Escalation Seminar

Since 1986, Founders William H. Brownfield, CRE, CCIM, and Lawrence M. Mayerhofer, CPA, have been providing solutions to the operating-expense escalation issues of commercial real estate clients. Having addressed complex matters in hundreds of office buildings and thousands of leases, their collaboration brings matchless practical experience to each engagement and every client problem. Their experience is augmented by a shared commitment to building strong, enduring and mutually beneficial relationships between building owners and their tenants.

Bill Brownfield

William H. Brownfield is a Counselor of Real Estate (CRE) and a Certified Commercial Investment Member (CCIM).

Bill has been responsible for management activities of more than 28 million square feet of office properties in markets accross the United States. He has also been involved in the acquisition and disposition of properties with an aggregate value of hundreds of millions of dollars.

Bill has served as the 2005 chair of the Counselors of Real Estate, Houston/Gulf Coast Chapter and as a past board member of Houston’s CCIM chapter.

A recognized expert in several disciplines of commercial and investment real estate, he now serves as Director of Acquisitions for a privately owned real-estate investment firm in Texas and as a partner in Brownfield & Mayerhofer.

He is the author of The Fair Share Handbook (The Escalation Handbook for Office Buildings).

Larry Mayerhofer

Lawrence M. Mayerhofer is a Certified Public Accountant with more than 25 years of real-estate accounting experience.

Larry co-founded Brownfield & Mayerhofer in 1998. During a 23-year period with Equity Office Properties Trust, Larry served as Vice President of Property Accounting, where his responsibilities included managing the escalation process for more than 12,000 tenants annually.

An accomplished leader in creating escalation standards, Larry led the design team in the creation of the FairShare Software (BOMA’s Escalation System for Office Buildings) and provides support for product users in the United States and abroad.

One Shell Plaza:  Lessons Learned from Katrina

Nancye Abbott is a seasoned senior real estate professional with 24 years of experience in commercial real estate investment strategy. She is well versed in strategic financial positioning of real estate (all asset classes) including underwriting for acquisitions, implementation of dispositions, and all matters related to asset and property management. Nancye has an in-depth, broad knowledge and perspective of real estate operations and practices.

Nancye is currently a Director of MetLife's Equity Portfolio Unit in Morristown, New Jersey where she sits on the EPU Investment Committee and directs Asset Management and Joint Venture activities for the Eastern United States.

Prior to accepting her new position in New Jersey, Nancye was the Asset Manager responsible for a portfolio of assets in Texas and Louisiana including One Shell Square and the Sheraton New Orleans. Nancye and the management teams at both assets spent many hours in crisis management prior to and after the storm managing recovery efforts, internal communications, tenant relations and complex insurance claim processes. A comprehensive team including the building management, architects, consultants, legal, risk management, financial management, and senior management was assembled and led by Nancye to accomplish repairs, reopen the assets, and collect insurance proceeds. One Shell Square was the first building in New Orleans to reopen after the storm and the Sheraton remained open throughout, during, and after the storm housing fire, police, and recovery personnel.

Mike Otillio began his career in 1987, earning a bachelor's degree in accounting from the University of New Orleans. The first five years of his professional experience were spent in public accounting, with emphasis in real estate operational and financial auditing. In 1992, Mike joined the property management team at One Shell Square where he served as the Project Accountant for two years. In 1994, Mike became the Assistant Property Manager and has held the titles of Financial Manager and Property Manager for One Shell Square, where he is presently employed by CB Richard Ellis Inc.

During Mike's (21)-year career, he has assisted many properties in the development of budgeting and recovery accounting systems. In addition, he has written instruction manuals and served as a consultant for the MRI budgeting and recovery software development teams. Mike has served as an instructor for property management firms teaching budgeting techniques, software's, and recovery systems.

A native New Orleanean, Mike was directly impacted by Hurricane Katrina and was jointly responsible for assisting his family and managing One Shell Square, MetLife's (51)-story commercial office building. As part of the local property management team, Mike was charged with execution of a comprehensive emergency response plan to assemble building staff, contractors, consultants, and tenants to commence repairs following the storm. Damages to include windows, escalators, elevators, roof tops, tenant suites, and vital operating equipment were some of the obstacles faced in addition to housing, food, water and security. Working jointly with Nancye Abbott and the teams of MetLife, Lincoln Property Company and One Shell Square, the building re-opened its doors on October 17th, 2005 to building tenants, following repairs that would exceed thirty million dollars.

Going from Brown to Green: Strategies for Existing Buildings

Seminar speakers are:

• Lynda Reed, Dennehy & Associates
• Sally Schopmeyer, Maintenance, Inc.
• Linda Hasley, Initial Tropical Plants
• Gary Blackshear, Mustang Lighting
• Bruce Birdsong, Precision Landscape Management
• Scott Freis, Precision Landscape Management
• Linda Swallow, Staffelbach
• Shannon McCall, Telios Engineers
• Sandra Heffernan, Sustainable Partners, LLC

Sandra Heffernan has been in the property management industry for over 25 years. For the past 15 years she has been employed with Wereldhave USA, Inc., a Dutch pension fund. As a Vice President of the company for 8 years she was responsible for the property management of their existing Dallas portfolio and new developments in the area. In 2007, Wereldhave USA received a USGBC Core and Shell LEED Platinum Certification for the McKinney Office Building, located in McKinney, Texas. Ms. Heffernan's responsibilities began with the purchase of the land, overseeing construction, and finalizing the LEED certification. 

In December of this past year, Ms. Heffernan, started her own company, Sustainable Partners, LLC focusing on existing buildings, where she assists building owners and managers in creating green programs and obtaining LEED certifications. Ms. Heffernan is a member of the United States Green Building Council (USGBC) and the North Texas Chapter of the USGBC. She is a member of the National Recycling Coalition, and the Recycling Alliance of Texas. She has been a member of Building Owners and Managers Association for over 20 years.