The 2025 CLRM Agenda

To view the 2025 CLRM Program in PDF format, click here.

Missed the 2025 CLRM Roundtable? Click here for a quick Roundtable Roundup of the key takeaways discussed.

Monday, April 7, 2025

Tuesday, April 8, 2025

Wednesday, April 9, 2025

Breakouts:

Breakout Session 1:

• Agency (Fannie/Freddie) – Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac continually update their guidance so to mitigate risk and address challenges in the market. Join Drew McCreery and Jeremy Glassman to talk Agency Due Diligence. Multiple guidance updates to the agencies have occurred over the past couple of years including increased red-flag items, focusing on property condition, scrutinizing property stabilization, and other challenges that the commercial real estate market is facing head on. How does affordability play in an agency deal? Lets discuss these dynamic topics so to be successful and understand your agency transaction.
• Women in Real Estate – Construction has historically been a male-dominated industry, but the landscape is changing. In this breakout session, Marissa Emmer and Christina Fanning will lead a conversation on the evolving role of women in construction—exploring career shifts, empowerment, building each other up, and what the future holds for women across CLRM and the industry as a whole.
• SBA – SBA construction loans come with unique challenges, from strict documentation and collateral requirements to navigating disbursement timing, contingency reserves, and regulatory compliance—all while managing varying levels of sophistication with both borrowers and GCs. This session, led by AJ Nosek, Shelley Souza, Jackie Bogdan, and Roxanne Selwyn, will explore common hurdles lenders face, including credit risk assessment, loan servicing, and SBA approval processes.
• Unlocking Insurance Savings Through Better Data – Explore how a data-driven approach led to a 40% reduction in insurance premiums. This session, led by Joni Ayala, Tony Liou and Raphael Dawson, breaks down the model, key insights, and practical takeaways for lenders and risk managers looking to optimize insurance outcomes.

Breakout Session 2:

• Developing Guidance for the Use of AI – AI may prove to be a boon for the industry, but its use can expose sensitive data, cause security leaks, and introduce new risks into the construction administration process. In this session, led by Bill Tryon, we’ll discuss how AI is being used—or could be used in the future—along with ways to manage the related risks.
• Data Centers – Global data center demand is surging, with forecasts projecting a 15-20% CAGR through 2027 and power demand nearly doubling by 2030. Annual infrastructure spending could exceed $1 trillion within five years, creating new challenges and opportunities for real estate owners and developers. In this session, led by Nate Benton, we’ll explore key industry trends, including the rise of edge data centers (<5 MW), on-site power generation, and liquid cooling systems to enhance efficiency. We’ll also cover feasibility considerations for converting office, industrial, and warehouse spaces into data centers.
• The Future of Technology in Construction Lending – This session, led by Bob Scales of CodeFi Solutions, explores emerging tech trends with insights from AI and quantum computing innovators. Hear key takeaways from his industry interviews and discover what’s next for construction lending.
• The Lantern Network (Mentorship) – In this breakout, get to know more about Lantern Network’s mission, mentees, and how you can get involved.
• Book Club “Invisible Women” – Moderated by committee chair, Shelley Souza, this book club will explore Invisible Women by Caroline Criado Perez, which examines how the pervasive “gender data gap”—where most data is based on male experiences—systematically disadvantages women. From healthcare and workplace policies to urban planning and technology, this lack of representative data renders women “invisible” in the design and function of society.

Breakout Session 3:

• Emerging Trends – This breakout session, led by Ryan Duff, will explore emerging trends shaping commercial construction, including AI and technology, tariffs and construction costs, interest rates, and the future of HUD, Fannie Mae, and Freddie Mac—and how these factors impact the industry.
• Insurable Replacement Costs – Led by David Drummond, this session covers the dollar estimate required to reconstruct a building with like-kind materials and quality at today’s costs, excluding land value. It will explore sourcing of the estimate, methods used, and reconciling differences between estimates to determine the right coverage.
• Construction Risk Management & SureBuild – When traditional risk mitigation isn’t enough, SureBuild Project Completion Insurance—backed by Lloyd’s of London—offers a unique and innovative approach to construction risk management. In this session, Isaac Stern will explore how this proactive solution provides lenders the “belt and suspenders” often required for complex projects, while offering developers and borrowers a cost-effective way to meet their lending requirements.
• Personal Brand Building – This session, led by Kelly Javier, covers how business professionals can define, communicate, and align their personal brand to build trust, grow visibility, and advance their careers.

Breakout Session 4:

• Troubled Assets / Work Out – A discussion about challenges in Construction Asset Management as lenders navigate real-world challenges in maintaining development and business plan discipline. Led by Andreas Rahe, this session will explore experiences in successfully addressing credit risk impacts, from small budget overruns to extended schedule delays.
• Remote Work – Is it still working? Was it ever? In a wave of return-to-office requirements, we will pick this topic back up. Led by Kelly Javier, this session will invite members to share their experiences with remote work vs. in-office requirements.
• The Future of Technology in Construction Lending – This session, led by Bob Scales of CodeFi Solutions, explores emerging tech trends with insights from AI and quantum computing innovators. Hear key takeaways from his industry interviews and discover what’s next for construction lending.
• The Lantern Network (Mentorship) – In this breakout, get to know more about Lantern Network’s mission, mentees, and how you can get involved.
• Unlocking Insurance Savings Through Better Data – Explore how a data-driven approach led to a 40% reduction in insurance premiums. This session, led by Joni Ayala (Lockton Companies) and Tony Liou (Partner Energy), breaks down the model, key insights, and practical takeaways for lenders and risk managers looking to optimize insurance outcomes.

Breakout Session 5:

• Construction Contracts – This session will focus on key contractual provisions in construction agreements, including payment terms, indemnity clauses, dispute resolution, and termination procedures. In the session, led by Miguel Brizuela, Esq., attendees will gain practical insights into managing risk and avoiding common pitfalls in construction contracts.
• Residential Construction – See how effective risk management improves residential construction lending. This breakout session, led by Larry Manchester, covers key practices in underwriting, contracts, disbursements, and monitoring. Participants will discuss challenges, share experiences, and explore strategies for mitigating risk and ensuring project success.
• Understanding and Using AI to Enhance Personal Productivity – This breakout session, led by Bill Tryon, will include a discussion on how attendees are currently using AI, along with an entry-level overview of alternative AI systems, prompts, concerns, and workarounds. Join the conversation to learn how others have leveraged AI to work smarter and reclaim valuable time.
• Environmental – This session, led by Kathryn Peacock and Don Ohle, will explore environmental risks and protections encountered throughout the life of a construction loan including pre-closing, underwriting, during construction, and loan closeout.

If you have content ideas for the 2025 meeting, monthly forum calls, would like to sponsor, or be added to the CLRM membership base, please email: CLRMInfo@partneresi.com