In Person Roundtable: Developing New York's Skyline with MaryAnne Gilmartin, CEO & Founder at MAG Partners (Professional Level)

MaryAnne Gilmartin is the Founder and Chief Executive Officer of MAG Partners, a real estate development company she founded in 2018.

Today, the company has a $1B development pipeline in New York, including RUBY at 243 W. 28th St, a mixed-income residential building designed by COOKFOX that began leasing in April 2023. In addition, the company is developing two other residential buildings, 335 Eighth Avenue and 300 E. 50th St., as well as a boutique office building at 122 Varick. In partnership with Sagamore Ventures, Goldman Sachs Asset Management and MacFarlane Partners, MAG Partners is leading the development of Baltimore Peninsula, a 235-acre masterplan in Baltimore, MD. In 2023, 1.1M SF of office, retail and residential development will open on a prime waterfront location.

MaryAnne previously served as President and CEO of Forest City Ratner Companies, where she oversaw a period of game-changing ground-up development and managed its multimillion square foot residential, commercial and retail portfolio. MaryAnne also served as Chair of the Board of Directors and interim Chief Executive Officer of Mack-Cali Realty Corporation.

In her tenure at Forest City Ratner Companies, MaryAnne spearheaded the development of some of the most high-profile real estate projects in New York City. She led the efforts to build Barclays Center, the state-of-the-art sports and entertainment venue and the centerpiece of the $4.9 billion, 22-acre mixed-use Pacific Park Brooklyn development. She also oversaw the development of The New York Times Building, designed by world-renowned architect Renzo Piano; New York by Gehry, designed by award-winning architect Frank Gehry; and the Tata Innovation Center at Cornell Tech, a new office building that is a first-of-its-kind space for tech innovation, designed by Weiss/Manfredi on Roosevelt Island.

MaryAnne is a civic leader in the New York metropolitan area, serving as Chair Emeritus of the Downtown Brooklyn Partnership, member of the Board of Trustees of The Brooklyn Academy of Music, member of the New York Public Radio Board of Trustees, and a member of the Executive Committee and Board of Governors of The Real Estate Board of New York. At Columbia University, MaryAnne is part of the Industry Advisory Board of the MS Real Estate Development Program as well as a member of the real estate advisory board in the Center for AI in Business Analytics & FinTech. In addition to her civic and industry board service, MaryAnne was appointed a member of the board of directors of the global investment banking firm Jefferies Group LLC in 2014.

Tracey Appelbaum is an accomplished real estate developer, investor,
entrepreneur, and board member. She has created successful businesses
and led teams in complex urban development, including mixed-use,
residential, retail, and commercial. She has also been involved with
many public/private partnerships including rezonings and individual
projects with government assistance.

She is founder and Managing Partner of BedRock Real Estate Partners,
LLC. She is responsible for the firm’s investment activities, which
includes building and maintaining business relationships with investors
and development partners as well as sourcing, negotiating, and closing
investments in real estate development, redevelopment, and
repositioning projects in the northeastern United States. She co-founded
BedRock in 2013 which to date has made investments in 17 projects totaling over $1.3 billion in
assets.

Prior to BedRock, she was Senior Vice President of CityView and Managing Director of the
New York office. Previously, she served as Principal in charge of New York for MacFarlane Partners and was responsible for their urban investment activities in the northeastern United States. Her investments included commitments of approximately $810 million of equity and credit enhancement in projects aggregating $4.6 billion. These urban mixed-use projects included 3,600 apartments and almost 1.7 million square feet of retail and commercial space.
Before joining MacFarlane Partners, she was Vice President of Development for AvalonBay
Communities, a publicly traded real estate investment trust that develops and owns multifamily
residential properties, and was responsible for the New York metropolitan region. At Avalon,
Ms. Appelbaum oversaw the land acquisition, entitlements, design, construction, and lease-up ofover 4,000 apartments aggregating $875 million.

Ms. Appelbaum was also as a housing associate for The Atlanta Project, a public/private
partnership begun by former President Jimmy Carter to revitalize economically disadvantaged
urban neighborhoods in the Atlanta area.
Ms. Appelbaum began her real estate career as a product manager and assistant portfolio
manager for Equitable Real Estate Investment Management where she was responsible for its
Prime Property Fund – then a $3.5 billion commingled fund consisting of trophy retail, office,
industrial and hotel properties – and two specialized commingled funds that invested in new
development and rehabilitation projects.
She graduated cum laude with a BS in Economics in 1988 and an MBA, with honors, in 1994
from The Wharton School of The University of Pennsylvania. She formerly served on the
Advisory Board of The Wharton Real Estate Center from 1999 through 2001. From 1994-2000
she organized the annual Marshall Bennett Honorary Real Estate Conference for young real
estate professionals. Ms. Appelbaum currently serves on the Board of Directors and the
Executive Committee of the JCC in Manhattan. In May 2023, she was selected by City & State magazine for the Queens Power 100 and in July 2023 for the Real Estate Power 100.

Matthew Samuels is the co-owner of Samuels & Bresnan Properties, a real estate investment and management firm he co-founded in 2018. Under his leadership, the company has acquired and now manages a portfolio of over 100 apartment units across Connecticut. Specializing in value-add multifamily properties, Matthew excels at identifying underperforming assets, overseeing strategic renovations, and driving operational efficiencies to maximize returns.

With a hands-on approach to property management and a keen eye for market opportunities, Matthew has established Samuels & Bresnan Properties as a trusted name in the Connecticut multifamily real estate space. He is passionate about transforming properties into thriving communities while delivering exceptional value to residents and investors.

Matthew is a strong advocate for sustainable growth in real estate and enjoys sharing insights on property management, investment strategies, and navigating challenges in the multifamily sector.