Craig Sullivan is the Founder of the California Lodging Investment Conference [CLIC]. He launched [CLIC] in 2017 to create the only lodging conference focused exclusively on the California hotel market. Craig is recognized as an expert in California hospitality, lodging, investment, and in commercial real estate development. He is a popular speaker, panelist, and moderator at the leading national hospitality and investment conferences, and at local CA based CRE conferences.



Craig is also the co-host and co-producer of ‘Check Out California’, the only California focused hospitality, travel, and tourism radio show, airing on OCTalkRadio.  In 2019, Craig launched ‘Check Out California 3x10’, an online interview show featuring leaders in the hospitality, travel, and tourism industries. The show’s engaging format asks one guest three questions in ten minutes, and films on location across the state.

 

Craig was also the publisher of The Hotel Report, a monthly hospitality newsletter that reached a circulation of 60,000 hotel professionals globally. Craig has served in executive positions and business development roles at Parkwest GC, Broughton Hotels, 24/7 Hotels, and North American Title Company. Craig has helped underwrite and close nearly 25 billion dollars in transactions. His deals cover national and global hotel sales, refinancing, construction loans, and international assignments, including 2.2 billion dollars' worth of transactions in one year.

 

Craig is a connector and advisor, and passionate about giving back to the community. He mentors the next generation of hotel professionals, advocates for women's equality, and supports charitable causes. Craig’s affiliations include Bracken’s Kitchen, CREW-OC, AAHOA, CLIA, ILLA, BLLA, and CHLA.

 

Known to his friends, family, and colleagues as “Aloha Craig” Sullivan, Craig considers Hawaii his second home. He is the doting grandfather of Chase, proud father of Shawn, and dedicated guardian of Makena the golden retriever, [CLIC]'s canine ambassador, and fierce but gentle advocate for pet-friendly hotels. 

With her extensive history in the industry and keen understanding of the markets, Suzanne R. Mellen, MAI, CRE, FRICS, ISHC, sets new standards for hospitality and gaming valuation.



Suzanne is the Senior Managing Director – Practice Leader of HVS. She has unparalleled experience, having appraised thousands of hotels, gaming assets, and related real estate throughout the world over the past 40 years. She specializes in complex hotel and casino feasibility issues and is nationally recognized for her industry expertise. In 2012 and 2013, she led the valuation of several high-profile multibillion-dollar hotel portfolios. In that time, she also developed an expertise in the valuation of casinos for assessment purposes and recently testified as an expert witness in one of the nation’s largest casino property tax cases.



Suzanne opened the second office of HVS in 1985, locating in San Francisco to expand the firm’s hospitality valuation services to the West Coast. She also led HVS’s expansion to Las Vegas in 2009 and Los Angeles in 2013. Suzanne has developed innovative appraisal methodologies such as a mortgage-equity income capitalization formula for variable income properties, a refinancing model for hotel investments, and a methodology for valuing the real property component of casinos in Pennsylvania, where gaming has been newly established. As an in-demand presenter for conferences throughout the United States, Suzanne has spoken at numerous industry events and makes annual appearances at JMBM’s Meet the Money and the Americas Lodging Investment Summit (ALIS).



Suzanne holds the following designations: MAI (Appraisal Institute), CRE (Counselor of Real Estate), FRICS (Fellow of the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors), and ISHC (International Society of Hospitality Consultants). Her professional experience includes consulting and appraisal positions with HVS New York, Morgan Guaranty Trust, Laventhol & Horwath, and Helmsley-Spear Hospitality Services, Inc. in New York City and Harley-Little Associates in Toronto, Canada. She gained her operational experience at the Plaza Hotel in New York. Suzanne earned her B.S. degree in Hotel Administration from Cornell University.

Ms. Redlin has more than 18 years of experience in the environmental consulting industry. She is one of the founders of Partner Engineering and Science, Inc. and is a Principal in the firm. Ms. Redlin has extensive experience in testing soil, soil gas, and groundwater in the context of a real estate transaction, as well as under the supervision of state and federal regulators. Her background in environmental science, in addition to her knowledge of current environmental regulations and the real estate industry, allows her to offer comprehensive environmental consulting services for real estate transactions. Ms. Redlin has extensive experience managing all aspects of due diligence- environmental, engineering, asbestos, lead based paint and radon surveys for nationwide and local clients such as developers, brokers, private equity funds and lenders including SBA, HUD, Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac, portfolio, and insurance lenders.

Alan X. Reay is the president and founder of Atlas Hospitality Group (Atlas). Atlas has closed over $3.5 billion in California hotel sales and is considered the “expert” on the California hotel market.

Reay has an extensive hotel industry background, including serving as the director of sales with London-based ABC International Hotel Guide. In that position, Reay established contacts from all over the world.



Reay has tracked the hotel market for decades and is quoted extensively within the hotel trade and general press. He publishes biannual reports covering California hotel sales and development, along with two monthly newsletters, one geared toward hotel owners and the other for lenders.



Atlas has received coverage from numerous publications, including the Wall Street Journal, Bloomberg Businessweek, Forbes, Los Angeles Times, The Orange County Register, The San Francisco Chronicle and The San Diego Union-Tribune. He has also appeared on KCBS Radio, KTLA Channel 5 News and National Public Radio. A regular guest speaker at numerous trade events as well as the Southern California Appraisal Institute, Reay is often retained as an expert witness for important hotel-related legal cases.



Reay has represented major clients such as Wells Fargo Bank, Pacific Western Bank, Corporex, Sunstone Hotels and Tarsadia. He has also closed transactions with some of the largest special servicers in the country, including LNR, CWCapital and Helios AMC.

Brad Cohen's practice emphasizes business planning related to complex corporate and partnership transactions, including mergers and acquisitions, financing and business succession planning, income tax planning, and estate tax planning, all on an integrated basis.



He is a member of JMBM's Trusts & Estates Group which is recognized by U.S. News & World Report / Best Law Firms® with a National First Tier ranking in Trusts & Estates Law.



Brad is best known for his business and tax advice related to the motion picture, television, music, emerging media and sports industries. One of the focuses of his practice is coordinating the relationships among the entertainment, advertising and nonprofit industries. In addition, he advises real estate industry clients in sale, acquisition, deferred exchanges and financing, including structuring of Qualified Opportunity Zone funds.



He has incorporated his personal commitment to philanthropy into a key element of his legal practice, providing multifaceted counsel to clients regarding their involvement in charitable endeavors, including developing strategic plans, outlining the associated tax benefits and identifying the appropriate corporate brands and sponsorships. Brad acted as principal counsel representing the lead donor who financed the acquisition, delivery and permanent exhibition of the Space Shuttle Endeavour located at the California Science Center in Los Angeles. He also advises clients on tax

controversy, executive compensation (including deferred compensation) and tax aspects of marital settlementnegotiations.



Brad was also a lobbyist before the United States Congress for the Tax Reform Research Group. He is also an Ironman Triathlon finisher.

David Sudeck is a senior member of JMBM's Global Hospitality Group® and JMBM's real estate department. His practice primarily involves the complex issues associated with hotels, resorts, vacation ownership properties (including shared ownership, destination clubs, timeshares, fractionals and private residence clubs), restaurants (including chef consulting agreements), golf courses and spas.



A seasoned real estate attorney, David has extensive legal experience involving all types of residential and commercial properties. He represents owners – including hospitality clients – in the purchase nd sale, development, construction, financing, leasing, and sale-leaseback of properties, and advises them on their operations and management agreements, including hotel management agreements.



David has significant experience in real estate finance and represents several financial institutions as special counsel relating to their hospitality interests. He also advises developers in the use of EB-5 financing as part of the capital stack for new development.



Additionally, David has expertise in the Americans With Disabilities Act (ADA) and counsels real estate owners, tenants and management companies with respect to ADA compliance, policies and procedures.



David has a pragmatic approach to practicing law, and he adds value through his business experience and legal expertise, his finance, entitlement and development knowledge, and his extensive relationships with investors, lenders, brokers, developers, and service providers.

Tim L. Edgar is the Founder and President of Hotel Innvestor, the first web-based, hotel specific investment banking platform in the country.



Mr. Edgar started his career in hotels in 1991 working at the Beverly Hilton while studying at the University of Southern California. After graduating from USC, Edgar went into hotel property brokerage, where he underwrote hundreds of hotel projects and personally consummated over $1.1 billion in hotel property sales. Tim is also currently an active officer in a 200-room hotel in San Francisco, California.



Tim is a recognized industry expert in crowdsourcing for hotels and has been quoted in publications such as the Orange CountyBusiness Journal, the New England Real Estate Journal, Hotel Business, Boston Hospitality Review, Hotel News Now, HotelManagement and Real Estate Fund Manager. Edgar has also been a featured speaker on the subject at various conferences including the North American Tourism & Hospitality Investment Conference (NATHIC) in Chicago, Hotel Equities and LenderPerspectives Conference (HELP) in Boston, Meet the Money Conference (MTM) in Los Angeles, The Lodging Conference (TLC)in Phoenix, NATHIC Miami, Alternative Investing Summit (AIS) in Laguna Beach, the Hunter Hotel Conference (HHC) in Atlanta and the Americas Lodging Industry Summit (ALIS) in Los Angeles.

Glenn Haussman, President of Rouse Media, and Editor at Large at Hotel Management magazine, is a featured keynote speaker and event moderator, lodging industry trends expert, columnist and writer. He’s also the host of the popular ‘No Vacancy’ podcast.



Glenn is the consummate traveler, enjoying the worlds of hospitality and travel as observer, educator and guest. As a frequent moderator and speaker, his unique motivational style and viewpoint gets people rethinking conventional thinking in a way designed to promote career and business empowerment. The No vacancy podcast attracts the biggest names in hospitality, and was chosen by USA Today to as best podcast to listen to while traveling.



Glenn is regularly quoted in leading publications such as the New York Times, USA Today, Washington Post, MSNBC.com, CNN.com, Chicago Tribune and tours the country as a featured event speaker. Glenn has previously served as adjunct professor at New York University, teaching classes in Public Relations & Advertising, and Consumer Behavior, at the Tisch Center for Hospitality, Tourism, and Sports Management.

Arnie formed All Star Group, Inc. in September, 1995 to educate, originate and network Commercial Real Estate throughout California and the Nation. All Star Group has produced hundreds of events since it’s inception, including the California Lodging Investment Conference [CLIC]. They have been producing the Commercial Real Estate and Lending Conference (CRELC), formally the Income Property Lending Conference in Los Angeles and San Francisco annually. In 2011 the All Star Group came up with the concept of the LoanMakers Forum(TM)  where Commercial Real Estate Lenders compete for loans LIVE at the CRELC events. The concept was trademarked in 2014 and has been a highlight of the events. In 2013 the LoanMakers ForumTM Luncheon and Expo became annual events in San Diego and San Jose. Arnie has been a consultant and featured speaker for many other Commercial Real Estate events nationwide. All Star Group and Arnie Garfinkel have produced events for other organizations including the Southland Regional Association of Realtors and the Long Beach Commercial Real Estate Council.



The company has been a leader in Commercial Real Estate Lending originations through it’s Income Property Lending division, closing hundreds of commercial real estate transactions nationwide from $500,000 to $100,000,000.



Mr. Garfinkel has been a featured speaker for various organizations, including – California Association of Mortgage Brokers, National Association of Mortgage Brokers, California Mortgage Bankers Association, Building Industry Association, American Industrial Realtors Association, R.I.A.O.C., Crittenden and RealShare to name a few.

Arnie was president of the Tarzana Chapter of Toastmasters International and served as a Board of Director and Vice President of the Southern California Chapter of the Florida State University Alumni Association.