zahler has been involved in over 200 transactions across one million square feet. Her primary focus is the commercial leasing of Two Trees’ ambitious redevelopment of the Williamsburg Waterfront, including The Refinery at Domino, where she oversees leasing for 460,000 RSF of Class A office space in the reimagined Domino Sugar Refinery. Zahler was also integral in the full lease-up of the 150,000 RSF ground-up spec development, Ten Grand Street in Williamsburg during the height of the pandemic.

Zahler was previously at Newmark Knight Frank, where she was Associate Director of Global Brokerage for five years. Zahler represented owners such as Silverstein, Vanbarton Group and Rubenstein across 1.5 million square feet of commercial real estate. In this capacity, she managed all aspects of design processes including architect selection, pre-built configuration, establishing building standard finishes, and benchmarking amenities.

Zahler is an active member of CoreNet Global and REBNY, and throughout her career, she has worked to create space for women in the real estate industry and beyond. She brought together ten female colleagues across service lines for her successful acquisition of the Girl Scouts of America national brokerage and consulting account, and for her pivotal involvement, Zahler was honored with the NKF’s 2019 Catch of the Year award. Zahler was also recognized as a Costar Power Broker in 2021, 2022 and 2024.

zachary bernstein Brooklyn Forum

MODERATOR

zachary bernstein

Partner | Real Estate

Fried Frank

Alvin Schein Brooklyn Forum

MODERATOR

alvin schein

Partner

Adler & Stachenfeld LLP

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Alvin Schein

Partner, Adler & Stachenfeld LLP

Alvin Schein co-chairs the NYC Real Estate Tax & Zoning Incentives Practice at Adler & Stachenfeld LLP. A recognized expert in cooperative and condominium law and affordable housing law, Mr. Schein has filed or supervised the filing of more than 200 inclusionary housing plans with the New York City Department of Housing Preservation and Development (“HPD”), in both onsite and offsite contexts. He is one of the few attorneys in New York whose practice includes representing sellers and purchasers of inclusionary air rights.

Mr. Schein has prepared hundreds of cooperative and condominium offering plans and condominium declarations, including those for affordable home ownership and the first-ever condominium and cooperative offering plans for inclusionary housing home ownership. He regularly interfaces with HPD, the NYS Attorney General’s office, the NYC Industrial Development Agency, the NYS Housing Finance Agency, the NYC Housing Development Corporation, and the NYC Department of City Planning, as well as New York City Council members and local community boards.

Before joining Adler & Stachenfeld in 2025, Mr. Schein was affiliated with Seiden & Schein, P.C., a law firm he co-founded in 1996. Seiden & Schein was well regarded as a firm with extensive knowledge of the critical areas of real estate tax incentive programs, condominium development, and inclusionary housing with attorneys possessing the ability to counsel clients through highly complex real estate transactions.

Mr. Schein is admitted to practice law in New York.

What You Need To Know

As New York City’s most dynamic and fastest-evolving borough, Brooklyn is entering a definitive new chapter of growth. After years of market disruption, economic volatility and shifting tenant demand, 2026 is positioned to be an important year for determining how Brooklyn’s commercial and residential markets reset, reposition and accelerate.

The forum will convene prominent real estate executives and borough business leaders to share a timely market outlook, detailing where Brooklyn real estate stands today, and where it’s heading next. From capital markets and investment strategies to leasing trends, housing supply and the rise of mixed-use innovation districts, experts will share the challenges and opportunities shaping Brooklyn in the years to come.

Don’t miss your opportunity to:

  • Get actionable insights into pricing, transaction volume, leasing velocity, development feasibility and the economic drivers paving Brooklyn’s pathway for growth
  • Hear where capital and tenant demand are converging, including which neighborhoods, asset classes and industries are driving investment and leasing opportunities
  • Discover how dynamic, mixed-use campuses have taken center stage in the city’s investment and repositioning strategy to attract new industries to Brooklyn
  • Hear which projects are increasing deal volume and securing financing, and how economic tailwinds are boosting investor sentiment
  • Gain exclusive access to a room convening today’s most prominent real estate owners, developers, investors, commercial tenants, BIDs, economic developers, and Brooklyn business leaders
Website Collage 5f7620 Brooklyn Forum

Agenda

Keynote
Brooklyn 2026 Market Outlook: Capital Markets, Investment Trends & Primary Demand Drivers
Neighborhoods to Watch: The Submarkets Primed for Residential Commercial Growth
Building Brooklyn’s Economic Engine: Tech, Energy, Industrial & Creative Growth
The Borough’s Residential Report: Housing Supply, Affordability & the Development Pipeline

Brooklyn Forum

Wednesday, June 3, 2026 @ 8:00AM – 12:30 PM EST
25 Kent Avenue, Brooklyn, NY 11249
$225
Register Now

Who Should Attend

  • Office Owners and Brokers
  • Residential/Multifamily Owners and Brokers
  • Lenders and Financiers
  • Private Equity and Investment Firms
  • Law Firms
  • Consulting Firms
  • Public Officials
  • Tech Companies 
  • Corporate Occupiers
  • Service Providers

About 25 Kent Avenue:

25 Kent is an eight story, 500,000-square-foot commercial office building in Williamsburg, Brooklyn, developed as the first ground-up office project of its scale in North Williamsburg in more than four decades. Designed through a collaboration between Hollwich Kushner (HWKN) and Gensler, the building reinterprets the neighborhood’s industrial heritage with a distinctive red brick and glass façade, expansive floor plates, soaring ceiling heights, and abundant natural light. Conceived as a hub for innovation, 25 Kent brings together technology, creative, design, production, and light manufacturing tenants in a highly flexible environment, complemented by multiple outdoor terraces, waterfront views, and integrated retail and public spaces. The building reflects a modern approach to workplace design where collaboration, creativity, and connectivity are all fostered within one of Brooklyn’s most dynamic commercial districts.

Host Partner

GH Logo Blue Brooklyn Forum

global holdings management group

Sponsors

Full Logo Adler Stachenfeld LLP CMYK final Brooklyn Forum

adler & Stachenfled LLP

Adler & Stachenfeld LLP (“A&S”) is known as the Pure Play in Real Estate Law® because everything we do is focused on the real estate industry. With almost 50 lawyers, we have one of the largest real estate practices in New York City and we are often opposite some of the biggest firms in the country. Our expertise is wide and varied – having handled matters across all asset classes in virtually all U.S. jurisdictions and many non-U.S. jurisdictions. These matters span almost every conceivable transaction structure, involve every level of the capital stack, and encompass various degrees of complexity. We represent all ranges of clients from public companies to sovereign wealths, private equity fund managers, affordable housing developers, lenders, landlords, governmental agencies, and everything in between. We represent emerging managers and start-ups in helping them get off the ground (literally and figuratively) and also represent established companies as they navigate the ever-changing real estate world. We also work with NYC real estate families and NYC real estate holders. Our expertise includes but is not limited to real estate acquisitions, dispositions, financings, and sales, as well as corporate real estate, including joint ventures and platform investments, ground leasing, NYC land use and zoning, NYC real estate tax and zoning incentives, condominium and cooperatives, and tax. Visit our website to learn more: http://adstach.com

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FRIED FRANK

Shawmut Design and Construction 1 Brooklyn Forum

shawmut

Association Partner

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brooklyn chamber of commerce