By Sarah Trefethen
The Real Estate industry’s girl power will be in the spotlight in midtown on Feb. 15.
The first annual Real Estate Weekly Women’s Forum will held at the McGraw-Hill Conference Center, 1221 Avenue of the Americas, at 49th Street.
Over 300 participants are expected to attend to hear from keynote speakers MaryAnne Gilmartin, of Forest City Ratner, and Leslie Himmel, of Himmel and Meringoff Properties, along with two dozen other presenters and panelists representing the industry’s best female talent.
Himmel, the morning’s keynote speaker, managing partner of Himmel + Meringoff Properties since 1985, has been recognized as the highest ranking female landlord in New York’s commercial real estate marketplace.
Together with partner Stephen Meringoff, she controls and owns a commercial property portfolio comprised of over two million square feet and valued at more than $500 million.
In January 2011, Himmel received the prestigious Mendik Lifetime Leadership in Real Estate Award from the Real Estate Board of New York, and in 2009 she was honored as YM/WREA’s 2009 Senior Women of the Year.
In the afternoon, attendees will hear from Gilmartin, who oversees Forest City Ratner’s commercial and residential development in New York, including the Barclays Center, the future home of the NBA Nets franchise and the feature component of the eight million square foot Frank Gehry master plan for the Atlantic Yards redevelopment project.
Gilmartin also manages the MetroTech office portfolio in Brooklyn, which consists of 6.7 million square feet of Class-A office space.
Panels scheduled through the day will focus on topics including deal making, mentorship and professional development, asset management, government policy, construction and design, and a roundtable of women founders and CEOs.
Registration for this event is still open. Visit http://rewomensforum.com/ to sign up and to cast your vote for the most influential woman in real estate.
In addition to highlighting women leaders and providing networking opportunities, a portion of every registration is being donated to the National Breast Cancer Foundation.
