Mark Toro/North American Properties
Partner
Mark Toro founded the Atlanta office of North American Properties in 1996 and since then has led the acquisition, development and redevelopment of more than 7 million square feet. An industry veteran, he has completed more than 60 projects, totaling 19 million square feet, in his 26 year career in commercial real estate.
Toro is currently focused on building North American’s portfolio by identifying opportunities to acquire or develop retail, multifamily and mixed use assets, adding value by leading a select group of best-in-class professionals engaged in development, leasing, management, marketing and finance.
Prior to opening the Atlanta office, he served as Managing Director for Faison & Associates and Vice President of Development at Cousins/New Market Development Company. Toro holds a BS in Civil Engineering from Rutgers University.
An advocate of walkability and transit oriented development, Toro serves on the Midtown Alliance Board (Executive Committee) and ULI Atlanta’s Livable Communities Council (Chairman)
www.naproperties.com www.experienceavalon.com @AvalonInsider
Steve Palmer/Indigo Road Restaurant Group
Managing Partner
Steve Palmer formed the Charleston-based hospitality group The Indigo Road in 2009 when he began working with the celebrated Oak Steakhouse and went on to open O-Ku, Cocktail Club, The Macintosh, The Oak Table (Columbia, SC) and Indaco. Prior to forming The Indigo Road, Palmer served as vice president of food and beverage for the Ginn Clubs and Resorts. In this role, he managed eleven properties in the Southeast and the Caribbean, while still developing other hospitality concepts for the company. He eventually served as the lead developer for Ginn Resorts, and developed over $100 million in hotel and club space.
www.theindigoroad.com LinkedIn
Twitter: Steve Palmer Oak Steakhouse
Patrick Scullin/Ames Scullin O’Haire
Adman/Wordsmitty
Patrick is chief creative officer and a founding partner of Ames Scullin O’Haire Advertising, Inc. (www.asoy.com) working with clients Mitsubishi Electric, The Georgia Aquarium, Seagram’s Ginger Ale, Seagram’s Sparkling Seltzer Waters, Mellow Mushroom Pizza, Sealed Air Corporation, Wild Wing Cafes and Anthony HillPhoenix. The agency has also created successful campaigns for UPS, Randstad Staffing Services, Danka Business Systems, HEARTGARD Plus and Delhaize America Grocery Stores.
He has worked with Hal Riney & Partners/San Francisco, Leo Burnett/Chicago and The Richards Group/Dallas and created successful marketing campaigns for American Airlines, McDonald’s, Kellogg’s Cereals, The Stroh Brewery, Church’s Chicken, The Mirage Hotel & Casino, Arby’s, Anheuser-Busch and Alamo Rent-A-Car.
(He even worked as an advance man for The Clyde Beatty–Cole Bros. Circus.)
He’s been named to ADWEEK’s All-Star Team and was selected as “One of The Hottest Copywriters in America” by Winners Magazine. Patrick served three terms as President of The Atlanta Ad Club and received The 2007 Silver Medal Lifetime Achievement Award from the American Advertising Federation’s Atlanta chapter in recognition of his outstanding contributions to the business community.
Denver Rayburn/PosterFuse.com
Founder
As a founding member of technology startup PosterFuse.com, Denver was recognized by the USA Today for innovation in the digital media space, specifically for his efforts in programming and supply chain management. Through his experience at PosterFuse, Denver has gained extensive exposure to the venture capital and startup ecosystems of Atlanta. This exposure led him to become the Executive Director of HackATL, an annual tech conference held in Atlanta, as well as a strategic advisor for multiple venture backed startups.
In addition to his startup and technology experience, Denver worked as a summer analyst at global investment banking firm Lazard Frères & Co. in New York. His experience at Lazard includes M&A related valuation, cross border re-organizations, and strategic advisory within the Power & Energy and Technology Media & Telecommunications groups. Prior to Lazard, Denver worked as a summer analyst at Dover Corporation’s Hydro Systems gaining exposure to cross-border M&A transactions.
Jeff Meng/Emory Entrepreneurship & Venture Management
President
Jeff is currently a senior at Emory University studying finance and consulting. He has previously worked at a $9B growth equity/venture capital investment fund, as well as Ericsson and Intel corporation. In 2012 in co-founded the Emory Entrepreneurship & Venture management organization to develop the entrepreneurship community and help other students launch start ups at Emory.
