MEET OUR INDUSTRY EXPERTS
About The Team
Chauncey
Mayfield
Keynote Speaker
Chauncey C. Mayfield was the Former President and Chief Executive Officer of Mayfield Mr. Mayfield had been the primary visionary, strategist, and architect of MayfieldGentry from inception until he retired in 2015. As MayfieldGentry’s founder and creator, Mr. Mayfield is an innate entrepreneur, well-prepared for the real estate investment arena from his previous entrepreneurial, public and private sector experiences. His expertise in value-added real estate investment reflects nearly 30 plus years of residential, office industrial and retail development, construction, and management experience. Under Mr. Mayfield’s visionary leadership, MayfieldGentry achieved an outstanding track record with public pension funds and plan sponsors, resulting in the phenomenal growth of its portfolio of $1.5 Billion in assets under management in both urban and suburban markets.
Mr. Mayfield brings to task his experience as former President and Chief Executive Officer of ShoreBank Development, Detroit, an affiliate of ShoreBank Corporation of Chicago. As President, he successfully competed in domestic and international expansion markets, attracted institutional capital, spearheaded the establishment of a real estate development firm, and created large-scale residential and commercial rehabilitation and development, ultimately delivering a 44% return on investment. His distinguished career also includes having previously served as Deputy Director of Economic Development for the City of Boston’s Economic Development and Industrial Corporation where he directed the management and development of the agency’s three industrial parks which included 3 million square feet of mixed-use, office and light manufacturing space and 200 acres of land. Mr. Mayfield also served as the Director of the Boston Industrial Development Financing Authority. As Director, he was responsible for closing over $1 billion dollars in taxable and tax-exempt bond transactions. Mr. Mayfield also served as Director of Real Estate Development for Davenport Associates, Inc., a Boston-based regional housing developer of high-end single-family homes.
Mr. Mayfield received his Bachelor of Science degree in Political Science, with honors, from Tuskegee Institute, and a Master degree in Business Administration, with an emphasis on Real Estate and Finance, from the Harvard University Graduate School of Business Administration. He has served as a national lecturer, instructor, and panelist in real estate development and finance at colleges, universities, and public entities including the Kellogg School of Business (Panelist) Northwestern University, Columbia School of Business (Panelist, Real Estate Program), Texas Public Employees Retirement Association (TEXPERS), St Augustine College and the Pratt Institute. He is also the recipient of numerous professional accolades and awards, including the 2009 Ernest & Young Entrepreneur of the Year Award in Real Estate and Construction in the Central Great Lakes Region. He has been featured in many newspapers and magazines like the New York Time’s Corner Office Column, Commercial Property Executive, Pride Magazine and Pension and Investment Magazine, to name a few.
Blair Ackman
Blair D. Ackman is a Certified Public Accountant and a highly accomplished executive with extensive experience across diverse industries, including real estate, development, investments, information technology, and insurance. With a proven track record in leadership, Blair excels in providing strategic guidance, coaching, and team development, consistently establishing rapport and credibility with varied work groups.
Blair's career highlights include leading one of Michigan's largest real estate management firms, overseeing accounting and reporting for over 20 million square feet of office space. Additionally, Blair has managed annual capital projects with budgets exceeding $20 million for prominent clients such as JP Morgan Chase, CALPERS, and General Motors. Notably, Blair was instrumental in accounting for a $1 billion redevelopment project, the largest of its kind in North America.
Blair's expertise also encompasses the acquisition, financing, and disposition of more than 10 million square feet of commercial real estate in the Midwest and Southeast, along with securing over $500 million in debt financing.
A lifelong athlete, Blair was an All-American D3 Football player, and is a proud member of his alma mater’s Hall of Fame. He dedicated years to coaching his own children, all three of whom went on to play at the college level. Currently he remains active by playing on two competitive soccer teams.