Tuesday, February 7, 2012
8:00 am - 2:00 pm
Skirvin Hilton Hotel

Advance Registration:
Tuesday, January 17, 2012 - Monday, February 6, 2012
$115.00 CREC Members
$130 NON-CREC Members

Day of Event Registration:
$125 CREC Members
$150 NON-CREC Members

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Event Agenda

Stephen R. Blank
Senior Resident Fellow, Finance
ULI-the Urban Land Institute
Stephen R. Blank joined ULI-the Urban Land Institute (ULI) in December 1998 as Senior Fellow, Finance. His primary responsibilities include: expanding ULI's real estate capital markets information and education programs; authoring real estate capital market commentary for ULI's web site (www.uli.org); participating as a principal researcher and adviser for the Emerging Trends in Real Estate series of publications; organizing and participating in real estate capital markets programs at ULI events worldwide; and participating in industry meetings, seminars, and conferences.

Mark Beffort
President and CEO
Grubb & Ellis/Levy Beffort
Mark is currently serving as the President and CEO of Grubb & Ellis | Levy Beffort, one of the largest and most respected commercial real estate and investment companies in the state of Oklahoma.  Mark began his commercial real estate career and in depth involvement in Oklahoma City in 1985 after graduating from Washburn University. After several years as a successful commercial real estate broker, he began adding office investments to his personal portfolio and holds a vested interest in downtown Oklahoma City through his ownership interest in Leadership Square, Oklahoma Tower, Corporate Tower, City Place and the City Center East Garage.

Matt Beckham
CEO
QuiBids
Matt Beckham is a true native from the state of Oklahoma.  He was born and raised in Oklahoma City, OK.  He attended college at the University of Oklahoma with honors, where he majored in Finance, with a minor in Accounting, and received his Bachelors in Business Administration. 

Matt has years of experience in online marketing and media buying as well as a background in custom web software development.  Matt's hobbies include spending time with his friends and family, traveling and watching The Bachelor/Bachelorette.

Keith Paul
President - Founder
A Good Egg Dining Group
Keith Paul has a love of all things food since he was a small boy helping his grandmother in her kitchen. A native of Fort Worth, Texas, he started his career in the food industry with Ben E. Keith Foods, as a food service representative in 1990. He moved to Oklahoma City in 1996 were he continued in sales and later as a District Sales Manager. In 2000 Keith and his wife Heather opened Cheever's Cafe, which has now been open for 11 years. He took over full time Chef duties at Cheever's Café in 2001. His cooking skills are self taught and based on traditional American dishes passed down for generations heavily layered with Southern and Latin American influences incorporating the freshest regional ingredients available. Keith and Heather formed their restaurant company: A Good Egg Dining Group in 2002 soon after they opened Iron Starr Urban Barbecue. Other Oklahoma Restaurants that A Good Egg Dining Group owns and manages besides Cheever's Cafe and Iron Starr are Red PrimeSteak, Republic Gastropub, Tucker's Onion Burger and Cheever's Catering.

J.D. Strong
Executive Director
Oklahoma Water Resources Board
In October 2010, J. D. STRONG was named Executive Director of the Oklahoma Water Resources Board, the agency where he began public service in 1993. Under Strong's leadership, the OWRB is updating the Oklahoma Comprehensive Water Plan, a five-year effort begun in 2006 to formulate a 50-year water supply assessment and policy strategy to meet Oklahoma's future water needs. Strong also oversees administration of Oklahoma's AAA-rated $2.4 billion Financial Assistance Program assisting more than two-thirds of Oklahoma communities and rural water districts in financing infrastructure projects and providing good quality water to citizens.

Brendan Moynihan
Editor-at-Large at Bloomberg News
Head of The Bloomberg Brain Trust
Brendan Moynihan is an editor-at-large at Bloomberg News and head of The Bloomberg Brain Trust. He has been with the company since 2006, after spending more than 20 years on Wall Street as a trader and risk manager. He is the author of three books, most recently "Financial Origami: How the Wall Street Model Broke," (Wiley, 2011) and an adjunct professor of finance at Vanderbilt's Owen Graduate School of Management. He lives in Barrington Hills, IL, with his wife and two sons, and is currently writing a book on English grammar.

Keynote Speaker

Christopher Gardner
Owner and CEO of Gardner Rich LLC
Inspiration for the Film The Pursuit of Happyness
Christopher Gardner is the owner and CEO of Gardner Rich LLC with offices in New York, Chicago, and San Francisco. Conquering grave challenges to become a successful entrepreneur, Gardner is an avid motivational and inspirational speaker, addressing the keys to overcoming obstacles and breaking cycles. Gardner is also a passionate philanthropist whose work has been recognized by many esteemed organizations. The amazing story of Gardner's life was published as an autobiography, The Pursuit of Happyness, (Amistad/Harper Collins) in May 2006, and became a New York Times and Washington Post #1 best-seller. Gardner was also the inspiration for the movie The Pursuit of Happyness, released by Columbia Pictures in December 2006.

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