Real Estate Weekly Leading Ladies 2021 Part lll

Susan L. Saslow
Counsel
Hunton Andrews Kurth LLP
Most recent achievement: As a powerhouse in the industry, Susan has advised on real estate transactions around the country valued at over $1.3 billion in just the past year. She is a vital member of the team, helping to lead a number of recent notable transactions which include: Representation of a hospitality REIT in a joint venture in connection with $865 million mortgage and mezzanine loans to refinance a portfolio of 46 hotels across the country; Representation of Savanna in the $242 million acquisition financing of 521 Fifth Avenue, a 39-story office tower in Midtown Manhattan, one block from Grand Central Terminal. As Counsel in the Hunton Andrews Kurth LLP real estate practice, Susan brings a broad range of experience to commercial real estate and finance transactions. Her work encompasses all aspects
of real estate transactional matters, including commercial acquisitions and dispositions, joint ventures, real estate finance, construction, development and leasing. She has extensive experience advising institutional clients, private investors and developers in sophisticated debt and equity financings for transactions involving multistate, multi-property portfolios; mezzanine financings; securitized loan originations; construction loans; and loan participations.

Jessica Schoenholtz
Vice President of Marketing & Communications
Silverstein Properties
Most recent achievement: Welcoming tenants back to 3 World Trade Center to support a smooth return to the office after the pandemic. Over the past ten years at Silverstein, Jessica has strategically and effectively bolstered the leasing efforts across the entire commercial portfolio. Her main focus is the World Trade Center – one the city’s most challenging and high-profile redevelopment projects. She has worked closely with our leasing team to market, publicize and fill 7 World Trade Center, 4 World Trade Center and 3 World Trade Center with innovative, forward-thinking and notable tenants across a variety of industries. Her years of first-class work and experience have enabled Jessica to understand how to market properties at every stage: development, construction, operating and acquisition. She also manages marketing and communications for 1735 Market Street in Philadelphia. Jessica earned a Bachelor of Arts and Science in Psychology from American University, and a Master’s degree in Strategic Communications from Columbia University. She is a licensed Real Estate Salesperson in the state of New York.

Belinda Schwartz
Partner, Chair of Real Estate
Herrick, Feinstein LLP
Most recent achievement: As a member of firm’s Executive Committee and chair of the Real Estate Department, Belinda is proud to work with the firm to promote diversity and inclusion on many levels at Herrick. Mentorship and camaraderie are also very important to Belinda, and she states, “It’s been very rewarding and inspiring to work with incredible young professionals and watch them grow into brilliant and creative senior members of a cohesive and well-regarded team.” Belinda has chaired Herrick’s Real Estate Department since 2014, been a member of the firm’s
Executive Committee since 2017 and is a 30-plus year veteran of NYC’s commercial real estate market. She is a leader and mentor for 60-plus attorneys and urban planners (23 of which are women) and one of the only women in the country to chair a major commercial real estate practice. Clients value her ability to find common ground in negotiations and achieve a desirable outcome as swiftly as possible. Her clients include prominent developers, owners, funds, investors and family-owned real estate businesses, whom she advises in complex debt and equity transactions including real estate restructurings and workouts; fund formation; property acquisitions and sales; joint ventures; development deals; construction matters; ground and commercial leases. Belinda has significant experience representing investors from China, Israel, Turkey and South America, looking to invest in CRE in the U.S., either as principals, mezzanine investors or preferred equity providers.

Ilana Schwartz
Chief Executive Officer
OMG
Most recent achievement: Successfully assisted in getting clients and the OMG team through COVID with relentless dedication to making every day and every dollar count. Ilana and her team developed leading marketing strategies helping stabilize multifamily properties across the nation, lease up successful rental properties, and sell out at condominium properties across NYC. As principal of OMG, Ilana has built a successful agency that enables developers and owners to market their properties effectively. For over 20 years, her insight and expertise in data capture and analysis have driven effective marketing strategies for 100’s of national and regional clients, allowing their properties to flourish in a saturated marketplace.  Ilana is responsible for developing and overseeing OMG’s products and processes, as well as managing over 25 specialists whom she has trained and managed. Ilana is extremely focused on data analysis and getting to the core of how people behave online. Above all, she is a student of consumer behavior and the Internet – what works, what doesn’t and why. Ilana began her career working on and off-site with both sales and rentals, developing marketing techniques that served as a foundation for building and expanding OMG into the company that it is today.

Lilliana Soto
Human Resources Manager
BEB Capital
Most recent achievement: A few of Lilliana’s most recent accomplishments include being instrumental in supporting BEB Capital’s growth by spearheading the recruitment efforts for the company over the last year. In addition, she spearheaded a COVID related return to work plan, by establishing policies and procedures that allowed for a safe return to work back in June of 2020. As Human Resources Manager for BEB Capital, Lilliana is responsible for all aspects of the employee life cycle. With over 10 years of HR experience, including several years of luxury hospitality experience where a focus on superior guest services was required to uphold five-star service standards, she developed her current motto, “Employees are my internal guests.” Lilliana uses this same approach in her position in Human Resources at BEB Capital, where her people-focused approach enables her to create a culture and working environment that supports current employees and attracts future employees. She earned a B.A. in Sociology from Hunter College, donates to organizations such as Big Brothers and Big Sisters of Long Island and The Lupus Foundation and has been a sponsor of a child for several years through Children International. 

Domenica Stasiak
Senior Project Manager, Geotechnical
Langan Engineering
Most recent achievement: Domenica is the project manager for five miles of waterfront rehabilitation and a seven-acre park in Manhattan. The project includes multiple agency and consultant coordination under tight deadlines and with several project variables. Domenica is meeting milestones and moving the project forward. A professional engineer with 19 years of experience working on some of New York’s key waterfront initiatives. Domenica has successfully delivered the Rockaway Boardwalk redevelopment and storm resiliency project in Queens; the Manhattan Cruise Terminal Pier 88 west apron replacement; reconstruction of the waterfront and tidal pools at Roberto Clemente State Park; cyclical inspection of piers, wharves, bulkheads and pile fields within Hudson River Park; and comprehensive “on-call” marine engineering services for waterfront sites in all five boroughs of New York City. In addition to managing waterfront projects, Domenica has performed structural analysis, resident engineering services, permit applications, construction inspections and support of local and international container ports, piers, bulkheads, and engineered shorelines. She was issued her Envision Sustainability Professional certification (ENV SP) in 2015 and Waterfront Alliance WEDG Associate in 2020. In 2019, Professional Women in Construction named Domenica one of its 20 Under 40 Outstanding Women in Construction.

Connie Torto
Vice President of Consulting
Domani Consulting
Most recent achievement: Connie worked with both NYC developers and general contractors to assemble a full-service expediting and compliance program for all phases of construction. As vice president of consulting, Connie works with both New York City developers and general contractors to assemble a full-service expediting and compliance program for all phases of construction. With over 15 years of experience as a member of the Domani Consulting team, Connie has worked hand-in-hand with the Department of Buildings and other city agencies on some of the largest projects in NYC. Connie leads a team of expediters and is charged with overseeing all Certificate of Occupancy projects and various other specialty projects.

Sara Williams
Account Director
Great Ink Communciations
Most recent achievement: Sara has two decades of public relations experience largely focused on commercial real estate entities. She has been able to seamlessly translate her media savvy to surmounting the challenges presented by the pandemic and has helped lead members of the team at Great Ink through re-evaluating and re-shaping media relations campaigns for many of the largest CRE players in New York City and nationwide. Her experience includes hands-on work counseling firms including Hines, CBRE, Populous, Waterton and Marx Realty on elevating their brands via public relations.  Having lived and worked in three of the United States’ most prolific urban centers – Boston, New York, and Chicago – Sara has always been one to entrench herself in her clients’ products. As a student at Boston University, she endured two semesters of aerospace engineering coursework before realizing her skills were much better suited to a career in public relations.  Soon after graduating, she began the work of promoting the products and accessories that decorate our lives. From plumbing products and appliances to textiles, furnishings, building materials, and, most recently, real estate entities, her experience spans many business sectors but, one constant remains: a passion for the places where we live, work and play.