New York, May 30 2008—Shearman & Sterling was one of 16 sponsors of the 2008 Diversity Reception, a popular annual networking event held during the International Council of Shopping Centers' annual Spring Convention in Las Vegas. Attended annually by over 50,000 people working in all aspects of the real estate and retail industry, the four-day long ICSC convention is considered a key networking opportunity for the industry’s most prominent developers, lenders, investors and retailers.
The 2008 Diversity Reception, recently spearheaded and cosponsored by Shearman & Sterling’s Property Group and attended by approximately 600 people, provided attendees of the convention with a networking opportunity focused on promoting and increasing diversity within the real estate industry.
“The reception is a great opportunity for convention participants from diverse backgrounds to form business relationships that will help foster an environment for increased diversity within the industry and also to greater investment opportunities in urban and other needy areas,” said Chris Smith, a partner in the firm’s Property Group, who participated in the event along with Shearman & Sterling Property Group colleagues Malcolm Montgomery and Peter Strauss.
After opening remarks given by Shearman & Sterling’s counsel Gina Love, speeches were given by four speakers: Michael Kercheval, President and CEO of ICSC; Mary Lou Fiala, Chairman of ICSC and President and COO of Regency Centers Corporation; Lisa Price, Founder and President of Carol's Daughter, a New York-based beauty products company, and Victor MacFarlane, Managing Principal, Chairman and CEO of MacFarlane Partners, the nation’s largest African American-owned real estate investment firm.
In addition to Shearman & Sterling and ICSC, 2008 Diversity Reception sponsors included Concordis Real Estate, Cushman & Wakefield, Darden Restaurants, Forest City Enterprises, Gap, Inc., General Growth Properties, Jones Lang LaSalle, MacFarlane Partners, Nixon Peabody LLP, Simon Property Group, Target Corporation, The TJX Companies, Urban America and Wal-Mart.