By Heather Collins
Indy REAL (Real Estate Ascending Leaders) will delve into Carmel’s development during an upcoming panel discussion at one of the city’s recent economic success stories.
The event, “Carmel: How We Got Here,” is geared toward young people in the commercial real estate field and will include a discussion of economic development in Carmel, including the success and planning for projects like the Monon Trail expansion, Midtown and Range Line Road. The event will be from 4 to 6 p.m. Aug. 16 at Sun King Distillery, 351 Monon Trail. Attendees will have an opportunity to have drinks and network with panelists from 5:30 to 6 p.m.
Former Fox 59 and CBS 4 reporter Brian Bondus will moderate two panel discussions, which will include “Carmel Infrastructure and Bike Culture” with panelists Mayor Jim Brainard and city councilor Bruce Kimball, and “Live, Work, and Play Communities” featuring Carmel Redevelopment Commission Director Henry Mestetsky, Browning Investments Vice President of Real Estate Jamie Browning and Old Town Design Group President Justin Moffett.
“The goal is to help up-and-coming real estate professionals understand the years of planning and the long-term vision it takes to build a community like Carmel,” said Bondus, a Carmel resident and ALO Group director of leasing.
Brandon Borah, Indy REAL President, Fishers resident and retail leasing associate at Thompson Thrift Retail Group, said the goal of Indy REAL is to bring together all the different disciplines in commercial real estate and mixed-use development, including architects, engineers and attorneys.
“The goal of this group is to get all of those pieces of the puzzles together and shaking hands and creating relationships that will help central Indiana for decades to come,” Bondus said. “When we all do well, the city, the town, the community are better for it.”
Thompson Thrift Retail Group is developing the mixed-use project The Yard in Fishers.
“As commercial real estate brokers, it’s our responsibility to be on the cutting edge of what the market is demanding,” Borah said. “We are seeing the demand for densification in urban and suburban cores substantially increase as the real estate market evolves. Therefore, it is incumbent upon us real estate professionals to understand the amenities and services the people need, then pursue these tenants to bring them to our communities.”
Indy REAL launched in October 2017 and held its first event in April, which included a bus tour of downtown Indianapolis with Downtown Indy’s Inc.’s Real Estate Development Director Catherine Esselman. The mission of the group is to foster collaborative efforts among a group of dedicated and high-integrity individuals to get commercial real estate deals completed and to create a platform for networking and business and personal growth opportunities.
Next year, Indy REAL is planning on hosting “Fishers: Where We’re Going.”
